Latest science news in Physics & Chemistry
Multi-stage deformation process in high-entropy alloys at ultra-low temperatures revealed
An international research team led by scientists from City University of Hong Kong (CityU) has recently discovered that high-entropy alloys (HEAs) exhibit exceptional mechanical properties at ultra-low temperatures due to...
Bubbles go with the flow: Simulating behavior of fluids moving through pipes
Researchers at the Institute of Industrial Science, The University of Tokyo, used a sophisticated physical model to simulate the behavior of fluids moving through pipes. By including the possibility of...
Scientists discover plastic-eating microbe
Scientists in Germany have identified a new strain of bacteria that breaks down the chemical building blocks of polyurethane, or PU, a polymer used to make a variety of plastic...
A new 'gold standard' for safer ceramic coatings
Making your own ceramics can be a way to express your creativity, but some techniques and materials used in the process could spell bad news for your health and the...
Using ordinary tape, researchers make chip that could speed up drug development
With ordinary double-sided tape, researchers in Sweden assembled a chip-based model of a human gut, and then fed it chili peppers to prove it works. The technique could dramatically lower...
Researchers catch light in a funnel
Professor Ronny Thomale holds a chair for theoretical condensed matter physics, the TP1, at the Julius-Maximilian University of Würzburg. The discovery and theoretical description of new quantum states of matter...
Designing lightweight glass for efficient cars, wind turbines
A new machine-learning algorithm for exploring lightweight, very stiff glass compositions can help design next-gen materials for more efficient vehicles and wind turbines. Glasses can reinforce polymers to generate composite...
A new battery chemistry promises safer high-voltage lithium-ion batteries
For the first time, researchers who explore the physical and chemical properties of electrical energy storage have found a new way to improve lithium-ion batteries. They successfully increased not only...
Light funnel apparatus created
Physicists have developed a light funnel apparatus. It could serve as a new platform for hypersensitive optical detectors.
Scientists develop novel technology to stimulate biomass and astaxanthin accumulation in haematococcus
Chinese scientists with Institute of Technical Biology and Agriculture Engineering, Hefei Institutes of Physical Science applied low-temperature plasma technology to stimulate biomass and astaxanthin accumulation in Haematococcus pluvialis at appropriate...
Scientists grow novel Er3+ doped LuSGG mid-infrared laser crystal
A study team has grown an Er3+-doped lutetium scandium gallium garnet crystal with high doping concentration. And this was the first time to grow that kind of crystal by Czochralski...
Optimizing efficiency of quantum circuits
Quantum circuits, the building blocks of quantum computers, use quantum mechanical effects to perform tasks. They are much faster and more accurate than the classical circuits that are found in...
3-D printed sensors could make breath tests for diabetes possible
The production of highly sensitive sensors is a complex process: It requires many steps and the almost dust-free environment of special cleanrooms. A research team from Materials Science at Kiel...
Highly efficient and stable double layer solar cell developed
A research team has developed a new type of solar cell that can both withstand environmental hazards and is 26.7% efficient in power conversion.
Why does your cotton towel get stiff after natural drying?
Cotton towels often become stiff when washed without fabric softener and naturally dried, but the mechanism behind it has remained a mystery. In previous studies, the research groups at Kao...
Coronavirus shines a light on fractured global politics at a time when cohesion and leadership are vital
Leaders of the world's largest economies came together at a virtual G20 this week to "do whatever it takes to overcome the coronavirus pandemic". But the reality is that...
A device for the early detection of certain eyesight problems
EPFL researchers have developed a device that can zoom in on previously invisible cells at the back of the eye. The technology could be extremely useful for ophthalmologists, in particular...
Why does your cotton towel get stiff after natural drying?
The remaining "bound water" on cotton surfaces cross-link single fibers of cotton, causing hardening after natural drying, according to a new study conducted by Kao Corporation and Hokkaido University. This...
Reconfigurable structure and tunable transport in synchronized active spinner materials
Actuated colloids are excellent model systems to investigate emerging out-of-equilibrium structures, complex collective dynamics and design rules for next-generation materials. In a new report, Koohe Han and a research team...
Neural networks facilitate optimization in the search for new materials
Sorting through millions of possibilities, a search for battery materials delivered results in five weeks instead of 50 years.
Why does your cotton towel get stiff after natural drying?
The remaining 'bound water' on cotton surfaces cross-link single fibers of cotton, causing hardening after natural drying, according to a new study. This provides new insight into unique water behaviors...
Low-cost graphene-iron filters that selectively separate gaseous mixtures
UNSW researchers have shown how a new class of low-cost graphene-based membranes—a type of filter used in industry sectors that generate enormous mixed waste gases, such as solid plastic waste,...
Research into perovskite-silicon tandem cells shows new path to take
Researchers at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), working in collaboration with their counterparts in the Republic of Korea, have validated the potential of using a combination of perovskite and...
Quantum phenomenon governs organic solar cells
Researchers have discovered a quantum phenomenon that influences the formation of free charges in organic solar cells.
Vaping exposes users to more toxic metals than smoking cigarettes
E-cigarettes deliver lead, arsenic, nickel, and other metals at harmful levels
No, you should not expect Disneyland to reopen on April 1
With the coronavirus crisis, Disneyland and Disney World have been closed throughout March. Fans are speculating about how long the closures will last.
As electronics shrink to nanoscale, will they still be good as gold?
Deep inside computer chips, tiny wires made of gold and other conductive metals carry the electricity used to process data.
Quantum effect triggers unusual material expansion
You know how you leave space in a water bottle before you pop it in the freezer—to accommodate the fact that water expands as it freezes? Most metal parts in...