https://phys.org/ en-us Phys.org internet news portal provides the latest news on science including: Physics, Nanotechnology, Life Sciences, Space Science, Earth Science, Environment, Health and Medicine. Researchers from Skoltech have uncovered physical principles governing the remote "tuning" of nanocatalysts, where the ultra-thin platinum layer's properties can be controlled exclusively by modifying its metallic core's composition and structure. https://phys.org/news/2026-01-ultra-thin-platinum-shells-efficient.html Nanomaterials Mon, 19 Jan 2026 15:05:41 EST news688057501 Astronomers have discovered a remarkably clumpy rotating galaxy that existed just 900 million years after the Big Bang, shedding new light on how galaxies grew and evolved in the early universe. Nicknamed the "Cosmic Grapes," the galaxy appears to be composed of at least 15 massive star-forming clumps—far more than current theoretical models predict could exist within a single rotating disk at this early time. https://phys.org/news/2025-08-universe-secret-harvest-cosmic-grapes.html Astronomy Thu, 07 Aug 2025 12:59:37 EDT news673790373 Oregon State University pigment researchers are using a rare mineral discovered in Norway more than a century ago as a road map for creating new yellows, oranges and reds that are vibrant, durable, non-toxic and inexpensive. https://phys.org/news/2025-07-pigment-vivid-yellows-oranges-reds.html Materials Science Thu, 17 Jul 2025 08:40:05 EDT news671960181 High-entropy alloys (HEAs) offer tunable compositions and surface structures, presenting significant potential for creating novel active sites to enhance CO2 reduction (CO2RR) catalysis, a key process for sustainable energy. https://phys.org/news/2025-05-graph-neural-network-discovery-cu.html Analytical Chemistry Wed, 21 May 2025 12:48:25 EDT news667050503 A research team from the Hefei Institutes of Physical Science of the Chinese Academy of Sciences has developed advanced aerogel composites that integrate high-temperature insulation with mechanical load-bearing capabilities, while also achieving controllable fabrication of large-size samples. https://phys.org/news/2025-04-advanced-aerogel-composite-extreme-thermal.html Materials Science Wed, 30 Apr 2025 10:02:03 EDT news665226121 Researchers at Sichuan University have developed a new type of epoxy resin that not only offers enhanced fire retardancy but is also recyclable and degradable, making it an ideal candidate for high-strength adhesives in various industries. https://phys.org/news/2025-02-epoxy-resin-combines-safety-recyclability.html Polymers Mon, 17 Feb 2025 17:14:03 EST news659034842 In a remarkable feat of chemistry, a Northwestern University-led research team has developed the first two-dimensional (2D) mechanically interlocked material. https://phys.org/news/2025-01-chainmail-material-future-armor.html Nanomaterials Thu, 16 Jan 2025 14:00:07 EST news656241542 In a new publication in Nature Communications, Israeli and Palestinian engineers from The Hebrew University of Jerusalem pioneered the use of metamaterials to create whole cuts of meat. The work leverages cutting-edge materials science to overcome the long-standing challenges of replicating the texture and structure of traditional meat while offering a scalable and cost-effective production method that surpasses 3D printing technology. https://phys.org/news/2025-01-crafting-meat-metamaterials-mimic-muscle.html Biochemistry Wed, 08 Jan 2025 13:20:24 EST news655564816 Fiber-reinforced ceramic matrix composites (CMCs) have been the primary choice for radome materials in hypersonic vehicles due to their high toughness, strength, and other advantageous properties. However, oxidation by oxygen in the atmospheric environment at elevated temperatures remains a significant obstacle to their further development. https://phys.org/news/2024-09-dual-feedback-mechanism-anti-oxidation.html Materials Science Thu, 12 Sep 2024 16:27:03 EDT news645377221 Two-dimensional (2D) materials have atomic-level thickness and excellent mechanical and physical properties, with broad application prospects in fields such as semiconductors, flexible devices, and composite materials. https://phys.org/news/2024-07-method-tuning-instability-2d-materials.html Nanophysics Mon, 22 Jul 2024 09:17:47 EDT news640858663 An Oregon State University researcher who made color history in 2009 with a vivid blue pigment has developed durable, reddish magentas inspired by lunar mineralogy and ancient Egyptian chemistry. https://phys.org/news/2024-04-advance-pigment-chemistry-moon-reddish.html Analytical Chemistry Tue, 16 Apr 2024 12:05:48 EDT news632487946 From a seasonal cold to a stomach bug, nobody likes catching a virus—and epidemics can be devastating. We need safe, sustainable antiviral options to treat the outbreaks of the future. Scientists in Finland have now shown that an extract of willow bark—a plant that has already provided several medicines, including the precursor to modern aspirin—has a broad-spectrum antiviral effect in cell sample experiments. https://phys.org/news/2023-11-willow-bark-broad-spectrum-antiviral-effect.html Cell & Microbiology Wed, 08 Nov 2023 00:00:01 EST news618597221 For the first time, scientists and engineers have observed in real time how two types of nanoparticles made from different materials combine into new composite materials. The findings, reported by a team led by the University of Pennsylvania and University of Michigan, could help engineers have more control over the assembly of materials that combine the desirable properties of each particle—such as photoluminescence, magnetism and the ability to conduct electricity. https://phys.org/news/2023-11-scientists-composite-superstructure-growth-nanocrystals.html Nanomaterials Mon, 06 Nov 2023 10:06:03 EST news618487561 Since ancient times, gemstones have been mined and traded across the globe, sometimes traveling continents from their origin. Gems are geologically defined as minerals celebrated for beauty, strength, and rarity. Their unique elemental composition and atomic orientation act as a fingerprint, enabling researchers to uncover the stones' past, and with it, historical trade routes. https://phys.org/news/2023-08-gemstones-unique-characteristics-uncover-ancient.html Analytical Chemistry Tue, 01 Aug 2023 11:00:01 EDT news610098640 Dr. Amir Asadi, an assistant professor in the Department of Engineering Technology and Industrial Distribution at Texas A&M University, is making groundbreaking strides in the field of composite materials. His research explores embedding patterned nanostructures composed of multiple materials into high-performance composites to achieve the desired multifunctionality without sacrificing any other properties. This could lead to advancements in various fields, including electronics, energy storage, transportation and consumer products. https://phys.org/news/2023-07-approach-properties-composite-materials.html Nanomaterials Wed, 26 Jul 2023 12:06:39 EDT news609591996 For pharmaceuticals, knowing the chemical composition is not enough—molecular geometry and crystal structure also play an important role in a drug's activity. By using a method based on electron diffraction, it has now been possible for a research team to determine the structure of Levocetirizine, as reported in the journal Angewandte Chemie. The advantage of this technique is that, unlike for X-ray crystallography, nanoscale crystals are sufficient. https://phys.org/news/2023-05-elusive-antihistamine-levocetirizine.html Analytical Chemistry Mon, 22 May 2023 11:20:01 EDT news603973116 Metal halide perovskites (MHPs) have been emerging as the rising star in the field of optoelectronics during the past decade. The state-of-the-art optoelectronic technologies based on MHPs, such as perovskite solar cells (PSCs), light emitting diodes (LEDs), photodetectors (PDs) and lasers have been leading the prevailing paradigm, owing to the intriguing optoelectronic properties of MHPs. Additionally, MHPs possesses the merits of facile and low-cost processing and favorable tunable optical and electronic features, providing a rich and fertile ground for the development of high-performing multifunctional optoelectronic devices and their future industrialization. https://phys.org/news/2023-01-metal-halide-perovskites-next-generation-optoelectronics.html Optics & Photonics Thu, 05 Jan 2023 13:17:48 EST news592147064 Oxygen is the key substance for life and one of the most abundant elements in the Earth. However, it's still unknown whether oxygen is present (and in which form it may exist) in the inner core, which is composed of almost pure iron and where extreme high pressure and temperature conditions prevail. https://phys.org/news/2022-12-earth-core-oxygen-rich.html Earth Sciences Tue, 13 Dec 2022 09:40:03 EST news590146801 Photoelectrodes based on BiVO4 are considered top candidates for solar hydrogen production. But what exactly happens when they come into contact with water molecules? A study in the Journal of the American Chemical Society has now partially answered this crucial question: Excess electrons from dopants or defects aid the dissociation of water which in turn stabilizes so-called polarons at the surface. This is shown by data from experiments conducted at the Advanced Light Source at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. These insights might foster a knowledge-based design of better photoanodes for green hydrogen production. https://phys.org/news/2022-11-photoelectrodes-contact.html Analytical Chemistry Mon, 14 Nov 2022 10:35:03 EST news587644501 Norwegian fjord and coastal ice represent a potential security threat, as it may cut off entire communities from the outside world. https://phys.org/news/2022-11-fjord-ice-great-impact-local.html Earth Sciences Wed, 09 Nov 2022 11:15:20 EST news587214917 Epiphytic communities offer an original framework to disentangle the contributions of environmental filters, biotic interactions and dispersal limitations to community structure at fine spatial scales. Bryophytes are ideal models to investigate the impact of microclimatic variation on community composition. However, no studies have examined the relationship between microclimatic variation and species composition in a spatially explicit framework for epiphytes. https://phys.org/news/2022-10-microclimatic-variation-species-composition-phylogenetic.html Plants & Animals Fri, 14 Oct 2022 11:29:02 EDT news584965741 Transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDCs) are a class of materials with physical properties that make them ideally suited for use in flexible optoelectronic applications, such as light detectors, light-emitting diodes and solar cells. For such applications to perform well, the crystalline quality of the TMDCs needs to be extremely high, however; defects in the crystal structure worsen device performance. https://phys.org/news/2022-10-strategies-high-quality-crystal-growth.html Nanophysics Wed, 05 Oct 2022 10:55:03 EDT news584186101 Two-dimensional (2D) materials possess extraordinary properties. They usually consist of atomic layers that are only a few nanometers thick and are particularly good at conducting heat and electricity, for instance. To the astonishment of many scientists, it recently became known that 2D materials can also exist on the basis of certain metal oxides. These oxides are of great interest in areas such as nanoelectronics applications. A German-American research team, led by the Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (HZDR), has now succeeded in predicting twenty-eight representatives of this new class of materials by using data-driven methods. https://phys.org/news/2022-03-ultra-thin-materials-extensive-2d.html Nanomaterials Fri, 11 Mar 2022 09:49:10 EST news566214545 As high-end mechanical equipment put forward increasingly demanding requirements on the high performance characteristics such as bearing-load capacity, working environment and service life of self-lubricating moving parts, traditional lubrication materials are facing applied limitations under harsh and multi-environmental service conditions. Therefore, development of functional lubrication materials with low friction, long life and multi-environmental adaptability has become a leading trend in recent years. https://phys.org/news/2021-09-core-shell-functional-composites-excellent-self-lubrication.html Materials Science Thu, 30 Sep 2021 08:27:37 EDT news552209254 The NIMS Research Center for Structural Materials and the Okinawa Churashima Foundation Research Center jointly ascertained the microstructure and chemical composition of the extremely tough exoskeletons of coconut crab claws, which are capable of generating a stronger pinching force than those of any other crustacean. They also succeeded in creating three-dimensional images of the claws' complex exoskeletal tissue structures. https://phys.org/news/2021-06-exoskeletal-microstructure-extremely-hard-coconut.html Materials Science Wed, 23 Jun 2021 08:40:27 EDT news543656425 In unconventional superconductors, electrons often exhibit a tendency towards spatial ordering within their atomic structure. https://phys.org/news/2021-06-nematic-transition-nanoscale-suppression-superconductivity.html Condensed Matter Wed, 16 Jun 2021 02:08:49 EDT news543028124 An international group of researchers has developed a new technique that could be used to make more efficient low-cost light-emitting materials which are flexible and can be printed using ink-jet techniques. https://phys.org/news/2021-06-atom-swapping-ultra-bright-flexible.html Nanomaterials Mon, 07 Jun 2021 16:35:12 EDT news542302506 Alchemy, which attempted to turn cheap metals such as lead and copper into gold, has not yet succeeded. However, with the development of alloys in which two or three auxiliary elements are mixed with the best elements of the times, modern alchemy can produce high-tech metal materials with high strength, such as high entropy alloys. Now, together with artificial intelligence, the era of predicting the crystal structure of high-tech materials has arrived without requiring repetitive experiments. https://phys.org/news/2021-03-crystal-multi-elements-random-alloy.html Materials Science Wed, 17 Mar 2021 11:16:54 EDT news535198611 A research team from the Center for Design, Manufacturing and Materials at Skoltech has recently published a study focusing on multifunctional materials created through the addition of carbon nanoparticles to polymer matrices, designed to allow self-diagnostic monitoring through an inexpensive technique. https://phys.org/news/2020-11-carbon-nanocomposites-closer-industrial.html Materials Science Mon, 23 Nov 2020 15:28:37 EST news525367714 An international collaboration has provided the first insights into a new type of silk produced by the very unusual Australian basket-web spider, which uses it to build a lobster pot web that protects its eggs and trap prey. https://phys.org/news/2020-10-secrets-aussie-spider-unique-silk.html Materials Science Mon, 19 Oct 2020 05:00:02 EDT news522297494