Materials

A research team from the National University of Singapore has developed a promising aerogel that turns airborne water molecules into drinkable liquid, without needing a power source or having any moving parts.

The hooks in so-called "hook-and-loop" fastening materials (such as Velcro) are usually quite stiff, meaning they may damage other materials as they're pulled apart from them. Such is not the case, however, with a new mushroom-inspired alternative.

Researchers have found that the concrete walls in a decommissioned power plant in Japan have not only kept their strength over the decades but have actually gotten stronger with use, thanks to a rare mineral also found in ancient Roman concrete.

As useful as plastics are in our everyday life, they’re difficult to recycle, with most ending up in landfill or the environment. Now, researchers in Japan have used a novel catalyst to recycle a common plastic into useful products like fuel and wax.

Mundane as it may seem, glass is a surprisingly mysterious material. Now scientists at the University of Konstanz have identified a new state of matter called liquid glass, which has some unusual properties.

When a rope is heated – either by friction or by fire – it may lose its structural integrity, subsequently breaking when put under load. A new surface coating, however, could cause ropes to change color if they've been overheated, providing a warning to users.

Sweat is important for keeping us cool, but too much of it isn’t very pleasant either. Now, researchers at NUS have developed a new film that can quickly absorb sweat – and better still, potentially use the moisture to power wearable electronics.

Scientists at the National University of Singapore (NUS) have developed a new anti-counterfeiting technology based on Physically Unclonable Function patterns they say can better ensure the authenticity of high-value products.

The Japanese folding paper art form of kirigami has a lot of potential for engineering. Scientists have taken this technique down to the nanoscale for the first time, opening up new possibilities in applications ranging from robotics to aerospace.

Ordinarily, epoxies are cured by exposure to either heat or ultraviolet light. Both have their drawbacks, which are nicely avoided by a new epoxy that hardens when passed through a magnetic field to produce a similar bond using a fraction of the energy.

Colorless polyimide (CPI) is a flexible alternative to glass, increasingly being used in bendable smartphone screens. It still can crack, however, which is why scientists have developed a self-healing version that incorporates linseed oil.

Engineers at Penn State University have developed a new type of flexible cement they say can be used to contain methane leaks, by being fed into the the very fine gaps around deteriorating gas wells that traditional cements are unable to fill.