New Atlas

Materials Audio available

Ultra-light ceramic aerogel stands up to intense temperature swings

Michael Irving February 17, 2019

Ceramic aerogels are incredibly light and can withstand intense heat. The problem is they can be pretty brittle. Now, a team has developed a new ceramic aerogel that’s far hardier and more flexible, even after repeated exposure to wild temperature swings.

Samples of the new ceramic aerogel, which is incredibly lightweight and can withstand intense heat fluctuations

Materials Audio available

Infrared-sensing, auto-cooling fabric knows you're too hot before you do

Michael Irving February 7, 2019

Researchers at the University of Maryland (UMD) have developed a new material that senses how warm a person’s body is and automatically adjusts how much heat it traps or releases.

A new fabric can sense body heat and automatically vent it to the outside air

Materials Audio available

Newly-discovered blue phosphorus could be the next 2D wonder material

Michael Irving October 16, 2018

For a few years scientists have predicted a fifth kind of phosphorus should be possible, but it had yet to be confirmed. Now, researchers in Germany have managed to show that blue phosphorus does exist, and mapped out its different properties.

In blue phosphorus, the atoms arrange themselves in a honeycomb pattern like graphene, but buckled, thanks ...

Materials

New polymer could make for infinitely-recyclable plastics

Michael Irving April 27, 2018

As useful as it is, plastic isn’t the most environmentally-friendly material. To try to wean us off it, chemists at Colorado State University have now developed a polymer that apparently has all the benefits, but can be easily broken down and recycled over and over.

A sample of the infinitely-recyclable polymer developed at Colorado State University

Materials

"Faulty" aluminum alloys sport the strength of stainless steel

Michael Irving January 28, 2018

Aluminum is nice and light, but that comes at the cost of strength. By introducing faults into the metal’s crystalline structure, researchers at Purdue University have now developed new aluminum alloys that are about as strong as stainless steel, and they could make for corrosion-resistant coatings.

Purdue University researchers have developed new aluminum alloys that are as strong as stainless steel

Science

Biodegradable fibers as strong as steel made from wood cellulose

Colin Jeffrey June 9, 2014

Working with cellulose from trees, researchers have produced fibers claimed to be as strong as steel, and versatile enough to replace strands of fiberglass or lengths of cotton whilst still remaining biodegradable.

Fiber made from cellulose claimed to be as strong as steel