The remarkable strength of ionic crystals is easily explained at the atomic scale: Positively and negatively charged atoms sit side by side in a repeating periodic arrangement. The strong electrostatic force in between keeps ...
Materials Science
Feb 2, 2018
0
59
Sometimes things that are technically defects, such as imperfections in a material's crystal lattice, can actually produce changes in properties that open up new kinds of useful applications. New research from a team at MIT ...
Condensed Matter
Sep 21, 2017
0
10
Dramatic advances in laser technologies are enabling novel studies to explore laser-matter interactions at ultrahigh intensity. By focusing high-power laser pulses, electric fields (of orders of magnitude greater than found ...
Plasma Physics
Sep 27, 2016
2
1305
Electrostatic actuators are simple and lightweight devices that emulate human muscles. However, their usage has primarily been restricted to moving small devices since they need high voltages to generate significant forces. ...
General Physics
Nov 17, 2022
0
16
Until 2018, the SI unit of mass, the kilogram, was defined as the mass of a real object: the International Prototype Kilogram, kept in a secure facility in the outskirts of Paris. On November 16, 2018, the kilogram was given ...
General Physics
Aug 1, 2022
0
23
Since the discovery of graphene more than 15 years ago, researchers have been in a global race to unlock its unique properties. Not only is graphene—a one-atom-thick sheet of carbon arranged in a hexagonal lattice—the ...
Nanomaterials
Oct 12, 2020
1
6703
Water molecules undergo ultrafast dithering motions at room temperature and generate extremely strong electric fields in their environment. New experiments demonstrate how in presence of such fields free electrons are generated ...
Materials Science
Sep 2, 2020
0
8
Controlling the interactions between light and matter has been a long-standing ambition for scientists seeking to develop and advance numerous technologies that are fundamental to society. With the boom of nanotechnology ...
Nanophysics
Oct 9, 2019
0
251
On Jan. 18, 2016, the GRIPS balloon team sent their instrument soaring towards the stratosphere above Antarctica, suspended underneath a helium-filled, football-field sized scientific balloon. GRIPS, short for Gamma-Ray Imager/Polarimeter ...
Space Exploration
Jan 19, 2016
0
22
Coupling renewable energy to produce hydrogen by the electrolysis of water is an effective way to develop new energy utilization and solve the energy crisis. It is important to fully understand the cathodic hydrogen evolution ...
Analytical Chemistry
Oct 27, 2022
0
18
