Materials
6 articles in this category
Chemists mix glowing liquids and get new anti-counterfeiting marks
Four glowing liquids can be mixed like paints, and each mixture has its own "fingerprint" under a UV lamp. Chemists want to use this to protect documents and medicines from fakes, for now in the lab.
An algorithm designs cast iron that gets stronger from the impurities in scrap
Instead of cleaning up scrap, an algorithm found a cast iron recipe in which impurities from waste strengthen the metal. Castings made only from scrap came out stronger and 8% cheaper, so far in tests.
Instead of random grains, one MoS₂ crystal grows where we want it
Korean researchers taught a thin chip-material layer to grow from the center of a marked field, not from a random point. That way they avoid seams that spoil the electronics.
A paper wallpaper in the lab feeds on humidity in the room
Researchers built paper wallpaper that turns humidity in a room into a small electric current. It also dries the air a little — for now only in the lab.
Charged drops in the lab damage a thin coating
A raindrop can pick up charge on a leaf and damage thin paint on metal. German scientists show corrosion can start with an electric spark, not only acid.
Diamonds from PET film. Laser instead of detonation
A laser pulse crushes PET plastic film to conditions like those inside icy planets. A German–Czech team recovers ultrasmall diamonds about 3 nm across — cleaner and more uniform than detonation NDs — aimed at sensing, medicine, and catalysis.