Materials – Page 42
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ResearchCeramic–polymer combination gives mantis shrimp its incredible punching power
Composite material gives shrimp ‘spring’ both strength and flexibility
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ResearchThe luck of the materials scientist
Studying the structure of disordered materials is complicated, but Simon Billinge explains how it opens the door to designer materials with desired properties
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ResearchAnti-icing hairs bounce water droplets
Superhydrophobic magnetic array halts ice formation on surfaces
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ArticleMeet the next generation of science innovators
From metal–organic frameworks to enzymes, Johnson Matthey staff are working to make new discoveries
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ResearchPaint achieves seemingly impossible by cooling buildings in direct sun
Coating offers a route to zero-carbon air conditioning
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ResearchMetal crystals reveal long-held secret behind their ultrafast growth
Hidden pre-organisation means supercooled silver crystals can grow at a rate of up to 100 metres per second
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ResearchSimple propeller molecule builds complex porous material
Symmetric compound self-assembles into holey lattice that can self-heal and store gases
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ResearchSerrated tail helps microrobot push enormous load
3D-printed catalytic channels furnish microrobot with enough strength to steer object 6500 times its own weight
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ResearchElectrochromic devices reinvented with hydrogel layer
Simplified system could find use in smart windows and rewritable displays
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ResearchAtomic Eiffel tower looms over quantum computing landscape
Many-atom arrays may become ideal quantum simulators for chemical systems
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Research2D metal–organic framework layer is magnetic
Chemists prepare the first single layer MOF obtained by mechanical exfoliation
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ResearchReverse liquid sieve lets only large particles pass
Soap film that retains smaller particles while letting bigger ones through could be useful in open surgery or water-free toilets
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ResearchCarboxylic acid layer integral to titanium dioxide self-cleaning method
Tricky surface analysis reveals unexpected mechanism
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ResearchBubbly protocells bob up and down
Enzymes inflate or consume oxygen bubbles making clay capsules float and sink reversibly
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News2D material synthetic retina shows promise in animal tests
Graphene and molybdenum disulfide array offers advantages over current silicon retinal implants
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ResearchRed–blue light switch pushes equilibrium both ways
Switchable reaction cycle drives bond-making or breaking depending on light colour
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ResearchStacked copper clusters create semiconducting supramolecule
Mixed valencies and overlapping π-electron clouds help electrons move from molecule to molecule
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ResearchMOF turns ‘crumple zone’ weakness into strength
Enhanced water stability improves chances of using materials to adsorb toxic contaminants in gas masks