Shock front probed by protons
A shock front is usually considered as a simple discontinuity in density or pressure. Yet in strongly shocked gases, the atoms are ionized into electrons and ions. The large difference in the electron...
View ArticleHow home security resembles dancing honeybees
The earliest forms of biological communication between single-celled organisms have survived evolution to exist in all species, including humans.
View ArticleCarving diamonds for optical components
Thanks to a new technique developed at EPFL, optical diffraction gratings can now be made out of pure diamond, with their surfaces smoothed down to the very last atom. These new devices can be used to...
View ArticleThe turbulent healing powers of plasma
Researchers are starting to discover the curing powers of plasma—bringing the ion-based form of matter into medical realms. A kind of plasma called non-equilibrium atmospheric pressure plasma can help...
View ArticleNew analysis explains role of defects in metal oxides
Sometimes things that are technically defects, such as imperfections in a material's crystal lattice, can actually produce changes in properties that open up new kinds of useful applications. New...
View ArticleA new way to enhance the capacity of memory devices
A Tomsk Polytechnic University study reveals how topological vortices found in low-dimensional materials can be both displaced and erased and restored again by the electrical field within...
View ArticleChemically stabilizing atomically flat materials improves their potential for...
Two-dimensional materials could underpin a novel family of flexible, low-power electronic devices, but their success depends on ensuring the layers are chemically stable. A*STAR researchers now show...
View ArticleResearchers get straight to the heart of piezoelectric tissues
For years, scientists have wondered whether the heart and adjacent vessels might have evolved to be piezoelectric, meaning that the tissue can generate an electrical charge when squeezed. They thought...
View ArticleJILA spinning method confirms the electron still seems round
JILA physicists have for the first time used their spinning molecules technique to measure the "roundness" of the electron, confirming the leading results from another group and suggesting that more...
View ArticleElectric field boost to water flow potentially offers alternative water...
Applying an electric field to water in a naturally occurring protein substantially boosts the flow of the liquid and opens up the possibility of delivering more efficient water treatment technology,...
View ArticleTurning a pinch of salt into an electrical switch
A team of scientists from the University of Liverpool, University College London and the University of Zaragoza in Spain has discovered a way to induce and control a fundamental electrical switching...
View Article3-D-printed device builds better nanofibers
Meshes made from fibers with nanometer-scale diameters have a wide range of potential applications, including tissue engineering, water filtration, solar cells, and even body armor. But their...
View ArticleA flexible material that generates electricity when stressed
Researchers from Empa have developed a flexible material that generates electricity when stressed. In future, it might be used as a sensor, integrated into clothing or even implanted in the human body,...
View ArticleReusing waste energy with 2-D electron gas
More than 60 percent of the energy produced by fossil fuels is lost as heat. Thermoelectric energy conversion has attracted much attention as a way to convert waste heat from power plants, factories...
View ArticleMagnetoelectric material shows promise as memory for electronics
Our smartphones and computers wouldn't be nearly as useful without all the apps, music, and videos we keep on them.
View ArticleNegative piezoelectric effect is not so rare after all
(Phys.org)—The piezoelectric effect, which causes a material to expand along the direction of an applied electric field, is common in many materials and used in a variety of technologies, from medical...
View ArticleChemist studying electric fields, microfluidics to improve dialysis technology
About the time Robbyn Anand began studying concentration and separation technologies for her doctoral research, her older brother David was diagnosed with end-stage renal failure.
View ArticlePhysicists stretch diamond using an electric field
A research team from the Faculty of Physics of Lomonosov Moscow State University stretched acicular diamond crystallites using an electric field. Deformation occurring during the stretching causes...
View ArticlePhysicists tune the dynamics of exotic quantum particles
Physicists at West Virginia University have discovered a way to control a newly discovered quantum particle, potentially leading to faster computers and other electronic devices.
View ArticleThe coldest chip in the world
Physicists at the University of Basel have succeeded in cooling a nanoelectronic chip to a temperature lower than 3 millikelvin. The scientists from the Department of Physics and the Swiss Nanoscience...
View ArticleInnovative transistors based on magnetically induced movement of ions
Just as magnets attract iron particles in sandpits, permanent magnetics only attract one type of ion in an electrochemical solution, constituting the basis of magnetically controlled electrochemical...
View ArticleUsing electricity to switch magnetism
At TU Wien, researchers have taken a major step toward linking electrical and magnetic material properties, which is crucial for possible applications in electronics.
View ArticleNew sensor for measuring electric field strength
Accurately measuring electric fields is important in a variety of applications, such as weather forecasting, process control on industrial machinery, or ensuring the safety of people working on...
View ArticleRelativity matters: Two opposing views of the magnetic force reconciled
Current textbooks often refer to the Lorentz-Maxwell force governed by the electric charge. But they rarely refer to the extension of that theory required to explain the magnetic force on a point...
View ArticleDiamonds show promise for spintronic devices
Conventional electronics rely on controlling electric charge. Recently, researchers have been exploring the potential for a new technology, called spintronics, that relies on detecting and controlling...
View ArticleNew, low cost alternative for ethylene production
The increased supply and optimized cost of natural gas have pushed chemical industries to seek new ways of converting methane, the main constituent of natural gas, to ethylene, a hydrocarbon widely...
View ArticleStrange things happen when a crystal is split in two
The remarkable strength of ionic crystals is easily explained at the atomic scale: Positively and negatively charged atoms sit side by side in a repeating periodic arrangement. The strong electrostatic...
View ArticleScientists found and studied complex types of defects in the droplets of...
A team of scientists from Kirensky Institute of Physics of the Siberian Branch of Russian Academy of Science and Siberian Federal University (SFU) together with Russian and foreign colleagues studied...
View ArticleControlling quantum interactions in a single material
The search and manipulation of novel properties emerging from the quantum nature of matter could lead to next-generation electronics and quantum computers. But finding or designing materials that can...
View ArticleResearchers blaze new ground in wireless energy generation for future...
Researchers from Clemson's Nanomaterials Institute (CNI) are one step closer to wirelessly powering the world using triboelectricity - a green energy source.
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