Tag: Materials Science
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UVic Researchers Break Atomic-Scale Imaging Barrier with Low-Energy SEM
Breakthrough: High-Resolution Imaging on a Budget Researchers at the University of Victoria have achieved a groundbreaking advance in electron microscopy, demonstrating sub-Ångström resolution using a compact, low-energy scanning electron microscope (SEM). This achievement, published in Nature Communications, marks a significant shift in how scientists can visualize atomic-scale structures without relying on large, expensive equipment. Leading…
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New Crystals Could Make Gas Purification Cleaner and Cheaper
Groundbreaking crystals promise cleaner, cheaper gas purification A team of researchers from the University of Strathclyde and the University of Sheffield has unveiled a new class of crystal-based materials that could transform how gases are separated in industrial settings. Published in Nature Chemistry, the study describes non-porous silver coordination polymers that capture carbon dioxide (CO₂)…
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PRO Filters: Reusable, Nose-Inspired Air Filtration Promises Cleaner Indoor Air
Introducing the Nose-Inspired PRO Filter Air quality inside buildings matters as much as outdoor pollution, yet many conventional filters struggle to trap the tiniest particles in fast-moving air. A team led by Associate Professor Sanghyuk Wooh at Chung-Ang University has developed a breakthrough: particle-removing oil-coated (PRO) filters that mimic the way nasal hairs trap particles…
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Water’s Surprising Dual Nature: A Solid and a Liquid in One Under Tight Confines
Water’s Counterintuitive State Under Confinement Water is usually seen as either a liquid or a solid—depending on whether you’re in the ocean or in a freezer. Yet a team of scientists in Japan has revealed a striking anomaly: when water is forced into extremely tight spaces, its molecules can behave as if they are both…
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Premelting Water: A Surprising Coexistence of Solid and Liquid at the Nanoscale
New Window into Water’s Weirdness Water is one of the most familiar substances on Earth, yet at the smallest scales it behaves in startling ways. In a recent study, researchers in Japan have shown that when water is confined to ultra-tight spaces, it can exhibit a paradox: it acts like a solid and a liquid…
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Salt-Doped Ice Generates Electricity via Flexoelectricity
Groundbreaking concept: turning ice into a power source Scientists from China and Spain have uncovered a surprising route to harvest electricity from one of the planet’s most ubiquitous substances: ice. By introducing salt into ice and then mechanically bending the material, the researchers demonstrated that the salt-doped ice can generate an electrical response. The finding,…
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Salt-Laced Ice Powers a New Kind of Clean Energy: A Twist in Flexoelectricity
Opening the Door to Clean Power from Ice Researchers from China and Spain have unveiled a surprising way to harvest electricity from ice enhanced with salt. By incorporating salt into ice, the team demonstrated that bending the material can produce an electrical response rivaling that of some high-performance ceramics used in energy applications. The discovery,…
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Chemical Patterns in Metals: New Physics for Manufacturing
Introduction: A Hidden Order in Metal Processing For decades, scientists believed that the chaotic mixing during metal processing largely erases any subtle chemical patterns. New research from MIT challenges this view, showing that metallic atoms retain non-random arrangements even after conventional manufacturing. These archive-like patterns influence a metal’s mechanical strength, durability, heat capacity, and radiation…
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Three Scientists Win Nobel Prize in Chemistry for Metal-Organic Frameworks Breakthrough
Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2025: A Breakthrough in Metal-Organic Frameworks The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences has awarded the 2025 Nobel Prize in Chemistry to three scientists for their pioneering work on metal-organic frameworks (MOFs). Susumu Kitagawa, Richard Robson, and Omar Yaghi are recognized for developing MOFs, molecular constructions with porous architectures that can conduct,…
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Uncovering New Physics In Metals Manufacturing
Uncovering a Hidden Layer in Metal Manufacturing For decades, scientists believed that the subtle chemical patterns inside metal alloys were too small to matter or were erased during the brutal processes of manufacturing. New research from MIT shifts that view, showing that these patterns persist and influence a range of properties—from strength and durability to…