How strong is your knot?
In sailing, rock climbing, construction, and any activity requiring the securing of ropes, certain knots are known to be stronger than others.
Any seasoned sailor...
2D and 3D materials combo could keep Moore’s law going
It’s a well-known observation: The number of transistors on a microchip will double roughly every two years.
And, thanks to advances in miniaturization and performance,...
Materials ‘remember’ past stresses as they age
A new study shows that as materials age, they ‘remember’ prior stresses and external forces, which researchers can then use to create new materials...
How a few tweaks revived near-dead organic solar tech
New study reveals the counterintuitive tweaks to the chemistry of a solar cell material that have boosted its power output.
A solar energy material that’s...
Scientists create thin films with tantalizing electronic properties
Scientists have created thin films made from barium zirconium sulfide (BaZrS3) and confirmed that the materials have alluring electronic and optical properties predicted by...
Scientists create a ‘crystal within a crystal’ for new electronic devices
Liquid crystals have enabled new technologies, like LCD screens, through their ability to reflect certain color wavelengths.
Researchers at the Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering...
Light can evolve in up to seven dimensions on new optical chips
A new design of optical chips enables light to experience multiple dimensions.
This could underpin versatile platforms for advanced communications and ultra-fast artificial intelligence technologies.
This...
Camouflage made of quantum material could hide you from infrared cameras
Infrared cameras detect people and other objects by the heat they emit.
Now, researchers have discovered the uncanny ability of a material to hide a...
Smart intersections could cut autonomous car congestion
In the not-so-distant future, city streets could be flooded with autonomous vehicles.
Self-driving cars can move faster and travel closer together, allowing more of them...
How John Goodenough sparked the wireless revolution with lithium-ion battery
John B. Goodenough can still remember, word for word, what a University of Chicago professor told him when he arrived on campus following World...