News tagged with materials
Scientists investigate mystery of telephone cord buckles
(PhysOrg.com) -- Ranging in thickness from a few nanometers to several micrometers, thin films and coatings play a role in a wide variety of applications. The reflective metal layer on a mirror, the coatings ...
Mar 27, 2012 |
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'Power Felt' uses body heat to generate electricity
(PhysOrg.com) -- Among the many applications of flexible thermoelectric materials is a wristwatch powered by the temperature difference between the human body and the surrounding environment. But if you wanted ...
Nanotechnology / Nanomaterials
Feb 28, 2012 |
4.9 / 5 (16) |
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Tighter 'stitching' makes better graphene
(Phys.org) -- Similar to how tighter stiches make for a better quality quilt, the "stitching" between individual crystals of graphene affects how well these carbon monolayers conduct electricity and retain ...
Nanotechnology / Nanomaterials
20 hours ago |
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Nanoscale protein containers could aid drug, vaccine delivery
UCLA biochemists have designed specialized proteins that assemble themselves to form tiny molecular cages hundreds of times smaller than a single cell. The creation of these miniature structures may be the ...
Nanotechnology / Bio & Medicine
May 31, 2012 |
5 / 5 (4) |
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High-temperature superconductivity starts at nanoscale
(Phys.org) -- High-temperature superconductivity doesn't happen all it once. It starts in isolated nanoscale patches that gradually expand until they take over.
May 31, 2012 |
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Researchers find new properties of the carbon material graphene
Graphene has caused a lot of excitement among scientists since the extremely strong and thin carbon material was discovered in 2004. Just one atom thick, the honeycomb-shaped material has several remarkable ...
Nanotechnology / Nanomaterials
May 30, 2012 |
4.9 / 5 (20) |
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Computer model used to pinpoint prime materials for efficient carbon capture
When power plants begin capturing their carbon emissions to reduce greenhouse gases – and to most in the electric power industry, it's a question of when, not if – it will be an expensive undertaking.
May 27, 2012 |
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In nanorod crystal growth, nanoparticles seen as artificial atoms
In the growth of crystals, do nanoparticles act as "artificial atoms" forming molecular-type building blocks that can assemble into complex structures? This is the contention of a major but controversial theory ...
May 24, 2012 |
4.8 / 5 (6) |
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First direct observation of oriented attachment in nanocrystal growth
Berkeley Lab researchers have reported the first direct observation of nanoparticles undergoing oriented attachment, the critical step in biomineralization and the growth of nanocrystals. A better understanding ...
May 24, 2012 |
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Availability of hydrogen controls chemical structure of graphene oxide
A new study shows that the availability of hydrogen plays a significant role in determining the chemical and structural makeup of graphene oxide, a material that has potential uses in nano-electronics, nano-electromechanical ...
Nanotechnology / Nanomaterials
May 22, 2012 |
5 / 5 (3) |
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An unlikely route to ferroelectricity
(Phys.org) -- Ferroelectricity, which was first observed in the 1940s, is an interesting phenomenon involving the spontaneous (non-induced) formation of charge polarization (separation of charge) in certain ...
May 18, 2012 |
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Beyond the high-speed hard drive: Topological insulators open a path to room-temperature spintronics
(Phys.org) -- Strange new materials experimentally identified just a few years ago are now driving research in condensed-matter physics around the world. First theorized and then discovered by researchers ...
May 15, 2012 |
4.9 / 5 (18) |
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Researchers generate electricity from viruses
Imagine charging your phone as you walk, thanks to a paper-thin generator embedded in the sole of your shoe. This futuristic scenario is now a little closer to reality. Scientists from the U.S. Department of Energy's Lawrence ...
Nanotechnology / Bio & Medicine
May 13, 2012 |
5 / 5 (11) |
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In metallic glasses, researchers find a few new atomic structures
Drawing on powerful computational tools and a state-of-the-art scanning transmission electron microscope, a team of University of Wisconsin-Madison and Iowa State University materials science and engineering researchers has ...
May 11, 2012 |
3.4 / 5 (7) |
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Researchers develop technique to keep cool high-power semiconductor devices used in wireless applications, electric cars
A group of researchers at the University of California, Riverside Bourns College of Engineering have developed a technique to keep cool a semiconductor material used in everything from traffic lights to electric cars.
May 08, 2012 |
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Material
Material is synonymous with Substance, and is anything made of matter - hydrogen, air and water are all examples of materials. Sometimes the term Material is used more narrowly to refer to substances or components with certain physical properties which are used as inputs to production or manufacturing. In this sense, materials are the pieces required to make something else, from buildings and art to stars and computers.
A material can be anything: a finished product in its own right or an unprocessed raw material. Raw materials are first extracted or harvested from the earth and divided into a form that can be easily transported and stored, then processed to produce semi-finished materials. These can be input into a new cycle of production and finishing processes to create finished materials, ready for distribution, construction, and consumption.
An example of a raw material is cotton, which is harvested from plants, and can then be processed into thread (also considered a raw material), which can then be woven into cloth, a semi-finished material. Cutting and sewing the fabric turns it into a garment, which is a finished material. Steelmaking is another example—raw materials in the form of ore are mined, refined and processed into steel, a semi-finished material. Steel is then used as an input in many other industries to make finished products.
For more information about Material, read the full article at
Wikipedia.
This text uses material from Wikipedia and is available under the GNU Free Documentation License.
