Nanostructures

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

Materials

Negative curvature schwarzite rounds out trinity of carbon nanostructures

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 complex nanostructures give the eye an iridescent sheen

Science

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

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.

Thanks to its nanoscale "grassy" structure, a new kind of glass can switch between clear and cloudy in seconds just by adding or removing water

Materials

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

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.

A close examination of the structure of sea urchin spines inspired researchers to find a way to create a new, more flexible type of cement

Materials

Fracture-resistant cement inspired by the spines of sea urchins

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.

Researchers have created a material that is able to absorb one frequency of light while being transparent to another, with possible future “tuned” versions of the material able to improve efficiencies in solar cells and window coatings or block out unwanted radio transmissions

Materials

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

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.

Masdar Institute’s Dr. Rashid Abu Al-Rub, Associate Professor of Mechanical and Materials Engineering, demonstrates how aerospace components, like armrests, can be made lighter with "architecture foams"

3D Printing

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

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.

Red indicates the coverage of silver nanoparticles in a fabric in this image that's been magnified 200 times

Materials

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

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.

The Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine Lab of the University of Tel Aviv has used advanced nanotechnology tools to create fully-functional surrogate tissue to replace that irreparably damaged by heart attack or cardiac disease

Medical

Cyborg cardiac patch offers alternative to heart transplants

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.

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

Environment

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

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.

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

Materials

Hydrophobic nanostructures stay dry for months underwater

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.

A new process for creating 3D objects out of graphene opens up the possibility of fashioning a whole new range of innovative electronic devices (Credit: Shutterstock)

Materials

Graphene takes on a new dimension

Researchers from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign have come up with a way of creating 3D objects out of flat sheets of graphene, opening up the possibility of creating a whole new range of innovative electronic devices.

Polymer-based soft robotic grippers can perform biopsies and deliver drugs to previously inaccessible locations (Photo: American Chemical Society )

Medical

Tiny robotic hand-like grippers dissolve in the body after performing task

John Hopkins University scientists have created soft robotic microgrippers that can safely dissolve within a living body once they've performed surgical procedures, delivered drugs or performed other tasks.