Functional materials are physical systems engineered so that their intrinsic properties—such as electrical conductivity, magnetization, optical response, ionic mobility, or mechanical deformation—can be deliberately modulated by external stimuli (e.g., electric or magnetic fields, light, temperature, stress, or chemical environment) to perform specific tasks. They encompass classes such as ferroelectrics, piezoelectrics, magnetoresistive and thermoelectric materials, shape-memory alloys, solid electrolytes, and stimuli-responsive polymers. In research and device design, functional materials serve as active components enabling sensing, actuation, energy conversion, information storage, and signal processing, with performance governed by their structure–property relationships across atomic, mesoscale, and macroscopic length scales.
Controlled manipulation of fibers that are as thin as or even thinner than human hair is a real challenge. Despite technological development, the precise and reversible change of the microfibers' orientation is not easy. ...
Nanomaterials
Feb 13, 2026
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56
An international team of researchers has developed a breakthrough method for producing MXenes—an important family of two-dimensional materials—with unprecedented purity and control. The new "gas–liquid–solid" process enables ...
Nanophysics
Feb 9, 2026
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28
A surface capable of responding to chemical signals generated by microorganisms and automatically producing biocidal substances—this is not a futuristic vision, but a description of how the B-STING silica nanocomposite works. ...
Bio & Medicine
Jan 29, 2026
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18
Over the past 20 years, green hydrogen produced using sunlight has gained considerable attention as a promising pathway toward a low-carbon future. Among the various solar-driven methods for H2 production, the photocatalytic ...
Nanomaterials
Jan 27, 2026
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24
Scientists at Oregon State University have developed a new nanomaterial that triggers a pair of chemical reactions inside cancer cells, killing the cells via oxidative stress while leaving healthy tissues alone. The study ...
Bio & Medicine
Jan 27, 2026
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152
Deep-ultraviolet (DUV, λ < 200 nm) all-solid-state lasers, essential to modern scientific research and industrial manufacturing, are widely applied in fields from material analysis to lithography. Their commercialization ...
Condensed Matter
Jan 25, 2026
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76
Researchers from the Institute of Metal Research of the Chinese Academy of Sciences have developed a new class of high-performance materials for micro-electromechanical system (MEMS) switch chips, achieving an ultra-long ...
Nanomaterials
Jan 20, 2026
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18
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 ...
Nanomaterials
Jan 19, 2026
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17
A research team from the Institute of Modern Physics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Lanzhou University has obtained important experimental evidence for revealing brain memory mechanisms and developing a new type of ...
Bio & Medicine
Jan 7, 2026
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23
Stanford researchers have developed a flexible material that can quickly change its surface texture and colors, offering potential applications in camouflage, art, robotics, and even nanoscale bioengineering.
Nanophysics
Jan 7, 2026
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60
