University of Akron

Making plastic materials out of biomass offers a number of environmental benefits, but these bioplastics tend to underperform in a few key areas. Scientists may have found a solution to one such shortcoming; the inability to contain boiling liquids.

Inspired by remora fish, researchers at NJIT have designed a new suction cup that’s far more adhesive than the real thing.

Butterfly wings are covered with microscopic structures that reflect visible light in such a way that it appears as vivid colors. Blue tarantulas also possess this quality, although as scientists recently discovered, they've put their own special spin on it.

Chances are that the touchscreen on your smartphone incorporates a coating of indium tin oxide, or ITO.Scientists are developing something that could ultimately replace the material. They've created an electrode coating that's not only more conductive than ITO, but is also far tougher.

Researchers from the University of Akron have recently created their own version of the "attachment discs" that spiders use to secure their silk fibers to surfaces, when building webs. These man-made discs could conceivably prove superior to conventional glues as a form of adhesive.