Materials

This graphene-based aerogel is the lightest sound insulation material ever manufactured, say researchers at the University of Bath, who have demonstrated its ability to damp down noise by up to 16 dB despite weighing just 2.1 kg per cubic meter.

Engineers have found a way to make liquid metals switch between reflective surfaces or those that scatter light. The transition only requires a small zap of electricity and could be used to make mirrors that can be switched on or off.

We have seen some interesting developments around what's known as self-healing concrete that repairs its own cracks, and scientists have now demonstrated an exciting new form of this that makes use of an enzyme found in human blood.

Australian researchers have created what may be one of the most thermally stable materials ever discovered. This remarkable advanced material, made of scandium, aluminum, tungsten and oxygen, doesn't change in volume at all between 4 and 1,400 Kelvin.

By mimicking the self-assembling microstructures that give spider silk its incredible strength, scientists have produced a plant-based film with the strength of common single-use plastics, offering a "vegan" eco-friendly alternative.

Scientists at Stanford University have demonstrated a cement recipe that swaps troublesome limestone for zero-carbon volcanic rock, which might just help reinforce the finished product through embedded microscopic fibers.

The ocean holds billions of tons of lithium, and scientists have just tested a new way of extracting it, with a device that takes in seawater and pumps out freshwater and lithium phosphate – plus more than enough H2 and chlorine to pay the power bill.

Silicon is vital to all of the electronics that our modern world is built on. Now, research led by the Carnegie Institution for Science has developed a way to create a new form of silicon with a unique hexagonal structure.

Ducks have specialized feathers that keep them from getting too wet. Now, engineers at Virginia Tech have investigated the physics behind how they work and developed synthetic feathers that could help ships glide through the water more easily.

Scientists have worked out a way to embed active enzymes in plastic that can give it different capabilities, such as an ability to break down proteins on the surface or degrade itself to avoid polluting the environment.

Recent research projects have demonstrated how the wonder material graphene could play a role in stronger, more eco-friendly concrete, and now we're seeing the first real-world deployment of the technology in the foundations of a new gym in the UK.

It sounds like the premise of a comedy sketch, but researchers at the University of Tokyo have developed a way to recycle food scraps into construction materials that are stronger than concrete, yet remain edible and tasty.