Materials

What if sandcastles could last for decades? Researchers at ETH Zurich are trying to turn ordinary sand into a strong building material comparable to concrete by adding living bacteria to it.

Researchers are developing a coating for fabric that will not only block dangerous chemicals from the skin, but deactivate them entirely. This technology could benefit soldiers, farmers, and people who are in contact with toxic substances at work.

Sun and heat make garbage decompose faster and smell worse, and this is a serious problem in hot, humid countries. Chinese researchers may have found a cheap and sustainable way to use sunlight to fight the odor instead of making it worse.

An emerging class of heat-storing gels is out to reduce the energy our buildings burn on heating and cooling. Initial tests look promising, so researchers are lining up roofs, walls, windows and even hot-water and AC modules as the next stops.

There could be new hope in the fight against hospital-acquired infections. Spanish scientists have developed an experimental type of self-disinfecting cotton fabric, which is activated via ordinary white light.

Researchers have developed a 3D-knitted textile that protects plants from pests while allowing sunlight, air and rainwater to pass through. Shaped into greenhouse-like domes, the special fabric can triple strawberry yields.

Researchers have invented a new material that is as thin as a film, extremely stiff, and also an excellent thermal insulator – a combination not found in nature. This could change many industries, from electronics to space exploration.

Your walls might one day do more than hold up the building. Researchers at Binghamton University have created a wallpaper-style paper that generates electricity from indoor humidity, and it can soak up and release moisture to help regulate it.

Venus’ flower basket glass sponges can live many years far below the surface of the ocean. Composed of lightweight, durable silica structures, the pipe-shaped organisms are also providing a great opportunity for aircraft and architectural biomimicry.

What if wood could bend as easily as plastic and remain strong and durable after taking a new shape? A new eco-friendly treatment could make that possible in the near future.

Humankind's colonization of Mars is approaching, and with it will come self-sustaining biospheres, autonomous rovers, and, perhaps, mud houses. Scientists have created a recipe for 3D-printing houses on Mars using Martian sand, yeast, and gelatin.

Researchers in Germany have developed a system for fabricating wood-based floor slabs that replace traditional reinforced concrete slabs in construction. They're impressively strong, and use only a third of the concrete needed in conventional slabs.

Few things are more annoying than an adhesive that won't stick. A strong contender, though, is one that refuses to let go when you no longer need it. Scientists have now created two adhesives that are super strong but can also break down on command.

They say a drowning man is willing to grasp onto anything to stay afloat, but he would most likely think twice if you offered a titanium buoy. Yet, scientists have created a titanium structure that floats without compromising the metal’s strength.

Inspired by Hayao Miyazaki’s Future Boy Conan anime series featuring bread made from plastic, a Japanese engineer has created a way to turn waste plastics into fertilizer. The global threat of plastic waste could become a boon for global agriculture.