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.
Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB) researchers have developed a magnetic material capable of imitating the way the brain stores information. The material makes it possible to emulate the synapses of neurons and mimic, ...
Nanomaterials
Nov 8, 2022
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604
A team of researchers led by Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute's Edwin Fohtung, associate professor of materials science and engineering, has combined expertise in mathematics and condensed matter physics with technological ...
Nanophysics
Oct 24, 2022
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156
Discovery of intriguing material behavior at small scales could reduce energy demands for computing.
Nanophysics
Oct 19, 2022
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1597
An improved clean and green means of coating materials for efficient wastewater treatment processes is now possible thanks to the Vortex Fluidic Device.
Nanomaterials
Oct 19, 2022
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142
The metal-carbon dioxide battery is a promising and environmentally friendly technology, but its energy efficiency is limited. Recently, a research team co-led by chemists from City University of Hong Kong (CityU) discovered ...
Nanomaterials
Oct 13, 2022
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101
At 200 times stronger than steel, graphene has been hailed as a super material of the future since its discovery in 2004. The ultrathin carbon material is an incredibly strong electrical and thermal conductor, making it a ...
Nanomaterials
Oct 11, 2022
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216
Textile engineers have developed a fabric woven out of ultra-fine nano-threads made in part of phase-change materials and other advanced substances that combine to produce a fabric that can respond to changing temperatures ...
Nanomaterials
Oct 11, 2022
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347
Computer chips are packed with billions of microscopic transistors that enable powerful computation, but also generate a great deal of heat. A buildup of heat can slow a computer processor and make it less efficient and reliable. ...
Nanophysics
Oct 7, 2022
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94
A French-Japanese research collaboration has fabricated metal nanocomposite coatings that improve the insulating properties of window glasses. The new coating prevents a significant portion of near-infrared (NIR) and ultraviolet ...
Nanomaterials
Aug 31, 2022
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121
A team from Queen Mary University of London, Imperial College London (U.K.), Northwestern University in Evanston (U.S.) and Bielefeld University (D) have produced a new breed of polymer nanomembranes with aligned supramolecular ...
Nanomaterials
Aug 31, 2022
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146
