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 at the University of Konstanz have developed a gentle, contact-free method to collect liquids and remove them from microscopic surface structures. The method uses vapor condensation to generate surface currents that transport droplets off surfaces. https://phys.org/news/2026-01-dry-surface-fluid-physics-contact.html Soft Matter Tue, 13 Jan 2026 14:22:30 EST news687536521 Griffith University scientists have made significant strides in understanding and controlling liquid interactions on tiny, advanced surfaces, a breakthrough that could impact a wide range of industries, from self-cleaning materials to medical devices. https://phys.org/news/2024-11-scientists-mechanisms-liquid-repellent-surfaces.html Analytical Chemistry Mon, 11 Nov 2024 10:03:21 EST news650541798 Microscopic chasms forming a sea of conical jagged peaks stipple the surface of a material called black silicon. While it's commonly found in solar cell tech, black silicon also moonlights as a tool for studying the physics of how water droplets behave. https://phys.org/news/2024-04-physicists-unknown-droplets-superhydrophobic-surfaces.html General Physics Tue, 16 Apr 2024 10:18:57 EDT news632481534 Friction is hard to predict and control, especially since surfaces that come in contact are rarely perfectly flat. New experiments demonstrate that the amount of friction between two silicon surfaces, even at large scales, is determined by the forming and rupturing of microscopic chemical bonds between them. This makes it possible to control the amount of friction using surface chemistry techniques. This research has been published in Physical Review Letters. https://phys.org/news/2023-12-friction-small-large-scales.html General Physics Fri, 01 Dec 2023 08:14:32 EST news620640870 In a rare collaboration, two scientists, who are brothers working in unrelated disciplines, combined complementary expertise to tackle a chemical problem relating to the use of silicon in electronic devices. https://phys.org/news/2023-11-properties-silicon-hydrogen-deuterium-surface.html Analytical Chemistry Fri, 24 Nov 2023 09:46:03 EST news620041561 Blue light kills both dried cells and biofilms of the pathogen Listeria monocytogenes, a frequent contaminant of food processing facilities. Demise of L. monocytogenes occurred quickest when cells or biofilms were placed on polystyrene, a widely used, transparent form of plastic. The research is published in Applied and Environmental Microbiology,. https://phys.org/news/2023-10-pathogen-plagues-food-eradicated-blue.html Cell & Microbiology Tue, 17 Oct 2023 09:00:02 EDT news616750901 Researchers have developed a method of "wiring up" graphene nanoribbons (GNRs), a class of one-dimensional materials that are of interest in the scaling of microelectronic devices. Using a direct-write scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) based process, the nanometer-scale metal contacts were fabricated on individual GNRs and could control the electronic character of the GNRs. https://phys.org/news/2023-09-contact-wire-individual-graphene-nanoribbons.html Nanomaterials Wed, 20 Sep 2023 12:46:03 EDT news614432761 In a study published online in Nano Letters, the team led by Prof. Li Chuanfeng and Dr. Xu Jinshi from the University of Science and Technology of China of the Chinese Academy of Sciences made progress in enhancing the fluorescence of single silicon carbide spin defects. https://phys.org/news/2023-06-fluorescence-silicon-carbide-centers.html Nanophysics Fri, 09 Jun 2023 13:01:02 EDT news605534461 An international research team, led by NIMS, including Institute for Molecular Science (IMS) and Aalto University in Finland, has succeeded in synthesizing a two-dimensional silicon-integrated covalent organic framework (COF) film on a metal surface. This nanostructure was obtained by linking molecules and silicon atoms using a novel on-surface chemical reaction. This synthesis technique may potentially be applicable to the development of new materials in a bottom-up manner. https://phys.org/news/2022-12-synthesis-silicon-integrated-framework.html Nanomaterials Fri, 09 Dec 2022 09:56:03 EST news589802161 Early crust on Mars may be more complex than previously thought—and it may even be similar to our own planet's original crust. https://phys.org/news/2022-11-mars-crust-complex-evolved-previously.html Planetary Sciences Fri, 04 Nov 2022 00:00:02 EDT news586707275 A new method to anchor single atoms of platinum-group metals on nanometer-sized islands allows for efficiently using these expensive metals as catalysts for a wide variety of applications. https://phys.org/news/2022-10-nano-sized-islands-possibilities-application-single-atom.html Nanophysics Wed, 26 Oct 2022 11:00:08 EDT news585989127 A team led by scientists from Tokyo Metropolitan University have created unprecedentedly lightweight optics for X-ray space telescopes, breaking the traditional trade-off between angular resolution and weight. They used Micro Electro-Mechanical System (MEMS) technology, creating intricate patterns in silicon wafers that could direct and collect X-rays. By annealing and polishing, they realized ultra-sharp features that could rival the performance of existing telescopes for a fraction of the weight, costing significantly less to launch. https://phys.org/news/2022-07-x-ray-catchers-space-lot-lighter.html Optics & Photonics Mon, 18 Jul 2022 10:23:39 EDT news577358615 Researchers at the NOMAD Laboratory at the Fritz Haber Institute have been engaged in describing how surfaces change in contact with reactive gas phases under different temperature and pressure conditions. For this purpose, they have developed the so-called replica exchange grand canonical method (REGC). The results were published in the journal Physical Review Letters on 17 June. https://phys.org/news/2022-07-exploring-surfaces-contact-reactive-gas.html Analytical Chemistry Fri, 08 Jul 2022 12:56:51 EDT news576503809 Scientists have demonstrated a new material that conducts heat 150% more efficiently than conventional materials used in advanced chip technologies.  https://phys.org/news/2022-05-silicon-nanowires.html Nanophysics Tue, 17 May 2022 11:00:20 EDT news572004016 Scientists at Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore) have developed a new type of coating that, when applied on a plastic surface, prevents fogging and "self-cleans," overcoming the need for frequent reapplications. https://phys.org/news/2022-02-scientists-long-lasting-anti-fogging-coating-plastic.html Materials Science Tue, 22 Feb 2022 09:50:01 EST news564745251 The carbon material graphene has no well-defined thickness; it merely consists of one single layer of atoms. It is therefore often referred to as a "two-dimensional material." Trying to make a three-dimensional structure out of it may sound contradictory at first, but it is an important goal: if the properties of the graphene layer are to be exploited best, then as much active surface area as possible must be integrated within a limited volume. https://phys.org/news/2022-01-2d-material-dimensions.html Nanomaterials Mon, 31 Jan 2022 13:31:04 EST news562858261 Using a new microspectroscopic technique, collaborating scientists at the University of Massachusetts Amherst and Nanjing University in China have found that steam disinfection of silicone-rubber baby bottle nipples exposes babies and the environment to micro- and nanoplastic particles. https://phys.org/news/2021-11-steam-disinfection-baby-bottle-nipples.html Bio & Medicine Mon, 29 Nov 2021 15:43:26 EST news557423002 QUT researchers have found a way to grow crystal islands that could halve the time and cost of some science experiments. https://phys.org/news/2021-09-crystal-islands-halve-science.html Materials Science Thu, 16 Sep 2021 10:16:26 EDT news551006183 Quantum entanglement is one of the most fundamental and intriguing phenomena in nature. Recent research on entanglement has proven to be a valuable resource for quantum communication and information processing. Now, scientists from Japan have discovered a stable quantum entangled state of two protons on a silicon surface, opening doors to an organic union of classical and quantum computing platforms and potentially strengthening the future of quantum technology. https://phys.org/news/2021-08-worlds-combining-classical-quantum-supercomputing.html Quantum Physics Thu, 12 Aug 2021 16:04:05 EDT news548003041 Rice University bioengineers collaborated on a six-year study that systematically analyzed how the surface architecture of breast implants influences the development of adverse effects, including an unusual type of lymphoma. https://phys.org/news/2021-06-breast-implant-surfaces-affect-immune.html Biotechnology Mon, 21 Jun 2021 15:50:11 EDT news543509391 Silicones are commonly used in the field of medicine to lubricate syringes, encapsulate medical devices, and develop surgical implants. Although the material is generally viewed as relatively inert to cells, they can trigger a variety of inflammatory responses and other deleterious effects—but the mechanisms underlying their bioactivity remain to be determined. In a new report, Zhu Cheng, and a research team in chemical and biomedical engineering at Cornell and Stanford University, U.S., detailed that silicone liquids and gels have high surface stresses to strongly resist deformation at cellular strengths. For instance, biomedical silicones used for syringe lubricants from FDA-approved breast implants can readily adsorb matrix proteins to activate canonical rigidity sensing pathways through their surface stresses. Using 3-D cell culture models, the bioengineers showed how liquid silicone droplets supported robust cellular adhesion to form multinucleated, monocyte-derived cell masses recapitulating characteristics of granuloma formation similar to those observed during a foreign body response. The findings are now on Science Advances and imply surface stress as a cellular stimulant, which should be considered in applications of silicones for future biomedical purposes. https://phys.org/news/2020-04-surface-stress-biomedical-silicones-cellular.html Biotechnology Wed, 22 Apr 2020 10:20:02 EDT news506769260 An atomically thin materials platform developed by Penn State researchers in conjunction with Lawrence Berkeley National Lab and Oak Ridge National Lab will open a wide range of new applications in biomolecular sensing, quantum phenomena, catalysis and nonlinear optics. https://phys.org/news/2020-03-two-dimensional-metals-pathways-science.html Nanophysics Tue, 10 Mar 2020 08:20:57 EDT news503047252 A team of researchers affiliated with multiple institutions in China has developed a way to functionalize surfaces with cylindrical micelle brushes with controlled length and tailored chemical options. In their paper published in the journal Science, the group outlines their method, give specific examples, and discuss possible uses for it. Alejandro Presa Soto with the University of Oviedo has published a Perspective piece in the same journal issue discussing the importance of patterned surface design and its many uses, along with a discussion of the work done by the team in China. https://phys.org/news/2019-11-functionalized-surfaces-cylindrical-micellar-length.html Analytical Chemistry Fri, 29 Nov 2019 10:00:27 EST news494244017 Scientists have confirmed that viruses can kill marine algae called diatoms and that diatom die-offs near the ocean surface may provide nutrients and organic matter for recycling by other algae, according to a Rutgers-led study. https://phys.org/news/2019-07-algae-killing-viruses-spur-nutrient-recycling.html Ecology Thu, 18 Jul 2019 08:32:34 EDT news482657545 MBARI researchers recently measured high concentrations of carbon dioxide in air blowing out to sea from cities and agricultural areas, including Silicon Valley. In a new paper in PLOS ONE, they calculate that this previously undocumented process could increase the amount of carbon dioxide dissolving into coastal ocean waters by about 20 percent. https://phys.org/news/2019-04-carbon-dioxide-silicon-valley-affects.html Environment Tue, 23 Apr 2019 16:20:09 EDT news475255198 Polymers containing plastics are essential in modern life. Being lightweight, strong and unreactive, a vast range of technologies depend on them. However, most polymers do not adhere naturally to other materials, so they need adhesives or corrosive chemical treatments to enable attachment. This is a problem in areas like food and medicine, where contamination must be avoided at all costs. https://phys.org/news/2018-12-plasma-treatment-strong-adhesion-adhesives.html Polymers Thu, 27 Dec 2018 09:42:19 EST news465126133 A team of scientists from Lobachevsky University (Nizhny Novgorod, Russia) has obtained a material with a new structure for applications in next-generation optoelectronics and photonics. This material is one of the hexagonal modifications of silicon, which have better radiative properties compared to conventional cubic silicon, which is traditionally used in microelectronics. https://phys.org/news/2018-11-scientists-hexagonal-modification-silicon.html General Physics Wed, 28 Nov 2018 07:56:47 EST news462614200 Earthworms are always clean, even if they come from moist, sticky soil. They owe this to a dirt-repellent, lubricating layer, which forms itself again and again on its skin. Researchers at INM have now artificially recreated this system of nature: They developed a material with a surface structure that provides itself with lubricant whenever pressure is applied. Because the lubricated material reduces friction and prevents the growth of microbes, scientists can envision numerous applications in industry and biomedicine. https://phys.org/news/2018-11-earthworms-material-lubricates.html Condensed Matter Mon, 12 Nov 2018 09:28:57 EST news461237332 Thanks to special adhesive elements on their feet, geckos, spiders and beetles can easily run along ceilings or walls. The science of bionics has attempted to imitate and control such bio-inspired abilities for technological applications and the creation of artificial materials. A research team from Kiel University (CAU) has now succeeded in boosting the adhesive effect of a silicone material significantly. To do so, they combined two methods: First, they structured the surface on the micro scale based on the example of beetle feet, and thereafter treated it with plasma. In addition, they found out that the adhesiveness of the structured material changes drastically if it is bent to varying degrees. Among other areas of application, their results could apply to the development of tiny robots and gripping devices. They have been published in the latest editions of the scientific journals Advanced Materials and ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces. https://phys.org/news/2018-09-team-adhesiveness-silicone-beetles.html Materials Science Tue, 04 Sep 2018 09:22:50 EDT news455271763 A new form of electronics manufacturing which embeds silicon nanowires into flexible surfaces could lead to radical new forms of bendable electronics, scientists say. https://phys.org/news/2018-08-electronics-breakthrough-flexible-revolution.html Nanomaterials Mon, 13 Aug 2018 11:10:59 EDT news453377452