Materials

We've already heard about experimental self-healing concrete, that can repair cracks within itself. Now, scientists have gone a step further, utilizing bacteria to create building materials that can be grown on-site – and that regenerate when broken.

Ordinarily, when composite items are being manufactured, huge ovens and autoclaves have to be utilized. The production process could soon be much simpler, cheaper and more energy-efficient, however, thanks to the use of carbon nanotube films.

With gold, beauty and weight are two sides of the same coin. Now, by mixing it with plastic instead of other metals, researchers have created a new form of gold with as little as one-10th the usual weight, but retaining the same purity.

When it comes to manmade fibers, they can typically either be strong or tough. A new material developed in part by Germany's University of Bayreuth, however, is claimed to be both.

In environments ranging from hospitals to food preparation areas, it's vitally important to keep surfaces as bacteria-free as possible. A new material could definitely help, as it's claimed to repel even antibiotic-resistant "superbug" microbes.

Scientists in Korea believe they’ve found a way around the opaque nature of conventional solar cells, with a new technique that involves punching carefully placed holes right through them to make them transparent.

Research out of Singapore’s Nanyang Technological University (NTU) has uncovered a potential new use for plastic waste, with scientists converting it into a chemical used to to produce electricity in hydrogen fuel cells by exposing it to sunlight.

When it comes to body armor, there's typically a trade-off – it can either be highly impact-resistant or flexible, but not both. That may not be the case for much longer, however, thanks to an experimental new material inspired by a mollusc.

Graphene is already known for being incredibly strong, so how can it be made even stronger? By turning it into sheets of diamond, of course. Researchers in South Korea have developed a new method to convert graphene into ultrathin diamond films.

The 3D-printing of titanium-alloy objects does open up some intriguing possibilities. That said, the finished items aren't always as strong as they could be. New research suggests that adding copper to those alloys could make a big difference.

Hokkaido University’s ongoing research into hydrogels has borne fresh fruit: a new polymer-based material that, unlike other polymers, hardens when heated – by 1,800 times.

Scientists in Canada have come up with a new adhesive they say can address some of the shortcomings of commercial glues, using ultra-strong connections at the molecular level to create new kinds of bonds between unlikely material partners.