Whenever there is a major spill of oil into water, the two tend to mix into a suspension of tiny droplets, called an emulsion, that is extremely hard to separate—and that can cause severe damage to ecosystems. But MIT researchers ...
Materials Science
Jul 1, 2014
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Oil droplets can be made to act like predators, chasing down other droplets that flee like prey. The behavior, which is controlled by chemical signaling produced by the droplets, mimics behavior seen among living organisms ...
Soft Matter
Nov 18, 2020
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86
Experimental physicists at the University of Massachusetts Amherst today report that they have developed a fast, dynamic new process for wrapping liquid droplets in ultrathin polymer sheets, so what once was a painstaking ...
Condensed Matter
Feb 15, 2018
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94
A more efficient way to capture fresh water from the air could be inspired by a phenomenon of motion first glimpsed in bowls of breakfast cereal.
General Physics
Mar 7, 2024
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27
(PhysOrg.com) -- Imagine if instead of relying on special x-ray or electrical current testing technology to find really tiny cracks in the skin that covers an airplane, microcapsules filled with easily detected materials ...
Experienced cooks can determine when cooking oil has reached the right temperature for deep-frying by inserting moistened chopsticks in the hot oil. Bubbles form on the sticks and the sizzling sound they produce can tell ...
Soft Matter
Jun 7, 2022
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87
A first-of-its-kind study observed how oil droplets are formed and measured their size under high pressure. They further simulated how the atomized oil spewing from the Macondo well reached the ocean's surface during the ...
Environment
Apr 2, 2015
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59
Researchers of Aalto University have developed surfaces where oil transports itself to desired directions. Researchers' oleophobic surfaces are microtextured with radial arrays of undercut stripes. When oil drops fall on ...
Condensed Matter
Jun 17, 2016
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59
(Phys.org) —Scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy's Brookhaven National Laboratory have identified the key genes required for oil production and accumulation in plant leaves and other vegetative plant tissues. Enhancing ...
Biotechnology
Oct 18, 2013
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Scientists in Japan are reporting an advance toward giving artificial cells another hallmark of life -- the ability to tap an energy source and use it to undergo sustained movement. Their study, published in the Journal of ...
Analytical Chemistry
Apr 29, 2009
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