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.
A 'best practice' protocol for researchers developing piezoelectric materials has been developed by scientists—a first in this cutting-edge field of technology.
Nanophysics
Mar 13, 2023
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154
They kill with a molecular sting or oxidative shock and don't know the meaning of fatigue. The latest biocidal nanocomposites, designed and synthesized by scientists at the Institute of Nuclear Physics of the Polish Academy ...
Bio & Medicine
Mar 9, 2023
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154
The Laboratory of Molecular Nanotechnology (NANOMOL) of the University of Alicante (UA) has developed a new family of materials as a state-of-the-art opportunity for the chemical industry, renewables, and the reduction of ...
Nanomaterials
Mar 9, 2023
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63
There are many sputtered metal film heaters on the market, but they are opaque and can only be used on the back of an anti-counterfeiting label. In addition, the heating rate is slow and the bending resistance is usually ...
Nanophysics
Mar 9, 2023
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81
Alloys that can return to their original structure after being deformed have a so-called shape memory. This phenomenon and the resulting forces are used in many mechanical actuating systems, for example in generators or hydraulic ...
Nanophysics
Mar 9, 2023
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143
Nanomaterials inspired by amyloid proteins are gaining interest in nanotechnology, due to their modularity, controlled self-assembly and stability. A key advantage of these materials is the possibility of incorporating protein ...
Bio & Medicine
Feb 28, 2023
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150
If you watched the most recent Super Bowl, you know the importance of a referee's call on the outcome of a game. Slow-motion replays and close-watching eyes help, but a new sensor technology could someday serve as an even ...
Bio & Medicine
Feb 21, 2023
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103
Researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Department of Chemistry have engineered silicon nanowires that can convert sunlight into electricity by splitting water into oxygen and hydrogen gas, a greener ...
Nanophysics
Feb 17, 2023
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459
Carbon-based catalysts have garnered extensive attention over the past decades as an economical alternative to noble metal catalysts for renewable energy systems.
Nanomaterials
Jan 30, 2023
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145
Engineers have employed "electrospinning," a new technique of manufacturing nanomaterials, to produce a novel fabric that offers high performance protection against electromagnetic interference, a phenomenon that can result ...
Nanomaterials
Jan 30, 2023
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