New Atlas

Materials Audio available

Negative curvature schwarzite rounds out trinity of carbon nanostructures

Michael Irving August 14, 2018

Carbon atoms can form graphene sheets and buckyballs. Scientists have theorized that a third variation should exist with negative curvature, known as schwarzite. An international team has now found a way to create these structures, which may have unusual electrical, magnetic and optical properties.

The negative curve of schwarzite is represented in this graphic by the researchers

Science

Artificial eye flexes muscle to do what the human eye can't

James Holloway February 28, 2018

Harvard has reported a breakthrough artificial eye just 30 microns in depth which can exceed the capabilities of the human eye. The technology could make a real impact in all manner of optical fields, including those in cameras, telescopes, microscopes, glasses and even virtual reality.

The complex nanostructures give the eye an iridescent sheen

Materials

"Nanograss" glass turns clear or cloudy on command – just add water

Michael Irving December 12, 2017

With blinds in front of our windows, we usually have to choose between light and privacy, but “smart glass" can toggle its opacity as needed. Now a University of Pittsburgh team has developed a new type of glass that can switch between hazy and clear in seconds – just add water.

Thanks to its nanoscale "grassy" structure, a new kind of glass can switch between clear and ...

Materials

Fracture-resistant cement inspired by the spines of sea urchins

Rich Haridy November 30, 2017

The natural world is a constant source of inspiration for scientists and engineers. The latest biologically influenced innovation comes from a team of German researchers who developed a new type of stronger cement inspired by nanostructures found in sea urchin spines.

A close examination of the structure of sea urchin spines inspired researchers to find a way ...

Materials

"Near-perfect" broadband absorber with potential in solar cells, windows and stealth

Colin Jeffrey February 5, 2017

A new flexible material can block various portions of the electromagnetic spectrum while allowing others through. The material has the potential to improve solar cell efficiencies and create window coatings that not only let in visible light and keep out heat, but also block electromagnetic signals.

Researchers have created a material that is able to absorb one frequency of light while being ...

3D Printing

Super-strong and airy 3D-printed supermaterials inch closer to reality

Dario Borghino July 5, 2016

Researchers at the Masdar Institute are creating 3D printed high performance materials with custom-designed mechanical, thermal and electrical properties by manipulating the materials' internal structures.

Materials

In the future, we might clean our clothes using nothing but light

Michael Franco March 23, 2016

If researchers at RMIT have their way, the amount of time we spend measuring capfuls of liquid, scraping out the lint filter and refolding our duds may soon be slashed thanks to a new coating that cleans fabrics whenever they're exposed to light.

Red indicates the coverage of silver nanoparticles in a fabric in this image that's been magnified ...

Medical

Cyborg cardiac patch offers alternative to heart transplants

Colin Jeffrey March 16, 2016

Using electroactive polymers and a combination of biological and engineered parts, researchers at the University of Tel Aviv have created a bionic patch for the heart that replaces damaged heart tissue, provides electrical stimulation, and releases medication on demand.

The Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine Lab of the University of Tel Aviv has used advanced ...

Environment

Super-low loss quantum energy transport could revolutionize sunlight to energy conversion

Colin Jeffrey August 24, 2015

Scientists working at the University of Bayreuth claim to have created a super-efficient, quantum coherent, nanofiber light-energy transport conduit that exhibits almost zero loss, and shows promise as the missing efficiency link in the sunlight to energy conversion process.

Researchers have created a super-efficient light-energy transport conduit that exhibits almost zero loss

Materials

Hydrophobic nanostructures stay dry for months underwater

David Szondy August 19, 2015

researchers at Northwestern University have deduced the optimal texture roughness required make surfaces hydrophobic and keep them dry underwater for months at a time, which could prove invaluable for everything from pipes to boats and submarines.

Silicon nanowires were one of the hydrophobic structures studied by the Northwestern team