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 team of Concordia researchers has developed the first micromotors capable of moving through the air using only light as their power source. These tiny, pollen-shaped particles measure about 12 microns wide—roughly one-tenth ...
Nanomaterials
Nov 13, 2025
0
36
High-temperature superconductivity is still not fully understood. Now, an international research team at BESSY II has measured the energy of charge carrier pairs in undoped La₂CuO₄. Their findings revealed that the interaction ...
Superconductivity
Nov 7, 2025
0
86
For the first time, researchers have made niobium sulfide metallic nanotubes with stable, predictable properties, a long-sought goal in advanced materials science. According to the international team, including a researcher ...
Nanophysics
Nov 7, 2025
0
103
Vapor-phase synthesis, a technique used to create very pure and scalable nanomaterials and coatings, has great promise for the electronic, optical, aerospace, energy and environment, and semiconductor industries.
Nanomaterials
Nov 6, 2025
0
30
A new study reveals that insulating buffer layers are no longer needed for ultrathin magnetic racetrack devices, unlocking new paths for seamless integration with functional substrates.
Nanophysics
Nov 5, 2025
0
36
At 4 degrees Kelvin, most electro-optic materials falter. Nanoelectronics R&D center imec has now successfully engineered thin-film strontium titanate (SrTiO₃) that delivers record electro-optic performance with low optical ...
Optics & Photonics
Nov 4, 2025
0
34
A global team of experts from academia and industry has joined forces in a landmark Consensus Statement on next-generation photodetectors based on emerging light-responsive materials, which could accelerate innovative applications ...
Optics & Photonics
Nov 3, 2025
0
34
A research team from Queen Mary University of London has discovered a new way to engineer thin films that can "tune" themselves much more effectively than existing materials, making them highly responsive and efficient.
Nanophysics
Nov 3, 2025
0
50
Researchers from Tokyo Metropolitan University have developed a new atomically layered material which experiences a five order of magnitude resistivity reduction when oxidized, more than a hundred times the reduction seen ...
Nanomaterials
Nov 3, 2025
0
24
A study published in Nature Communications has shown that, rather than being discarded, plastics can be transformed into valuable carbon nanomaterials that help solve both energy and environmental challenges.
Nanomaterials
Oct 24, 2025
0
43
