New method developed to capture fingerprints on difficult surfaces

(PhysOrg.com) -- CSI notwithstanding, forensics experts cannot always retrieve fingerprints from objects, but a conformal coating process developed by Penn State professors can reveal hard-to-develop fingerprints on nonporous ...

Self-cleaning spacecraft surfaces to combat microbes

Astronauts live and work in orbit along with teeming populations of microorganisms, which could present a serious threat to health—and even the structural integrity of spacecraft. To help combat such invisible stowaways, ...

Copying the small structures of Salvinia leaves

Several plants and animals have evolved surfaces with long-term (i.e., days to months) air-retainability to prevent wetting and submersion. One example is Salvinia, a plant floating on water. The secret "how do they maintain ...

Ultra-thin, gas-tight coatings for PET bottles

If polymers are specifically made to form and deposit on the surfaces surrounding the plasma, they can be coated in a targeted manner. Thanks to this so-called plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition, or PECVD for short, ...

Nobarrier to applications for a remarkable 2-D material

Mass production of large, uniform sheets of single-layer molybdenum disulfide, MoS2, is difficult, which limits its commercial application. A*STAR researchers have modified an existing manufacturing technique to enable the ...

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