Other materials

Can your pet help design better materials?

By April Gocha / August 20, 2014

Nature inspires intelligently designed materials—and when it comes to stickiness, gecko toes are the gold standard for the design of better materials. But how does science explain their ability to walk on walls?

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Other materials stories that may be of interest

By April Gocha / August 20, 2014

Other materials stories that may be of interest for August 20, 2014.

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Next-gen biobatteries—How your next tattoo could use sweat to provide power

By April Gocha / August 15, 2014

New research presented at the recent ACS National Meeting shows that it’s possible to make wearable biobatteries that combine sensors embedded in temporary tattoos with power generators.

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3D-printed ceramics eat food waste to reduce, reuse, and recycle

By April Gocha / August 13, 2014

Designer and engineer Francesco Pacelli has pioneered a new use for spent coffee grounds—as a component of clay for 3D-printed ceramics.

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Other materials stories that may be of interest

By April Gocha / August 13, 2014

Other materials stories that may be of interest for August 13, 2014.

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Open season: DOE plan provides public access to department-funded research

By Jessica McMathis / August 7, 2014

The Energy Department is taking steps toward a more open stream of information from the lab, introducing a new web directory that increases access to any publications or data derived from research funded by the DOE.

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Other materials stories that may be of interest

By April Gocha / August 6, 2014

Other materials stories that may be of interest for August 6, 2014.

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Video: Structure and function—Surface properties are the secret to smarter materials

By April Gocha / August 5, 2014

Materials’ surfaces are really important because they influence how something interacts with the rest of the world—and big advances in the understanding and fabrication of surfaces mean big advances in how those surfaces can function.

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Shape-shifting iron SMAs could signal shift for construction industry

By Jessica McMathis / July 31, 2014

Though not used widely in the construction industry, shape memory alloys could potentially be used to pre-stress the concrete beams that shore up bridges—and a team from Switzerland’s Empa research lab is hoping to help them live up to that potential.

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Look out MRSA, here come ceramics: Clay may be key to thwarting antibiotic-resistant bacteria

By April Gocha / July 30, 2014

Arizona State University and US Geological Survey scientists report that mineral clay deposits may be key to stemming worldwide increases in deadly antibacterial resistance.

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