https://phys.org/ en-us Phys.org internet news portal provides the latest news on science including: Physics, Nanotechnology, Life Sciences, Space Science, Earth Science, Environment, Health and Medicine. A unique new material that shrinks when it is heated and expands when it is cooled could help enable the ultra-stable space telescopes that future NASA missions require to search for habitable worlds. https://phys.org/news/2025-07-alloy-enabling-ultra-stable-exoplanet.html Space Exploration Tue, 01 Jul 2025 11:59:06 EDT news670589942 Tête de Moine, a semi-hard Swiss cheese that often finds its way onto charcuterie boards and salads, not only brings a rich, nutty and creamy flavor, but also adds a dramatic flare to the presentation. Instead of slicing, this cheese is shaved into delicate rosettes using a tool called a Girolle whose rotating blade gently scrapes thin layers of cheese into ruffled curls. These pretty cheese flowers are known to enhance the flavor and texture due to their high surface-to-volume ratio. https://phys.org/news/2025-05-friction-variation-tte-de-moine.html General Physics Mon, 26 May 2025 10:00:02 EDT news667471267 Recently, a research group led by Prof. Wang Zhenyang and Zhang Shudong from the Hefei Institutes of Physical Science of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, developed a new type of ceramic fiber aerogel, SiC@SiO₂, featuring highly anisotropic thermal conductivity and extreme thermal stability through directional bio-inspired design. https://phys.org/news/2025-03-nature-ceramic-fiber-aerogels-advance.html Materials Science Thu, 13 Mar 2025 12:20:03 EDT news661087202 Plastics, which are polymeric materials composed of long chains of small molecules called monomers, are widely used in everyday life and industry due to their lightweight, good strength and flexibility. However, with approximately 52 million tons of plastic waste generated annually, plastic pollution has become a major environmental concern. https://phys.org/news/2025-03-sustainable-smart-polymers.html Polymers Thu, 06 Mar 2025 11:57:04 EST news660484622 Soft viscoelastic solids are flexible materials that can return to their original shape after being stretched. Due to the unique properties driving their deformation, these materials can sometimes behave and change shape in unexpected ways. https://phys.org/news/2025-02-unveils-extrusion-instabilities-viscoelastic-materials.html General Physics Tue, 18 Feb 2025 10:20:54 EST news659096445 Skoltech researchers have presented a new simple physical model for predicting the hardness of materials based on information about the shear modulus and equations of the state of crystal structures. The model is useful for a wide range of practical applications—all parameters in it can be determined through basic calculations or measured experimentally. https://phys.org/news/2025-01-physical-hardness-materials.html Condensed Matter Thu, 16 Jan 2025 12:45:11 EST news656253903 Identifying alloy properties can be expensive and time-consuming. Experiments involving alloys often require a number of resources. Calculating alloys can also become extremely complicated, with a seemingly endless number of configurations of properties. https://phys.org/news/2025-01-based-alloy-properties.html Analytical Chemistry Fri, 10 Jan 2025 13:32:04 EST news655738321 A Korean research team, which had previously visualized and scientifically proven the harmful effects of carbonated drinks like cola on dental health using nanotechnology, has now identified a mechanism for an effective method to prevent tooth damage caused by these beverages. https://phys.org/news/2024-12-nanoscale-analysis-uncovers-method-dental.html Bio & Medicine Wed, 11 Dec 2024 16:05:03 EST news653155501 New research from the Ateneo de Manila University could pave the way for more durable versions of silicon carbide (SiC), a semiconductive ceramic material found mostly in space that has applications in everything from computer chips to spaceships. https://phys.org/news/2024-10-probe-mechanical-properties-silicon-carbide.html Analytical Chemistry Wed, 30 Oct 2024 16:52:18 EDT news649525934 A research group led by Prof. Wang Zhenyang and Zhang Shudong from the Hefei Institutes of Physical Science of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, has developed synergistic aerogel materials with high temperature resistance, mechanical strength and thermal insulation performance. https://phys.org/news/2024-08-synergistic-aerogel-materials-insulation.html Materials Science Fri, 02 Aug 2024 10:58:20 EDT news641815097 Barium strontium aluminum silicate (BaxSr1−xAl2Si2O8, BSAS) ceramics possess both phase stability and resistance to water vapor corrosion, making them ideal materials for radome technology and electronic packaging. To address the low tolerance of BSAS ceramics to damage and defects, the introduction of nano-reinforcements is an effective approach to enhance their strength and toughness. https://phys.org/news/2024-07-brittle-interface-modulus-mechanical-properties.html Analytical Chemistry Wed, 24 Jul 2024 17:21:03 EDT news641060462 The use of wearable electronics that continuously monitor biosignals has transformed the health care and fitness industries. These devices are becoming increasingly common and are projected to reach a market valuation of approximately USD 572.06 billion by 2033. https://phys.org/news/2024-07-flexible-durable-bioelectrodes-future-health.html Bio & Medicine Wed, 03 Jul 2024 09:46:03 EDT news639218762 A team of researchers from NIMS (National Institute for Materials Science), Hokkaido University and Meiji Pharmaceutical University has developed a gel electret capable of stably retaining a large electrostatic charge. The team then combined this gel with highly flexible electrodes to create a sensor capable of perceiving low-frequency vibrations (e.g., vibrations generated by human motion) and converting them into output voltage signals. This device may potentially be used as a wearable health care sensor. https://phys.org/news/2024-06-power-generating-gel-electret-based.html Nanomaterials Thu, 20 Jun 2024 12:16:11 EDT news638104568 Researchers have demonstrated the ability to engineer materials that are both stiff and capable of insulating against heat. This combination of properties is extremely unusual and holds promise for a range of applications, such as the development of new thermal insulation coatings for electronic devices. https://phys.org/news/2024-05-materials-unique-combination-stiffness-thermal.html Nanomaterials Wed, 29 May 2024 11:51:03 EDT news636202261 Glasses and gels are two different types of solid materials that are commonly used in a wide range of settings. Despite their markedly different compositions, these distinct materials share some similar properties, for instance, they exhibit rigidity without a translational order and a slow transformation over time. https://phys.org/news/2024-05-elasticity-glasses-gels.html Condensed Matter Wed, 08 May 2024 10:00:01 EDT news634379669 One of the primary goals in the field of tissue engineering and regenerative medicine is the development of artificial scaffolds that can serve as substitutes for damaged tissue. These materials must ideally resemble natural tissue and must have the ability to support cell adhesion, proliferation, and differentiation. https://phys.org/news/2024-03-advancing-tissue-memory-hydrogels.html Polymers Wed, 13 Mar 2024 10:36:43 EDT news629545000 Oxidation can degrade the properties and functionality of metals. However, a research team co-led by scientists from City University of Hong Kong (CityU) recently discovered that severely oxidized metallic glass nanotubes can attain an ultrahigh recoverable elastic strain, outperforming most conventional super-elastic metals. They also discovered the physical mechanisms underpinning this super-elasticity. https://phys.org/news/2024-02-unveiling-oxidation-super-elasticity-metallic.html Nanophysics Fri, 02 Feb 2024 11:13:03 EST news626094781 When temperature or pressure is applied to a material, its state changes from liquid to solid or remains solid but exhibits structural changes. This change is called a phase transition or change. https://phys.org/news/2023-12-mechanism-pressure-induced-glass-phase-transition.html Soft Matter Mon, 11 Dec 2023 10:13:05 EST news621511983 Changes in the mechanical properties of cells are among the earliest signs of development of a cancer. Until now, one of the major obstacles to the use of mechanics in cancer diagnosis has been the lack of a standardized measurement procedure that would guarantee reproducibility and reliability of results. Thanks to European scientific cooperation involving the Institute of Nuclear Physics of the Polish Academy of Sciences in Cracow, this obstacle has now been removed. https://phys.org/news/2023-10-important-method-early-cancer-diagnosis.html Bio & Medicine Thu, 05 Oct 2023 15:56:04 EDT news615740161 Polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) is a piezoelectric polymer material that has shown great aptitude as a pressure and flow sensor, especially in biomedical applications. However, most of the PVDF thin film sensors have low sensitivity and resolution due to their limited piezoelectric characteristics. https://phys.org/news/2023-07-effects-porosity-piezoelectric-characteristics-polyvinylidene.html Polymers Thu, 13 Jul 2023 12:33:02 EDT news608470381 There are obvious differences between cancerous cells and normal cells in morphology, chemical properties and mechanical properties. The detection of cytochemical and mechanical properties of tumor tissues can provide multi-dimensional information for the pathological process of cells and human tissues. https://phys.org/news/2023-07-laser-differential-confocal-raman-brillouin-spectrum.html Optics & Photonics Fri, 07 Jul 2023 11:25:04 EDT news607947901 Skoltech researchers reported another breakthrough in their investigations of diatoms, the fascinating single-cell algae that may hold many secrets to advanced technological solutions emulating nature. https://phys.org/news/2023-05-lacy-glass-shells-diatom-algae.html Cell & Microbiology Tue, 02 May 2023 13:10:01 EDT news602251622 Materials known as metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) have a rigid, cage-like structure that lends itself to a variety of applications, from gas storage to drug delivery. By changing the building blocks that go into the materials, or the way they are arranged, researchers can design MOFs suited to different uses. https://phys.org/news/2023-04-scientists-ultrastable-materials.html Analytical Chemistry Tue, 04 Apr 2023 16:06:11 EDT news599843166 Carbon fiber composites are preferred structural materials due to their high specific strength and modulus. Laminated construction of carbon composites and anisotropic nature, though, leave them sensitive to external loading. Since a brittle matrix controls the properties in and out of plane direction, interlaminar resin-rich regions are particularly susceptible to matrix cracking. Such incipient damage eventually evolves into life-limiting fracture, such as delamination under Mode II loading. https://phys.org/news/2023-03-electrospun-short-nylon-nanofibers-resistance.html Nanomaterials Tue, 21 Mar 2023 11:32:03 EDT news598617121 In a new report now published in Science Advances, Mingze Sun and a research team in physics, mechanical engineering, electrical and electronic engineering in Hong Kong China reported the development of multifunctional tendon-mimetic hydrogels by assembling aramid nanofiber composites. https://phys.org/news/2023-02-tissue-bioinspired-multi-functional-tendon-mimetic-hydrogels.html Bio & Medicine Mon, 27 Feb 2023 09:49:07 EST news596713740 A project led by Ella Hudson, Ph.D. Researcher at The University of Sheffield, seeks to ascertain the contribution of the hair cuticle to the mechanical properties of the whole fiber. https://phys.org/news/2023-02-nanomechanical-properties-surface-layers-hair.html Bio & Medicine Fri, 17 Feb 2023 15:39:56 EST news595870790 Medical adhesives are materials that can be applied to various uses such as wound healing, hemostasis, vascular anastomosis, and tissue engineering, and they are expected to contribute greatly to the development of minimally invasive surgery and organ transplants. However, adhesives that have high adhesion and low toxicity while also being capable of decomposing in the body are rare. https://phys.org/news/2022-10-team-biocompatible-adhesive-applicable-hair.html Polymers Mon, 10 Oct 2022 16:06:59 EDT news584636815 While plastics or synthetic polymers have many useful properties, their mismanagement has resulted in widespread pollution that chokes up our ecosystems. As a solution to this, many synthetic polymers are sent for reprocessing and recycling; polyethylene terephthalate (PET) is one of the most common products frequently seen in the recycling loop in many countries. However, recycling has its own set of problems. During plastic recycling, partial fractions of the polymer chains are decomposed resulting in structurally weak, downgraded polymers. These sub-standard recycled plastics have much reduced properties and are only good for use as solid fuels. This leaves manufacturers with little choice other than to make new plastic products with fast-depleting petroleum feedstocks. https://phys.org/news/2022-09-upcycling-commercial-polyesters.html Polymers Tue, 27 Sep 2022 08:43:03 EDT news583486981 Additive manufacturing (AM) using two-photon polymerization lithography (TPP) has increased in usage in industry and research. Currently, a major constraint of TPP in general and specifically of the material IP-Q (Nanoscribe GmbH, Germany) is the users' limited access to knowledge about material properties. Due to the nature of the process, the elastic properties in particular depend not only on the utilized material but also on structure size, process, and fabrication parameters. For example, before research recently published in the Journal of Optical Microsystems, no degree of conversion (DC) and Young's modulus (E) values for IP-Q had been reported. https://phys.org/news/2022-08-major-constraint.html Nanomaterials Fri, 12 Aug 2022 15:59:47 EDT news579538781 For a polymer composed of very simple repeating units, polyethylenimine (PEI) has an astounding number of practical applications, including detergents, adhesives, cosmetics, industrial agents, CO2 capture, and even cellular cultures. In general, PEI is synthesized by the ring-opening polymerization of ethylenimine, also known as aziridine. When produced this way, the result is a liquid polymer with a branching structure. https://phys.org/news/2022-07-simple-method-versatile-porous-polymers.html Polymers Mon, 11 Jul 2022 11:01:09 EDT news576756066