Materials

When we think of graphene, we tend to think of its use in applications like electronics, medical devices and construction materials. Now, however, it's been incorporated into an additive which reportedly boosts the performance of humble plastic film.

After water, concrete is the world’s most consumed material, and concrete production’s impact on the environment is significant. Researchers have discovered that an inexpensive ingredient may be the answer to reducing concrete's climate impact.

The squid’s color-changing abilities have fascinated scientists for decades. Now, researchers have created a new squid-inspired artificial skin that can withstand extreme cold and kill microbes, opening the door to a range of potential uses.

Most three-dimensional glass objects are produced via either a molding, blowing or 3D-printing process. Chinese scientists, however, have devised a technique of folding such items into shape – and it has some key advantages over other methods.

Concrete has been used in construction for thousands of years, it's everywhere. But its production is a major contributor to global carbon emissions. A project spun out of VTT Finland is looking to make concrete manufacture carbon negative.

You may have heard how the BPA (bisphenol A) in some food-packaging plastics has been linked to various health problems. Scientists are thus developing a more innocuous alternative, and it's made from tomato waste which would otherwise be discarded.

Even though glass is praised for being fully recyclable, the EPA states that only about a third of discarded glass items actually get recycled. With that problem in mind, scientists have developed a new type of glass which is biodegradable.

Scientists at the University of Rochester claim to have created a material that acts as a superconductor at room temperature and lower pressures than ever before. If confirmed, this “reddmatter,” as they call it, could mark a major breakthrough.

Knots are known for boosting the strength of materials, and now Caltech engineers have developed a new material consisting of microscale knots, showing that it’s far tougher than a version of the material made of the same stuff without knots.

Bacteria often get a bad rap, but in many cases they’re helpful little critters. Engineers have now developed a protective coating for buildings that’s loaded with bacteria, which absorb CO2 to produce a barrier against erosion by the elements.

Although glass is known for being fully recyclable, the US Environmental Protection Agency states that only about one third of post-consumer glass actually gets recycled. A new glass-based building cladding material could help boost that number.

Traditional paint gets it color from synthetic pigments, which fade over time and aren't very eco-friendly. There may soon be a better alternative, though, in the form of a paint which incorporates color-producing nanostructures.

Georgia Tech scientists have discovered a new quantum state in a quirky material. In a phenomenon never before seen in anything else, the team found that applying a magnetic field increased the material’s electrical conductivity by a billion percent.

A versatile new material helps in the ongoing battle against corrosion. The polymer coating not only protects against corrosion, but highlights cracks as they form, automatically repairs damage to itself, and can be recycled at the end of its life.

Ohio State researchers have shown how a common ceramic material can change its thermal conductivity in response to an electrical field, opening the door to solid-state heat switches that could make thermoelectric generators much more efficient.