In nature, octopus, clingfish and larva use soft biological cups to attach to surfaces under water. Researchers have recently developed such bioinspired cups, but their mechanisms of attachment and detachment remain elusive. ...
When you spill a bit of water onto a tabletop, the puddle spreads—and then stops, leaving a well-defined area of water with a sharp boundary.
General Physics
Jul 8, 2015
8
170
Reversible nanohelix transformation is one of the most exquisite and important phenomena in nature. Nanomaterials rarely form helical crystals. Due to the irreversibility of the twisting forces studied so far, untwisting ...
Nanophysics
Sep 13, 2023
0
3
Optimum performance of upcoming thermochemical energy storage and other technologies depends on proper applications of the principles that underpin salt ion hydration. Now, researchers from Japan have solved a long-standing ...
Biochemistry
Aug 8, 2023
0
88
Nearly all the chemical energy available to Earth's lifeforms can be traced back to the sun. This is because light-harvesting (LH) supramolecules (two or more molecules held together by intermolecular forces) enable plants ...
Biochemistry
Jan 31, 2023
0
67
Solar cells can now be made so thin, light and flexible that they can rest on a soap bubble. The new cells, which efficiently capture energy from light, could offer an alternative way to power novel electronic devices, such ...
Materials Science
Aug 27, 2020
1
255
Robots with toes? Experiments suggest that climbing robots could benefit from having flexible, hairy toes, like those of geckos, that can adjust quickly to accommodate shifting weight and slippery surfaces.
Plants & Animals
May 8, 2020
1
263
Want to make a super strong material from nano-scale building blocks? Start with the highest quality building blocks, right?
Nanomaterials
Aug 15, 2019
0
481
New calculations shows that the influence of quantum effects on the operating conditions of nanodevices has, until now, been overestimated.
Nanophysics
Nov 15, 2013
2
1
Adhesives inspired by the gecko can be made to switch on and off reversibly and repeatedly. The key design parameters for these materials are identified in a study published in Journal of the Royal Society Interface today.
Materials Science
Apr 4, 2013
0
0
