Surfaces and interfaces – Page 5
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BusinessAntifouling coatings cling to copper
Copper coatings keep ships clear from unwanted sea life but environmental concerns mean some are keen to move away from the metal. Can it be replaced?
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ResearchAtom-thin graphene water pipes
Narrowest ever capillaries fit only single water molecules while salts are excluded
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ResearchSurface chemistry for biological questions
Rasmita Raval discusses her career exploring the complex behaviour of molecule–surface systems and what it has to do with antibiotic resistance and the origin of life
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ResearchGold melted at room temperature using electric fields
Controllable change from crystalline to disordered in a tiny cone tip might help chemical catalysis
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ResearchOil boosts battery shelf life by supressing corrosion
Off-grid storage in remote locations could benefit from concept that cuts self-discharge in aluminium–air batteries
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ResearchAnti-icing hairs bounce water droplets
Superhydrophobic magnetic array halts ice formation on surfaces
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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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Research2D metal–organic framework layer is magnetic
Chemists prepare the first single layer MOF obtained by mechanical exfoliation
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ResearchOil-infused plastic gives ketchup the slip
Common packaging materials can be given a non-stick coating inspired by pitcher plants
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ResearchDynamic surfaces can be switched by magnetic fields
Ferrofluid-based surfaces show multiple tuneable properties
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FeatureThe nanocoatings holding back corrosion
Corrosion is an age-old problem, but some of the latest solutions are distinctly 21st century. Rachel Brazil reports
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ResearchTuring patterned membrane takes on water purification
Mathematician Alan Turing’s sole chemistry paper inspires self-assembling spotted and striped polymer structures
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ResearchAlloy takes on improbable 'negative pressure' structure
New route to create materials almost impossible to make normally
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ResearchSmall data unpicks complex interactions
Machine learning models complex physical systems with sparse datasets
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ResearchSaturn ring-like ‘streaming’ takes liquids into a new world
Equatorial rings that break up into uniform microdroplets could be an alternative to microfluidic emulsification techniques
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Research’Gas marbles’ surprise with their strength
Robust bubbles of gas encapsulated in a microsphere–liquid shell could trap gases
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ResearchColour-changing graphene skin reveals hidden damage
A coating inspired by fish scales could highlight structural weakness in buildings and vehicles
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ResearchMagnetic droplets stamp out protein patterns
Droplets rolling across a lotus leaf spark device assembly idea
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ResearchPatterned surfaces mould oil droplets into sad smileys
Defects on surface enable intricate shapes to be generated as a droplet dissolves
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ResearchBlood-repellent titanium surface engineered
Superhaemophobic material could form the basis for safer medical implants