Are amorphous solids elastic or plastic?

In a crystalline solid, the atoms form an ordered lattice. Crystalline solids respond elastically to small deformations: When the applied strain is removed, the macroscopic stress, as well as the microscopic configuration ...

Capturing the surprising flexibility of crystal surfaces

Images taken using an atomic force microscope have allowed researchers to observe, for the first time, the flexible and dynamic changes that occur on the surfaces of 'porous coordination polymer' crystals when guest molecules ...

A tougher conductive ceramic at lower cost

By systematically refining standard processing techniques, A*STAR researchers have developed a low-cost method for manufacturing an electrically conductive aluminum oxide ceramic composite—a hard-wearing material used in ...

Pressure helps to make better Li-ion batteries

Lithium titanium oxide (Li4Ti5O12, LTO), a "zero-strain" anode material for Li-ion batteries (LIBs), exhibits excellent cycling performance. However, it shows poor conductivity, which is the major drawback and limits its ...

Disrupting crystalline order to restore superfluidity

What if you could disrupt the crystalline order of quantum matter so that a superfluid could flow freely even at temperatures and pressures where it usually does not? This idea has been demonstrated by a team of scientists ...

Modified superconductor synapse reveals exotic electron behavior

Electrons tend to avoid one another as they go about their business carrying current. But certain devices, cooled to near zero temperature, can coax these loner particles out of their shells. In extreme cases, electrons will ...

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