Category: materials – Page 386
Controlling Friction Levels through On/Off Application of Laser Light
A NIMS research group led by Masahiro Goto, Distinguished Chief Researcher, Center for Green Research on Energy and Environmental Materials, and Michiko Sasaki, postdoctoral researcher, Center for Materials Research by Information Integration (currently a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Tokyo) discovered that the amount of friction force between organic molecules and a sapphire substrate in a vacuum can be changed repeatedly by starting and stopping laser light irradiation. This discovery could potentially lead to the development of technology enabling the movement of micromachines and other small driving parts to be controlled.
The performance of micromachines—used as moving components in small devices such as acceleration sensors and gyroscopes—is greatly affected by adhesion force (the attractive force between two or more materials that stick to each other). Adhesion force in a micromachine increases the friction force. Since increased friction force seriously impedes the movement of moving components, it is necessary to maintain a low level of adhesion force. In addition, if the level of friction force can be controlled, it may be feasible to control the movement of micromachines, leading to expansion of their use and enhancement of their functions. A great deal of attention was previously drawn to techniques enabling silicon-based materials, a major micromachine material, to be coated with diamond-like carbon, self-assembled monolayers, or fluorine-containing organic films in order to reduce friction force and thereby improve the movement of micromachines.
Scientists Have Created a Long-Fabled Triangle-Shaped Molecule in the Lab
For the first time, researchers have synthesised a strange and unstable triangle-shaped molecule called triangulene, which physicists have been chasing for nearly 70 years.
Triangulene is similar to the ‘wonder material’ graphene in that it’s only one-atom-thick. But instead of sheet of carbon atoms, triangulene is made up of six hexagonal carbon molecules joined along their edges to form a triangle — an unusual arrangement that leaves two unpaired electrons unable form a stable bond. No one has ever been able to synthesise the molecule until now.
The elusive molecule was created by a team of researchers from IBM, using a needle-like microscope tip to manipulate individual atoms into the desired format.
Determining the nature of the gap in semiconducting graphene
Making small graphene devices more of a reality.
Since its discovery, graphene has held great promise as a two-dimensional (2D) metal with massless carriers and, thus, extremely high-mobility that is due to the character of the band structure that results in the so-called Dirac cone for the ideal, perfectly ordered crystal structure.
CP Symmetry Between Material and Anti Material Copy Universes Combined with Local-and Multi-Universal Cycle Time
Excellent write up on matter–antimatter differences.
Official Full-Text Publication: CP Symmetry Between Material and Anti Material Copy Universes Combined with Local-and Multi-Universal Cycle Time on ResearchGate, the professional network for scientists.
World’s First 3D Printed Concrete Pedestrian Bridge Opens in Spain
3D printed bridge in Spain. Could this some day be our answer to reducing costs around US state and county infrastructure costs related to bridges and other structural repairs related to infrastructure?
The pedestrian crossing 3D-printed bridge installed in the urban park of Castilla La Mancha in Madrid, Spain, back in December is now ready to be used.
The 39-foot-long bridge was printed in micro-reinforced concrete at the Institute for Advanced Architecture of Catalonia.
In addition to the 3D printing, the production process was also environmentally friendly allowing the team to optimize the distribution of materials, minimize the amount of water, and recycle the raw material during manufacture.
MIT Researchers Develop a Tough Hydrogel Hybrid That Never Dries Out
Constantly changing contact lenses is annoying and tedious. MIT developed a new hydrogel that could be the future of longer lasting contacts.