The origins of the world ocean remain a much-debated topic to this day. A new paper by researchers from several universities in China and the Skolkovo Institute of Science and Technology in Russia posits that magnesium hydrosilicates served as reservoirs of water in early Earth.
Read MoreSulfate attack is one of the most damaging causes of concrete deterioration. Two studies published this month look at the potential of new geopolymer mortars and the addition of nano alumina to improve concrete’s resistance to sulfate attack.
Read MoreWhen designing ferroelectric materials, researchers have long been guided by the belief that smaller domain sizes lead to greater piezoelectric properties. A recent study by Penn State and Xi’an Jiaotong University researchers raises questions about this standard rule.
Read MoreFunctionalizing hexagonal boron nitride is difficult due to bonding within the material’s structure. A group led by researchers at The Pennsylvania State University demonstrated the potential of cryomilling to functionalize hexagonal boron nitride through defect engineering.
Read MoreResearchers have achieved some success in developing shape memory ceramics by applying the same general strategies used for shape memory alloys. A recent study that stumbled upon a seemingly paradoxical result, however, reveals new insights into reversible transformations in ceramics.
Read MoreThere are many applications for calcium phosphate in the medical field. Recently, the cosmetics industry has taken an interest in this mineral family as well, and a new open-access paper reviews what the industry has used calcium phosphate for so far.
Read MoreDespite having weakly bonded layers, MAX phases demonstrate a surprisingly high damage tolerance. Researchers at Texas A&M and Universite Grenoble Alpes in France showed how cracks in a MAX single crystal can close and heal, thus contributing to the high damage tolerance.
Read MoreThe Hall-Petch relation describes how a ceramic becomes harder as its grains become smaller. But when the grains become small enough, the relation begins to break down. Luis Sotelo Martin and Ricardo Castro of the University of California, Davis, showed that adding extra aluminum to zinc aluminate can extend the Hall-Petch relation.
Read MoreGlass and ice are two materials known for being brittle. However, when glass is produced very thin—on the scale of micrometers—it can bend quite a bit without failure. Now researchers in China showed this same principle applies to ice as well.
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