Materials Science news
Scientists Turn Tequila into Diamonds
Nov 07, 2008 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- Whoever thought that science was a dry subject might change their mind after learning about a new discovery in which tequila is turned into diamonds. A team of Mexican scientists found that ...
New hydrogen-storage method discovered
Nov 22, 2009 |
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Scientists at the Carnegie Institution have found for the first time that high pressure can be used to make a unique hydrogen-storage material. The discovery paves the way for an entirely new way to approach ...
Innovation puts next-generation solar cells on the horizon
Dec 01, 2009 |
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In a world first, a Monash University-led international research team has developed an innovative way to boost the output of the next generation of solar cells.
New way to break some of the strongest chemical bonds
Dec 16, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- Scientists at Cornell University in the U.S. have found a new way of breaking two of the strongest chemical bonds, at ambient temperature and pressure, and this breakthrough could lead to ...
Entropy alone creates complex crystals from simple shapes, study shows
Dec 09, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- In a study that elevates the role of entropy in creating order, research led by the University of Michigan shows that certain pyramid shapes can spontaneously organize into complex quasicrystals.
New battery material could lead to rapid recharging of many devices
Mar 11, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- MIT engineers have created a kind of beltway that allows for the rapid transit of electrical energy through a well-known battery material, an advance that could usher in smaller, lighter batteries ...
Presto! Fast color-changing material may lead to more powerful computers (w/Video)
Apr 23, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- Researchers in Japan are reporting development of a new so-called "photochromic" material that changes color thousands of times faster than conventional materials when exposed to light.
Potatoes, algae replace oil in US company's plastics
Dec 21, 2009 |
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Frederic Scheer is biding his time, convinced that by 2013 the price of oil will be so high that his bio-plastics, made from vegetables and plants, will be highly marketable.
Hydrogen Storage Gets New Hope from Rechargeable 'Chemical Fuel Tank'
Sep 01, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- A new method for "recycling" hydrogen-containing fuel materials could open the door to economically viable hydrogen-based vehicles.
One word: bioplastics
Nov 17, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- Every year, more than 250 billion pounds of plastic are produced worldwide. Much of it ends up in the world's oceans, a fact that troubles MIT biology professor Anthony Sinskey.
Plastic that grows on trees, part two
May 19, 2009 |
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Some researchers hope to turn plants into a renewable, nonpolluting replacement for crude oil. To achieve this, scientists have to learn how to convert plant biomass into a building block for plastics and fuels cheaply and ...
Scientists Observe Liquid Water Below Freezing
Jun 24, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- Below 0 °C, water turns to ice. But beyond that, or below about -75 °C, the ice may turn back into liquid water. While scientists have previously predicted this phase transition with computer ...
Porphyrin Dimers Increase Efficiency of Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells
Oct 30, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- Porphyrins are most commonly thought of as the pigment in red blood cells, but now scientists have found that porphyrins can also be used to increase the efficiency of an inexpensive type ...
Water acts as catalyst in explosives
Mar 20, 2009 |
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The most abundant material on Earth exhibits some unusual chemical properties when placed under extreme conditions.
Feather fibers fluff up hydrogen storage capacity
Jun 23, 2009 |
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Scientists in Delaware say they have developed a new hydrogen storage method -- carbonized chicken feather fibers -- that can hold vast amounts of hydrogen, a promising but difficult to corral fuel source, and do it at a ...
