Materials science is an interdisciplinary field applying the properties of matter to various areas of science and engineering. This scientific field investigates the relationship between the structure of materials at atomic or molecular scales and their macroscopic properties. It incorporates elements of applied physics and chemistry. With significant media attention focused on nanoscience and nanotechnology in recent years, materials science has been propelled to the forefront at many universities. It is also an important part of forensic engineering and failure analysis. Materials science also deals with fundamental properties and characteristics of materials. The material of choice of a given era is often a defining point. Phrases such as Stone Age, Bronze Age, and Steel Age are good examples. Originally deriving from the manufacture of ceramics and its putative derivative metallurgy, materials science is one of the oldest forms of engineering and applied science. Modern materials science evolved directly from metallurgy, which itself evolved from mining and (likely) ceramics and the use of fire. A major breakthrough in the understanding of materials occurred in the late 19th
3D printing tiny batteries
(Phys.org) —3D printing can now be used to print lithium-ion microbatteries the size of a grain of sand. The printed microbatteries could supply electricity to tiny devices in fields from medicine to communications, ...
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Air bubbles could be the secret to artificial skin
(Phys.org) —Using foam substrates, EPFL scientists were able to make a flexible electronic circuit board. This discovery could lead to the creation of deformable and stretchable circuits.
Jun 07, 2013
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Innovative solar cell structure stores and supplies energy simultaneously
(Phys.org) —The potential energy available via solar power might seem limitless on a sunny summer day, but all that energy has to be stored for it to be truly useful. If you see a solar panel on a rooftop, ...
Jun 07, 2013
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Shape-shifting nanoparticles flip from sphere to net in response to tumor signal
Scientists at the University of California, San Diego, have designed tiny spherical particles to float easily through the bloodstream after injection, then assemble into a durable scaffold within diseased tissue. An enzyme ...
May 28, 2013
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Researchers use synthetic silicate to stimulate stem cells into bone cells
In new research published online May 13, 2013 in Advanced Materials, researchers from Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH) are the first to report that synthetic silicate nanoplatelets (also known as layere ...
May 14, 2013
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Solar panels as inexpensive as paint? It's possible due to new research
(Phys.org) —Most Americans want the U.S. to place more emphasis on developing solar power, recent polls suggest. A major impediment, however, is the cost to manufacture, install and maintain solar panels. ...
May 13, 2013
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How to overcome the oxide barrier
(Phys.org) —Researchers at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory have uncovered the characteristics of a low-resistance electrical contact to strontium titanate, SrTiO3, an important prototypical oxide semi ...
May 13, 2013
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Composite organic/inorganic thermoelectric is more than sum of its parts
(Phys.org) —A team led by Berkeley Lab Materials Sciences Division's Jeffrey Urban and Rachel Segalman have discovered highly conductive polymer behavior occurring at a polymer/nanocrystal interface. The ...
May 07, 2013
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Zinc: The perfect material for bioabsorbable stents?
(Phys.org) —In 2012, more than 3 million people had stents inserted in their coronary arteries. These tiny mesh tubes prop open blood vessels healing from procedures like a balloon angioplasty, which widens ...
Apr 30, 2013
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High performance semiconductor spray paint could be a game changer for organic electronics
Researchers at Wake Forest University's Organic Electronics group have come up with a novel solution to one of the biggest technological barriers facing the organic semiconductor industry today. Oana Jurchescu, an assistant ...
Apr 25, 2013
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Hydrogel with potent antibacterial activity promises to protect hospital patients from difficult-to-treat infections
Coating medical supplies with an antimicrobial material is one approach that bioengineers are using to combat the increasing spread of multidrug-resistant bacteria. Multidrug-resistant Staphylococcus aureus ...
Apr 24, 2013
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Surface structure controls liquid spreading
Researchers at Aalto University have developed a purely geometric surface structure that is able to stop and control the spreading of liquids on different types of surfaces. The structure has an undercut ...
Apr 24, 2013
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Nanodiamonds could improve effectiveness of breast cancer treatment
(Phys.org) —Recently, doctors have begun to categorize breast cancers into four main groups according to the genetic makeup of the cancer cells. Which category a cancer falls into generally determines the ...
Apr 15, 2013
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A folding ceramic
(Phys.org) —A sophisticated nanostructure renders a wafer-thin paper made of electrically conductive vanadium pentoxide fibres both tough and pliable.
Mar 28, 2013
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High-res holograms from carbon nanotubes
(Phys.org) —Researchers from the University of Cambridge's Department of Engineering have demonstrated the novel utilisation of carbon nanotubes for making high resolution holograms.
Mar 27, 2013
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