Materials Science – Page 3 – PossibleThreat Articles

Always on beat: Ultrashort flashes of light under optical control

October 17, 2019 0 Comments Detectors, Electricity, Materials Science, Medical Technology, Nanotechnology, Optics, Physics, Quantum Physics

Ultrashort laser pulses have enabled scientists and physicians to carry out high-precision material analyses and medical procedures. Physicists have now discovered a new method for adjusting the extremely short time intervals between laser flashes with exceptional speed and precision. The intervals can be increased or decreased as needed, all at the push of a button. Potential applications range from laser spectroscopy to microscopy and materials processing.

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Tiny particles lead to brighter clouds in the tropics

October 17, 2019 0 Comments Air Pollution, Atmosphere, Geomagnetic Storms, Global Warming, Inorganic Chemistry, Materials Science, Nature of Water, Physics

When clouds loft tropical air masses higher in the atmosphere, that air can carry up gases that form into tiny particles, starting a process that may end up brightening lower-level clouds, according to a new study. Clouds alter Earth's radiative balance, and ultimately climate, depending on how bright they are. The new paper describes a process that may occur over 40% of the Earth's surface.

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3-D printed coral could help endangered reefs

October 16, 2019 0 Comments Civil Engineering, Coral Reefs, Ecology, Electronics, Fish, Marine Biology, Materials Science, Sea Life, Weather

Threats to coral reefs are everywhere — rising water temperatures, ocean acidification, coral bleaching, fishing and other human activities. But new research shows that 3-D printed coral can provide a structural starter kit for reef organisms and can become part of the landscape as fish and coral build their homes around the artificial coral.

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What gives a 3-meter-long Amazonian fish some of the toughest scales on Earth

October 16, 2019 0 Comments Engineering and Construction, Fish, Fisheries, Graphene, Marine Biology, Materials Science, Nature of Water, Sea Life

Arapaima gigas is a big fish in a bigger river full of piranhas, but that doesn't mean it's an easy meal. It's evolved armor-like scales that deform, but don't tear or crack, when a piranha — which has one of the animal kingdom's most powerful bites — attacks. Researchers describe the unique properties of the Amazonian Arapaima skin and its potential for human-made materials.

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Creating and trapping trions at room temperature

October 16, 2019 0 Comments Chemistry, Graphene, Inorganic Chemistry, Materials Science, Nanotechnology, Organic Chemistry, Physics, Spintronics

A team chemically engineered carbon nanotubes to synthesize and trap trions at room temperature. Trions are quasi particles that can potentially carry more information than electrons in applications from bioimaging to chemical sensing and quantum computing. The research makes it possible to manipulate trions and study their fundamental properties in ways that have never been possible before.

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Metal to metal oxide progression

October 16, 2019 0 Comments Biochemistry, Chemistry, Energy Technology, Engineering and Construction, Graphene, Inorganic Chemistry, Materials Science, Organic Chemistry

A catalyst's utility is influenced by its surface charge and how that charge is transferred. Until recently, studying charge transfer has relied on complex imaging techniques that are both expensive and time-consuming. Scientists now report an approach for studying charge transfer that does not rely on complicated equipment — simplifying the real-time observation of catalysis.

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Alignment of single-wall carbon nanotubes along common axis

October 16, 2019 0 Comments Chemistry, Electronics, Graphene, Materials Science, Nanotechnology, Organic Chemistry, Physics, Spintronics

The researchers used machine-vision automation and parallelization to simultaneously produce globally aligned, single-wall carbon nanotubes using pressure-driven filtration.

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Creating miracles with polymeric fibers

October 16, 2019 0 Comments Electronics, Engineering, Engineering and Construction, Materials Science, Nanotechnology, Nature of Water, Physics, Wearable Technology

Scientists are studying the fabrication of polymeric nanofibers and microfibers — very thin fibers made up of polymers. The fibers can be woven into textile-like structures but depending on the use, different fiber thicknesses may be necessary. To study the effects of various parameters on fiber fabrication, the researchers compared the characteristics of fibers created in different ways.

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Chains of atoms move at lightning speed inside metals

October 16, 2019 0 Comments Chemistry, Graphene, Inorganic Chemistry, Materials Science, Nanotechnology, Nature of Water, Physics, Spintronics

A phenomenon that has previously been seen when researchers simulate the properties of planet cores at extreme pressures has now also been observed in pure titanium at atmospheric pressure. Chains of atoms dash around at lightning speeds inside the solid material.

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Physicists shed new light on how liquids behave with other materials

October 16, 2019 0 Comments Chemistry, Engineering, Engineering and Construction, Inorganic Chemistry, Materials Science, Nature of Water, Physics, Quantum Physics

Using a range of theoretical and simulation approaches, physicists have shown that liquids in contact with substrates can exhibit a finite number of classes of behavior and identify the important new ones.