For the first time, researchers have used a single-step, laser-based method to produce small, precise hybrid microstructures of silver and flexible silicone. This innovative laser processing technology could one day enable ...
Optics & Photonics
Nov 1, 2017
0
111
(Phys.org)—A team of researchers at Johannes Kepler University Linz has developed a new type of glue that can be used to bond hydrogels to other hard or soft objects. In their paper published on the open-access site Science ...
Scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Brookhaven National Laboratory have developed a new way to track dynamic molecular features in soft materials, including the high-frequency molecular vibrations that transmit ...
Nanophysics
Jun 7, 2017
0
18
Researchers at North Carolina State University have developed a technique that uses light to get two-dimensional (2-D) plastic sheets to curve into three-dimensional (3-D) structures, such as spheres, tubes or bowls.
Soft Matter
Mar 22, 2017
0
20
Tiny "walking" proteins could be used to investigate mechanical deformations in soft materials according to Hokkaido University researchers.
Materials Science
Nov 30, 2016
0
6
When a drop of liquid hits a surface at a sufficiently high speed, it splashes—that much isn't in doubt. But sometimes splashing isn't helpful. Researchers are working on methods of 'splash avoidance' that could prevent ...
General Physics
Nov 10, 2016
0
677
An EPFL team is developing soft, flexible and reconfigurable robots. Air-actuated, they behave like human muscles and may be used in physical rehabilitation. They are made of low-cost materials and could easily be produced ...
Robotics
Oct 12, 2016
0
0
One day, microrobots may be able to swim through the human body like sperm or paramecia to carry out medical functions in specific locations. Researchers from the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems in Stuttgart ...
General Physics
Sep 27, 2016
2
1006
Imagine pulling or compressing a block of soft material—like rubber—equally in all directions. You wouldn't expect the block to deform much because of the nature of the material. However, in 1948, an applied mathematician ...
Condensed Matter
Sep 23, 2016
0
507
Researchers at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln have shown that instantly transforming a dull surface to a mirror-like sheen is hardly a stretch. In fact, that's all it takes.
Materials Science
Feb 4, 2016
0
612
