atomic structure

Beyond the average: A review of how spatial and temporal structural deviations affect glass-forming oxide systems

By Lisa McDonald / April 4, 2023

Deviations in the atomic structure of glass can significantly affect the material’s macroscopic properties, yet most studies to date do not account for these deviations. A recent review paper led by researchers at The Pennsylvania State University comprehensively reviews various experimental and computational techniques used to characterize and evaluate the effects of these deviations on commercially relevant glass-forming oxide systems.

Read More

Video: Scanning tunneling microscope gets upgrade that could enable atomic-scale fabrication

By April Gocha / March 7, 2018

In an effort to improve the scanning tunneling microscope, researchers at the University of Texas at Dallas have pinpointed the problem that allows the microscope’s probe tip to crash into the sample it’s scanning and have devised a way to prevent it from happening.

Read More

Disorderly conduct: Simulations reveal irradiated materials are surprisingly disordered, question safety of vitrified nuclear waste

By April Gocha / June 8, 2017

New atomistic simulations by researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles and Oak Ridge National Lab are revealing that irradiated materials are even more disordered that previously thought—calling into question the safety of vitrified nuclear waste.

Read More

Predicting atomic positions: Bayesian statistics enable more accurate materials characterization

By April Gocha / September 6, 2016

Researchers at North Carolina State University, the National Institute of Standards and Technology, and Oak Ridge National Laboratory have devised a new method for characterizing materials that can more accurately predict crystallographic structures.

Read More

Other materials stories that may be of interest

By April Gocha / November 3, 2015

Boise State gets new Materials Research Center, impossible phase transitions, and other materials stories that may be of interest for November 2, 2015.

Read More

Distorted reality: Revolving electron microscopy divulges material’s innermost atomic secrets

By April Gocha / February 17, 2015

Researchers at North Carolina State University have pioneered a new imaging method that is allowing them to peer inside a material’s atomic organization to precisely map the location of distortions, a unique perspective that is allowing them to see how those distortions affect the material’s properties.

Read More