Materials Science

  1. Materials Science

    Some plastics learn to repair themselves

    A new material can fix its own scratches and small cracks. One day, it also may make self-healing paints and plastics possible.

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  2. Tech

    Super-water-repellent surfaces can generate energy

    Scientists knew they could get power by running salt water over an electrically charged surface. But making that surface super-water-repellent boosts that energy production, new data show.

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  3. Tech

    Soft robots get their power from the skin they’re in

    A flexible electronic “skin” embedded with air pouches or coils can wrap around inanimate objects, turning them into handy robots.

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  4. Materials Science

    Adhesive from trees could make tape more eco-friendly

    The stuff that makes your tape sticky comes from fossil fuels. Now scientists have used tree wastes to engineer a “greener” tape adhesive — one kinder to the environment.

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  5. Materials Science

    This plastic can be recycled over and over and over

    A new kind of plastic is fully recyclable: Unlike current plastics, it breaks down into the exact same molecules from which it was made.

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  6. Physics

    Photons map the atomic scale to help medicine and more

    At a big lab outside Chicago, a gigantic beam of speedy electrons is helping researchers fight diseases, build better electronics and more.

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  7. Materials Science

    Light-sensitive ‘ink’ gives 4-D printing more wiggle room

    Many 4-D-printed objects can flex and change their shape. A new “ink” and printing method now gives them greater range of motion.

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  8. Materials Science

    New black hair dye uses no harsh chemicals

    Scientists have developed a new black-carbon-based hair dye. Instead of using damaging chemicals to dye hair, flexible flakes of carbon coat each strand.

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  9. Chemistry

    Hard-to-burn ‘smart’ wallpaper even triggers alarms

    Scientists have made wallpaper that won’t easily burn. And embedded nanowires can be linked to a sensor to sound an alarm when the paper gets too hot.

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  10. Materials Science

    Light could make some hospital surfaces deadly to germs

    A new surfacing material can disinfect itself. Room lighting turns on this germ-killing property, which could make the material attractive to hospitals.

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  11. Materials Science

    Zap! Laser tattoos could create electronics to eat or wear

    Lasers can tattoo a nontoxic form of carbon onto everyday items. This one day could lead to wearable — even edible — electronics.

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  12. Tech

    Electricity sensor harnesses a shark’s secret weapon

    A new “quantum” material mimics the sensors that help a shark sense its prey. Like a shark, it can detect tiny electric fields.

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