How does gecko tape work?

To solve practical issues, sometimes all we have to do is study nature. An often quoted example is that of the gecko, a small animal known for the phenomenal adhesive strength in its feet, which allows it to walk on walls ...

High-tech contact lenses correct color blindness

Researchers have incorporated ultra-thin optical devices known as metasurfaces into off-the-shelf contact lenses to correct deuteranomaly, a form of red-green color blindness. The new customizable contact lens could offer ...

Microswimmers swim faster over slippery surfaces

Tiny self-propelling spheres, measuring only micrometers, move faster over a hydrophobic silicone surface than they do over hydrophilic glass. "Almost nobody had realized that the substrate matters," says Stefania Ketzetzi, ...

Nature-inspired antibacterial metals

From aviation to medicine, various sectors are increasingly using materials that mimic the lotus plant, whose leaves have self-cleaning properties. Thanks to the bumpy surface structure covered with tube-shaped wax crystals, ...

Surface science concepts are up for revision

The textbook directions for characterizing the wetting properties of solid surfaces are likely to change as KAUST researchers demonstrate that conventional tests can be misleading.

How carbon nanotubes could be used in future electronic devices

A team of Skoltech scientists, in collaboration with researchers from the IBM Watson Research Center, have shed light on the behavior of electrical contacts in carbon semiconductor nanotubes, which could pave the way to next-generation ...

Flow phenomena on solid surfaces

Physicists from Saarland University and the ESPCI in Paris have shown how liquids on solid surfaces can be made to slide over the surface a bit like a bobsleigh on ice. The key is to apply a coating at the boundary between ...

page 2 from 4