Toggle light / dark theme

Researchers at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) introduce a polymer-based material with unique properties in the journal Nature Communications. This material allows sunlight to enter, maintains a more comfortable indoor climate without additional energy, and cleans itself like a lotus leaf. The new development could replace glass components in walls and roofs in the future. The research team has successfully tested the material in outdoor tests on the KIT campus.

Recent experimental advancements have enabled more accurate and in-depth analysis of these materials during and after formation. The review article examines two decades of research on the non-classical formation pathways of soft and organic crystalline materials. It details the current theoretical understanding of how these materials form through non-classical pathways, including distinguishing the processes of nucleation and growth across models.

Advances in experimental methods, including in-line scattering/spectroscopy detection, cryo microscopy, and in situ liquid-phase characterization, and their application to studying soft and organic crystalline materials are also discussed.

These experimental techniques have provided strong evidence for non-classical crystallization pathways, leading to key breakthroughs in understanding these processes. However, the sole presence of a specific final product or intermediate does not prove that a material formed via a specific .

Elon Musk, the billionaire CEO of Tesla, has said that artificial intelligence (AI) will eventually eliminate all jobs. However, he affirmed that this is not necessarily an adverse development.

Speaking at a startup and tech event in Paris on Thursday (May 23) via video link, Musk said, “Probably none of us will have a job”, while predicting a future where jobs would be “optional”

“If you want to do a job that’s kinda like a hobby, you can do a job,” Musk told VivaTech 2024. “But otherwise, AI and the robots will provide any goods and services that you want.”