Materials Science | Science News for Students

Materials Science

a broken down plastic bag floating underwater in the ocean

Biodegradable plastic bags could help reduce plastic pollution in the environment — but only if the material actually breaks down. Most don’t.

Placebo365/iStock/Getty Images Plus

Pollution
 
Jun 28, 2019
'Biodegradable' plastic bags often don’t break down
a photo of a discarded styrofoam cup on the ground surrounded by plants

Unlike this Styrofoam cup, made from plastic, a new kind of foam is biodegradable.

tomschirtz/iStock/Getty Images Plus

Materials Science
 
Jun 24, 2019
Trees may become the key to ‘greener’ foam products
an animated image showing a bubble traveling from the bottom of a lava lamp to the top

Dry sand grains of various densities can bubble like the blobs in this lava lamp, scientists find. Just add vibrations and gas.

Ricciardi Mario/Creatas Video+/GettyImagesPlus

Physics
 
Jun 10, 2019
Dry sand can bubble like the blobs in a lava lamp
Kasper Moth-Poulsen shows off a solar collector

Kasper Moth-Poulsen shows off the solar collector his team used to test its liquid battery.

Johan Bodell/Chalmers University of Technology

Chemistry
 
Mar 29, 2019
Shape-shifting chemical is key to new solar battery
a photo of the inside of a a very large glass-roofed greenhouse on a sunny day

Greenhouses like this one could one day make their own power thanks to clear solar panels.

DutchScenery/istockphoto

Physics
 
Feb 25, 2019
How to turn a greenhouse into a powerhouse
a photo of a porthole into an underwater habitat, fish are swimming past the round window

A new kind of glass can keep itself clean underwater. The key is microscopic pancake-shaped structures that let liquid flow between them.

ES3N/iStockphoto

Materials Science
 
Feb 11, 2019
A self-cleaning glass keeps itself spotless underwater
a close-up of a new kind of bandage

A new bandage uses electrical pulses to help wounds heal faster. It’s powered by the patient’s natural body motions.

Sam Million-Weaver/Univ. of Wisconsin–Madison

Materials Science
 
Feb 1, 2019
This bandage uses electrical zaps to heal wounds faster
a photo of a person writing "Bye" on rewritable paper

A special pen heats the blue ink on this rewritable paper. As the ink warms, it turns clear. The white paper beneath reveals a written message.

Luzhuo Chen

Chemistry
 
Dec 31, 2018
This rewritable paper depends on disappearing ink
a photo of eight tubes of small plastic, each a different color, poured onto a white surface

Polymers are an important ingredient in many materials, including the colorful plastics shown here. Scientists have developed a new polymer material to help repair small cracks that might develop in such polymer-based products.

XXLPhoto/iStockphoto

Materials Science
 
Dec 3, 2018
Some plastics learn to repair themselves
860_hydrophobic_power.png

When water droplets bead up on a surface, it’s because that surface has features that repel the water. The water doesn’t penetrate the surface or flatten out across it like a pool. This concept is key to a new energy technology.

Antonistock/iStockphoto

Technology
 
Nov 13, 2018
Super-water-repellent surfaces can generate energy