New Atlas

Materials Audio available

Bacteria could prevent potholes caused by road salts

Ben Coxworth April 9, 2019

When calcium chloride de-icer is spread on sidewalks or roads, it reacts with the calcium hydroxide in concrete, creating calcium oxychloride. Also known as CAOXY, this substance expands within the concrete, causing it to crack. Adding bacteria, however, may keep that from happening.

Adding bacteria could prevent de-icers from causing concrete used on roadways to crack

Materials

Light-activated wrap designed to fix concrete structures

Ben Coxworth April 8, 2019

Utilizing tape to repair concrete structures may seem like some hillbilly fix-it joke, but in fact that's just what fiber reinforced polymer (FRP) sheets are used for. Now, scientists have developed a better FRP, that halves the number of people and amount of time required for application.

A bare cracked concrete pillar (left), and one reinforced with FasRaP

Materials Audio available

Nanobionic plants could detect chemicals or grow on Mars

Michael Irving April 3, 2019

A team of researchers from the University of Melbourne has developed a new way to turn plants into nanomaterial factories, which could allow them to act as chemical sensors or even allow them to survive in harsh environments, such as in space or on Mars.

The metal organic framework coating (luminescent green) protects lillyturf cuttings from damage by UV light

Materials Audio available

Transparent wood now also stores and releases heat

Ben Coxworth April 3, 2019

Three years ago, we heard how scientists from Sweden's KTH Royal Institute of Technology had created transparent wood – it could serve as a cheaper alternative to the silica-based glass used in windows and solar cells. Now, the material is additionally able to store heat and later release it.

The material is clear when storing heat (left) and turns cloudier upon releasing it (right)

Materials

Bee-slobber-inspired adhesive may succeed where others fail

Ben Coxworth March 28, 2019

Depending on their formulation, most adhesives fail either when they're exposed to excessive humidity, or when they dry out in arid conditions. Honeybees, however, don't have such problems with their "pollen pellets." A new understanding of why this is so could lead to better manmade adhesives.

A honeybee, with a pollen pellet stuck to one of its hind legs

Materials Audio available

Corn-based lacquer heals its scratches when heated

Ben Coxworth March 20, 2019

It's certainly a hassle when a car gets a big paint-scratch, but smaller scratches in its clear coat are much more common and still unsightly. A new corn-based transparent finish could help, as its scratches heal up when subjected to heat.

At a temperature of 100 degrees C, scratches in the coating heal in about one minute

Materials

Phase-changing liquid coating keeps surfaces frost-free for longer

Michael Irving March 19, 2019

In cold places, ice and frost can be more than an annoyance – it can be downright dangerous for cars and planes. Now researchers from the University of Illinois at Chicago have developed a new anti-icing material that can apparently keep ice at bay much longer than existing technologies.

A new anti-icing material, made of phase-changing liquids, could keep surfaces frost-free up to 300 times ...

Materials

Refrigerants not required: Flexible metal cooling prototype demonstrates extreme efficiency

Loz Blain March 12, 2019

A German research team has prototyped an extraordinary heating/cooling system that stresses and unloads nickel-titanium "muscle wires" to create heated and cooled air at twice the efficiency of a heat pump or three times the efficiency of an air conditioner.

The prototype heating/cooling system uses the remarkable properties of shape-memory nitinol metals for environmentally friendly cooling ...

Materials Audio available

Acoustic metamaterial silences sound without blocking airflow

Michael Irving March 11, 2019

In our increasingly noisy world, it can be hard to find some quiet time. Now, a team of mechanical engineers at Boston University has developed a new device that is specially designed to block up to 94 percent of incoming sound waves, while still letting air pass through.

A new ring-shaped device can block sound from passing through the middle without blocking air flow

Materials Audio available

Medieval "stained glass" technique prevents bacterial infections

Michael Irving March 5, 2019

Bacteria are a huge problem in hospitals, where colonies can build up on instruments and cause potentially fatal infections in vulnerable patients. Now, researchers at Aston University have developed a new type of antimicrobial material that’s made using a centuries-old stained glass technique.

An old technique for making blue stained glass has now been used to make antibacterial materials