Materials Science news
Particles magnetically 'click' to form superstructures
(Phys.org) -- Geomag, the popular children's toy, contains small metal spheres that can be magnetically connected with a click to build a variety of towers, bridges, and sculptures. In a new study, scientists ...
Apr 10, 2012 |
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Solar thermal process produces cement with no carbon dioxide emissions
(Phys.org) -- While the largest contributor to anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions is the power industry, the second largest is the more often overlooked cement industry, which accounts for 5-6% of all ...
Apr 10, 2012 |
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Rational design can improve hydrogen fuel cell efficiency
(PhysOrg.com) -- Hydrogen fuel cells, in which the chemical energy of hydrogen is converted into electricity, offer the potential for a wide variety of applications, especially in transportation and power ...
Feb 29, 2012 |
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Millions of molecules screened in search for the ideal organic solar cell material
(PhysOrg.com) -- Currently, the cost of electricity from commercial silicon solar cells is about 10 times higher than the cost of utility-scale electricity. In order to make solar cells cost-competitive with ...
Sep 12, 2011 |
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Artificial light-harvesting method achieves 100% energy transfer efficiency
(PhysOrg.com) -- In an attempt to mimic the photosynthetic systems found in plants and some bacteria, scientists have taken a step toward developing an artificial light-harvesting system (LHS) that meets one ...
Sep 01, 2011 |
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Cheap, abundant cathode material found for producing hydrogen fuel (w/ video)
(PhysOrg.com) -- By replacing catalysts made of expensive noble metals like platinum with cheaper, earth-abundant materials, researchers have taken a step toward enabling the large-scale production of hydrogen ...
May 10, 2011 |
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Chemists fabricate 'impossible' material
(PhysOrg.com) -- When atoms combine to form compounds, they must follow certain bonding and valence rules. For this reason, many compounds simply cannot exist. But there are some compounds that, although they ...
Apr 25, 2011 |
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Lithium-ion battery with new chemistry could power electric vehicles
(PhysOrg.com) -- While car companies race to develop electric and hybrid electric vehicles, one of the biggest challenges they face is finding a suitable energy storage system. Lithium-ion batteries, which ...
Feb 21, 2011 |
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Engineered yeast could produce low-cost plastics from renewable resources
(PhysOrg.com) -- With the goal to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels, scientists are looking for alternative methods to produce plastics that are based on renewable oils. In a new study, scientists have ...
Nov 05, 2010 |
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Crystal cantilever lifts objects 600 times its own weight (w/ Video)
(PhysOrg.com) -- For a long time, scientists have been trying to transform the collective movements of tiny molecules into useful mechanical work. With this goal in mind, a team of researchers from Japan has ...
Oct 01, 2010 |
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Scientists Investigate How Fireflies Emit Different Colors of Light
(PhysOrg.com) -- There are more than 2,000 species of fireflies around the world, many of which are best known for their bioluminescence. Fireflies, which are not flies but beetles, produce flashes of light ...
Jan 07, 2010 |
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Porphyrin Dimers Increase Efficiency of Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells
(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 ...
Oct 30, 2009 |
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Scientists Make Ink Disappear, Make Paper Reusable
(PhysOrg.com) -- Despite ongoing efforts to save the trees, many offices print high volumes of paper documents on a daily basis. Although many companies encourage paper recycling, both disposing of and recycling ...
Oct 27, 2009 |
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Nanosheet catalyst discovered to sustainably split hydrogen from water
(Phys.org) -- Hydrogen gas offers one of the most promising sustainable energy alternatives to limited fossil fuels. But traditional methods of producing pure hydrogen face significant challenges in unlocking ...
May 10, 2012 |
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Silkworm structures drive push for new materials
(Phys.org) -- Research published in the peer-review Journal of the Royal Society Interface on Wednesday presents a close look at the structure and physical properties of silkworm cocoons. The paper’s resear ...
May 03, 2012 |
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