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Category: materials – Page 2

Surprising link between metallicity and superconductivity uncovered in twisted trilayer graphene

Superconductivity is a state of matter characterized by an electrical resistance of zero, typically at very low temperatures. Past studies have found that in various materials, this unique state is accompanied by unusual electron arrangements.

In some superconductors, for instance, electrons spontaneously align in a preferred direction, breaking a property known as rotational symmetry. This directional arrangement of electrons is also known as electronic nematicity.

Moreover, some superconductors also exhibit a strange metallicity. This is a phase characterized by unusual changes in a material’s electrical resistance, which cannot be explained by standard physical theories.

A truly invisible device that does not disturb its surroundings and its metamaterial shell

Metamaterials are carefully engineered materials that possess desirable properties and can be used to manipulate electromagnetic, acoustic, or other types of waves in interesting ways. Some materials scientists and engineers have been trying to use these materials to develop so-called invisible devices, or, in other words, devices that do not disturb the environment around them or reveal their presence to other technologies nearby.

Most proposed approaches for realizing invisible devices entail surrounding devices with a metamaterial shell that prevents scattering. While devices created using these strategies do not disturb their surrounding environment, they still distort what is happening within the metamaterial shell, thus they remain partly visible.

Researchers at Fudan University have introduced a new approach to realize devices that are truly and entirely invisible using metamaterials. Their proposed solution, outlined in a paper published in Physical Review Letters, was found to eliminate scattering effects both outside and inside a metamaterial cloaking shell.

NASA Plans to Test Fire on The Moon Ahead of Future Missions

There’s one particular challenge facing the crewed missions of the near future that scares mission planners more than almost any other: fire.

A new paper from researchers at NASA’s Glenn Research Center and Johnson Space Center and Case Western Reserve University details a planned mission to test the flammability of materials on the Moon’s surface – where they expect flame to act much differently than it does here on Earth.

On Earth, gravity causes hot gases to rise, drawing fresh, cool oxygen to the base of the flame. In some cases where the material is marginally flammable, this can result in a phenomenon called “blowoff”, which actually extinguishes the fire.

Targeting biomolecular condensates: beyond dissolution

Biomolecular condensates control key cellular processes, from gene expression to signal transduction, by organizing molecules through selective compartmentalization. Increasing evidence links their dysregulation to cancer, neurodegeneration, and other diseases, positioning condensates as promising therapeutic targets. This review explores emerging strategies that go beyond dissolving pathological condensates, including approaches that induce, redirect, or reprogram their dynamics, composition, and physical state. Rather than inhibiting individual proteins, these interventions reshape the cellular organization itself. By targeting the material and functional properties of condensates, such strategies offer a new conceptual framework for therapeutic design in complex, dysregulated biological systems.

New Hydrogel Helps Bone Grow Without Transplant or Implants

A new hydrogel may offer a way to regenerate bone—without transplants or implants.

Early research shows the material can support bone growth by creating a scaffold that encourages the body’s own repair processes. It’s designed to integrate with tissue and break down as new bone forms.

While still in early stages, the approach could represent a shift toward less invasive, regenerative options for bone repair.

Researchers have developed a soft laser-printed scaffold made almost entirely of water that bone cells readily colonize.

A monster black hole appeared first, then its galaxy began to grow around it

Using observations gathered by the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), an international team of astronomers have revealed that one supermassive black hole in the early universe must have formed before a galaxy developed around it. Publishing their results in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, a team led by Roberto Maiolino at the University of Cambridge hope their results could lead to a better understanding of the origins of these immense objects.

Supermassive black holes (SMBH) are known to lurk at the centers of most galaxies, including our own Milky Way. Carrying up to billions of times the mass of the sun, they have presented a long-standing conundrum to astronomers.

According to our latest models, black holes form from the remnants of supernova explosions, which most often occur when massive stars reach the ends of their lives. Afterwards, they can grow by consuming gas from surrounding accretion disks—but their growth rate is restricted by a brightness threshold called the “Eddington limit.” Beyond this point, the outward pressure from radiation exceeds the gravitational pull, and material is ejected into space.

A stretchy, heat-activated skin patch could be a surgery-free melanoma treatment

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“A Stretchable, Transparent, Photothermally Stimulated Laser-Induced Graphene Patch for Noninvasive Skin Tumor Treatment” ACS Nano

Melanoma is a deadly form of skin cancer that is typically removed surgically. Now, researchers publishing in ACS Nano report they have developed a potential noninvasive treatment for melanoma in the form of a stretchy, heat-activated patch similar to a bandage. When activated, the patch releases copper ions that kill the underlying cancer cells and prevent them from spreading. In tests with mice, the researchers say the patch reduced melanoma lesions without damaging surrounding tissue.

Flexible batteries kept stable with stretchy metallic films

Stretchable films filled with liquid metal can protect flexible electronic devices from exposure to air and water. The finding could offer a potential way to improve the lifetime of future forms of wearable technology.

Most stretchable materials are highly permeable to gases. This makes it challenging to fully protect flexible electronic devices from things like air and moisture, which can ruin their performance.

Now researchers in China and the US have developed stretchable seals based on liquid metals that block the transport of oxygen and water. The seals are formed of a eutectic gallium indium alloy, which is laminated between two layers of silicone-based polymer.

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