A clever method for separating nano-components

Physicists from Friedrich Schiller University Jena, together with colleagues from Düsseldorf, Gothenburg, Lyngby and Trieste have developed an ingenious solution for separating bonded nano-components.

Moving furniture in the micro-world

When moving furniture, heavy objects are easier to move if you rotate them while pushing. Many people intuitively do this. An international research team from Konstanz (Germany), Trieste and Milan (Italy) has now investigated ...

The limits of friction

Friction is created when two surfaces slide one on top of the other. Since this consumes additional energy, this so-called sliding friction is considered an irksome yet inevitable aspect of dynamic processes. However, to ...

How friction evolves during an earthquake

By simulating earthquakes in a lab, engineers at Caltech have documented the evolution of friction during an earthquake—measuring what could once only be inferred, and shedding light on one of the biggest unknowns in earthquake ...

Laser-cooled ions contribute to better understanding of friction

In physics, it is useful to know as precisely as possible how friction phenomena arise—and not only on the macroscopic scale, as in mechanical engineering, but also on the microscopic scale, in areas such as biology and ...

Bio-inspired tire design: Where the rubber meets the road

The fascination with the ability of geckos to scamper up smooth walls and hang upside down from improbable surfaces has entranced scientists at least as far back as Aristotle, who noted the reptile's remarkable feats in his ...

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