/ en-us Â鶹ÒùÔº internet news portal provides the latest news on science including: Â鶹ÒùÔºics, Nanotechnology, Life Sciences, Space Science, Earth Science, Environment, Health and Medicine. Millions of years of evolution have enabled some marine animals to grow complex protective shells composed of multiple layers that work together to dissipate physical stress. In a new study, engineers have found a way to mimic the behavior of this type of layered material, such as seashell nacre, by programming individual layers of synthetic material to work collaboratively under stress. The new material design is poised to enhance energy-absorbing systems such as wearable bandages and car bumpers with multistage responses that adapt to collision severity. /news/2025-05-synthetic-materials-mimic-seashells-energy.html Materials Science Fri, 16 May 2025 14:50:01 EDT news666625566 Exactly how does coral make its skeleton, a sea urchin grow a spine, or an abalone form the mother-of-pearl in its shell? A new study at the Advanced Light Source at the Department of Energy's Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) revealed that this process of biomineralization, which sea creatures use to lock carbon away in their bodies, is more complex and diverse than previously thought. /news/2024-03-nanoscale-shells-coral-reveals-biomineralization.html Bio & Medicine Nanomaterials Tue, 26 Mar 2024 13:06:03 EDT news630677161 In a win for chemistry, inventors at the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory have designed a closed-loop path for synthesizing an exceptionally tough carbon-fiber-reinforced polymer, or CFRP, and later recovering all of its starting materials. /news/2024-02-full-recovery-materials-tough-polymer.html Polymers Materials Science Thu, 08 Feb 2024 15:10:07 EST news626627401 Many organisms can produce minerals or mineralized tissue. A well-known example is nacre, which is used in jewelry because of its iridescent colors. Chemically speaking, its formation begins with a mollusk extracting calcium and carbonate ions from water. However, the exact processes and conditions that lead to nacre, a composite of biopolymers and platelets of crystalline calcium carbonate, are the subject of intense debate among experts, and different theories exist. /news/2024-01-deciphers-biomineralization-mechanism.html Biochemistry Analytical Chemistry Fri, 12 Jan 2024 13:12:07 EST news624287524 Chitin hydrogel is recognized as a promising material for a variety of biomedical applications. Its biocompatibility and biodegradability make it useful in tissue repair, artificial organs, and wound healing. Yet scientists continue to face challenges in fabricating chitin hydrogel. A team of researchers has developed a green, efficient and scalable preparation method for chitin hydrogels. /news/2023-07-team-fabricates-chitin-hydrogel-chemical.html Biochemistry Polymers Mon, 17 Jul 2023 15:37:03 EDT news608827021 With the in-depth exploration of extreme environments such as Antarctica, the moon, and Mars, frequent emerging extreme conditions, including strong ultraviolet (UV), atomic oxygen (AO), and high and low temperature alteration, have become major obstacles to further exploration. /news/2023-06-extreme-environment-resistant-nanopaper.html Nanomaterials Wed, 21 Jun 2023 10:09:03 EDT news606560942 At the end of 2022, researchers at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory announced they had observed a net energy gain through nuclear fusion for the very first time. This monumental milestone toward fusion energy represents a huge leap forward in powering our homes and businesses with the carbon-neutral energy source. But converting this scientific achievement into a practical power source also requires new technologies to make a fusion-powered society a reality. /news/2023-01-metal-alloys-nuclear-fusion-energy.html Analytical Chemistry Materials Science Tue, 24 Jan 2023 16:52:21 EST news593801538 From pangolin scales that can stand up to hard hits to colorful but sturdy peacock feathers, nature can do a lot with a few simple molecules. /news/2022-11-pangolins-peacocks-explore-next-gen-bio-inspired.html Analytical Chemistry Materials Science Mon, 28 Nov 2022 11:41:43 EST news588858099 Scientists from Skoltech developed a self-assembled 3D nanocomposite with outstanding in-plane and out-of-plane heat conductivity, high electrical resistivity, and good hydrophobicity, which have a wide range of potential uses in packaging and electronics for thermal management applications. The study, describing scalable fabrication and composite properties, was published in Polymers. /news/2022-10-3d-nanocomposites-boost-dissipation-electronics.html Polymers Thu, 27 Oct 2022 09:53:21 EDT news586083199 Special wettability of solid surfaces is a ubiquitous phenomenon in nature and has attracted much attention because of its potential applications in diverse fields, such as oil-water separation, antibiofouling and drag reduction. Inspired by some biological organisms observed in nature with underwater superoleophobic properties, such as fish scales, columnar nacre and seaweed, researchers are trying to design and create novel interfacial materials. /news/2022-09-nacre-inspired-underwater-superoleophobic.html Biochemistry Materials Science Thu, 15 Sep 2022 08:54:47 EDT news582450885 Nature creates layered materials like bone and mother-of-pearl that become less sensitive to defects as they grow. Now researchers have created, using biomimetic proteins patterned on squid ring teeth, composite layered 2D materials that are resistant to breaking and extremely stretchable. /news/2022-07-bioinspired-protein-stretchable-2d-layered.html Nanomaterials Mon, 25 Jul 2022 15:00:04 EDT news577965310 Microplastics are found nearly everywhere on Earth and can be harmful to animals if they're ingested. But it's hard to remove such tiny particles from the environment, especially once they settle into nooks and crannies at the bottom of waterways. Now, researchers in ACS' Nano Letters have created a light-activated fish robot that "swims" around quickly, picking up and removing microplastics from the environment. /news/2022-06-tiny-fish-shaped-robot-microplastics.html Nanophysics Nanomaterials Wed, 22 Jun 2022 08:00:01 EDT news575095109 The strongest part of a tree lies not in its trunk or its sprawling roots, but in the walls of its microscopic cells. /news/2022-02-plant-derived-composite-tough-bone-hard.html Materials Science Thu, 10 Feb 2022 10:14:09 EST news563710445 Chinese researchers recently demonstrated an innovative chemical method for engineering diverse layered hydrogels with wet and slippery features at room temperature. /news/2021-12-method-fabricate-tissue-like-slippery-hydrogels.html Polymers Materials Science Thu, 09 Dec 2021 11:00:02 EST news558265748 Anne S. Meyer, an associate professor of biology at the University of Rochester, and her collaborators at Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands recently developed a 3D printing technique to engineer and study biofilms—three-dimensional communities of microorganisms, such as bacteria, that adhere to surfaces. The research provides important information for creating synthetic materials and in developing drugs to fight the negative effects of biofilms. /news/2021-12-3d-technique-biofilms.html Biotechnology Thu, 02 Dec 2021 14:51:22 EST news557679078 In research that could inform future high-performance nanomaterials, a University of Michigan-led team has uncovered for the first time how mollusks build ultradurable structures with a level of symmetry that outstrips everything else in the natural world, with the exception of individual atoms. /news/2021-10-pearls-nanoscale-precision.html Nanomaterials Thu, 21 Oct 2021 13:18:12 EDT news554041085 Scientists from McGill University develop stronger and tougher glass, inspired by the inner layer of mollusk shells. Instead of shattering upon impact, the new material has the resiliency of plastic and could be used to improve cell phone screens in the future, among other applications. /news/2021-09-unbreakable-glass-seashells.html Materials Science Tue, 28 Sep 2021 11:10:56 EDT news552046250 Each human being uses, on average, 30 kg of plastic per year. Given that global life expectancy currently stands at approximately 70 years, each person will discard some two metric tons of plastic in his or her lifetime. Multiply that by the number people on earth—which is growing constantly—and the total is staggering. /news/2021-09-approach-recycling-plastics.html Materials Science Thu, 23 Sep 2021 12:00:01 EDT news551614762 ETH Zurich researchers have developed a new type of laminate that changes color as soon as the material is deformed. This way, the materials researchers can kill two birds with one stone: a lightweight composite material that inspects itself. /news/2021-08-material-deformations.html Polymers Materials Science Tue, 24 Aug 2021 09:53:58 EDT news549017635 Cholesteric liquid crystals, a man-made material with properties between liquids and solid crystals, can mimic the colors of butterfly wings. Liquid crystals are used in televisions and smartphones, but future applications for healthcare sensors or decorative lighting are difficult as the materials can't be used in advanced, rapid production methods like 3D printing. The materials are not viscous enough to make stable, solid structures, and it's difficult to align the molecules to produce specific colors. TU/e researchers have solved these issues by developing a new light-reflective liquid crystal ink that can be used with existing 3D printing techniques. The new research has been published in the journal Advanced Materials. /news/2021-08-liquid-crystal-ink-3d.html Materials Science Tue, 17 Aug 2021 08:24:14 EDT news548407449 The concrete world that surrounds us owes its shape and durability to chemical reactions that start when ordinary Portland cement is mixed with water. Now, MIT scientists have demonstrated a way to watch these reactions under real-world conditions, an advance that may help researchers find ways to make concrete more sustainable. /news/2021-06-visualizing-cement-hydration-molecular.html Materials Science Mon, 07 Jun 2021 16:41:03 EDT news542302856 Most people know mother-of-pearl, an iridescent biomineral also called nacre, from buttons, jewelry, instrument inlays and other decorative flourishes. Scientists, too, have admired and marveled at nacre for decades, not only for its beauty and optical properties but because of its exceptional toughness. /news/2021-03-nondestructive-optical-technique-reveals-mother-of-pearl.html Analytical Chemistry Materials Science Mon, 29 Mar 2021 15:00:04 EDT news536221094 Biological systems can harness their living cells for growth and regeneration, but engineering systems cannot. Until now. /news/2021-02-bacteria-stronger-cars-airplanes-armor.html Materials Science Mon, 22 Feb 2021 10:45:10 EST news533213104 Ling Li, an assistant professor in mechanical engineering at Virginia Tech, has found insights into building stronger and tougher ceramics by studying the shells of bivalve mollusks. /news/2021-01-hidden-mechanism-biological-ceramics.html Nanomaterials Wed, 06 Jan 2021 12:16:43 EST news529157798 In a new study published in Nature Â鶹ÒùÔºics, researchers from the B CUBE—Center for Molecular Bioengineering at TU Dresden and European Synchrotron Radiation Facility (ESRF) in Grenoble describe, for the first time, that structural defects in self-assembling nacre attract and cancel each other out, eventually leading to a perfect periodic structure. /news/2021-01-scientists-mother-of-pearl-self-assembles.html Condensed Matter Mon, 04 Jan 2021 12:51:08 EST news528987062 Nacre, the iridescent material that lines mollusk shells such as mother-of-pearl and abalone, has long been a prized find of beachcombers and shell collectors, due to the natural beauty and variety of color that can be found therein. But scientists and engineers have also long marveled at and studied nacre; it's a tough and strong material, composed of alternating layers of aragonite platelets and organic protein-based film. The natural world contains many materials that have evolved over time to optimize strength, durability, and performance. As researchers and engineers look to develop improved and more sustainable building materials, they are increasingly looking to nature for inspiration. /news/2020-11-technique-reveals-deeper-insights-makeup.html Materials Science Mon, 02 Nov 2020 10:00:04 EST news523533600 Nowadays there is no getting away from plastics. We are producing over 300 million tons of plastic every year, over 40% of which is manufactured into films for packaging. Many of these plastic film products, such as plastic bags and food wrappers, have a lifespan of mere minutes to hours, yet they may persist in the environment for hundreds of years. /news/2020-08-sustainable-biosynthetic-transparent-plastic-substitute.html Materials Science Mon, 17 Aug 2020 10:14:27 EDT news516878064 Ice-templating is a powerful technique to construct biological materials using ice nucleation and growth to obtain frozen material architectures, but scientists have been unable to control these two factors with effective methods. In a new report on Science Advances, Nifang Zhao and a team of scientists in chemical and biological engineering at Zhejiang University in China, demonstrated successive ice nucleation and preferential growth by introducing a wettability gradient on a cold finger (a laboratory device used to generate a localized cold surface). The work highlighted the ability to harness the rich designability of surface wettability patterns to engineer high-performance bulk materials with bioinspired complex architectures. /news/2020-08-ice-formation-gradient-wettability-surfaces.html Materials Science Thu, 06 Aug 2020 12:10:06 EDT news515933826 In the summer, many people enjoy walks along the beach looking for seashells. Among the most prized are those that contain iridescent mother of pearl (also known as nacre) inside. But many beachcombers would be surprised to learn that shimmery nacre is one of nature's strongest, most resilient materials. Now, researchers reporting in ACS Nano have made a material with interlocked mineral layers that resembles nacre and is stronger and tougher than previous mimics. /news/2020-07-material-mimics-strength-toughness-mother.html Materials Science Wed, 15 Jul 2020 12:07:17 EDT news514033633 Nacre—the iridescent part of mollusk shells—is a poster child for biologically inspired design. Despite being made of brittle chalk, the intricately layered microstructure of nacre gives it a remarkable ability to resist the spread of cracks, a material property known as toughness. /news/2020-01-nature-layered-tough-animal-shells.html Materials Science Fri, 17 Jan 2020 12:44:52 EST news498487485