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.
Scientists at Bath, have introduced a breakthrough carbon-based sensor for detecting lactic acid levels in saliva—avoiding the need for an electrical power source.
Nanomaterials
May 22, 2024
0
103
A research team, jointly led by Professors Jiyun Kim, Chaenyung Cha, and Myoung Hoon Song from the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at UNIST, has unveiled the world's first flexible, biodegradable bioelectronic ...
Bio & Medicine
May 22, 2024
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87
Microwave dielectric ceramics are the cornerstone of wireless communication devices, widely utilized in mobile communications, satellite radar, GPS, Bluetooth, and WLAN applications. Components made from these ceramic materials, ...
Condensed Matter
May 17, 2024
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89
Prof. Wang Qi's research group from the Hefei Institutes of Physical Science of the Chinese Academy of Sciences has synthesized iron- and nitrogen-co-doped CoFeP-N nanowires for high-efficiency electrocatalytic water splitting.
Nanomaterials
May 16, 2024
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66
The synthesis of metallic inorganic compound thin films typically requires high-temperature processes, which hampers their applications on flexible substrates. Recently, a research team at City University of Hong Kong (CityUHK) ...
Nanomaterials
May 16, 2024
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94
Quantum theorists at the University of British Columbia have proposed a new approach to studying stacking ferroelectricity—spontaneous electric polarization—in layered, two-dimensional lab-grown materials.
Condensed Matter
May 15, 2024
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104
To meet the demands of next-generation ultrahigh-definition displays, the organic light-emitting diodes (OLED) industry is actively pursuing the development of narrowband organic light-emitting materials. Within this effort, ...
Optics & Photonics
May 10, 2024
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61
A research team from NIMS and Nagoya University has demonstrated that an iron-based amorphous alloy, widely used as a soft magnetic material in transformers and motors, can be transformed into a "transverse" thermoelectric ...
Condensed Matter
May 10, 2024
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146
What if your earbuds could do everything your smartphone can do already, except better? What sounds a bit like science fiction may actually not be so far off. A new class of synthetic materials could herald the next revolution ...
General Physics
May 9, 2024
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251
DGIST Professor Jiwoong Yang's team in the Energy Science and Engineering Department has successfully manufactured high-performance, skin-attachable perovskite pure red light-emitting devices to create various forms of wearable ...
Nanomaterials
May 8, 2024
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71
