A plastic used in filters and tubing has an unusual trait: It can produce electricity when pulled or pressed. This ability has been used in small ways, but now researchers are coaxing fibers of the material to make even more ...
Polymers
Mar 26, 2015
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There are a handful of naturally occurring materials, known as piezoelectric materials, that generate electricity if you bend, stretch or apply another mechanical force to them, and vice versa – if you apply a voltage across ...
Materials Science
Jul 2, 2014
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Imagine charging your phone as you walk, thanks to a paper-thin generator embedded in the sole of your shoe. This futuristic scenario is now a little closer to reality. Scientists from the U.S. Department of Energy's Lawrence ...
Bio & Medicine
May 13, 2012
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Semiconductor gallium nitride nanowires show great promise in the next generation of nano- and optoelectronic systems. Recently, researchers at the McCormick School of Engineering have found new piezoelectric properties of ...
Nanophysics
Jan 6, 2012
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(PhysOrg.com) -- Led by a group at the University of Maryland (UMd), a multi-institution team of researchers has combined modern materials research and an age-old metallurgy technique to produce an alloy that could be the ...
Condensed Matter
Nov 23, 2011
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Neutron scattering studies of "cobalt blue," a compound prized by artists for its lustrous blue hue, are revealing unique magnetic characteristics that could answer questions about mysterious properties in other materials.
General Physics
Sep 6, 2011
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