To ensure the quality of recyclates, the Fraunhofer Institute for Structural Durability and System Reliability LBF is planning a new joint research project with partners from industry to optimize polyolefin recyclates for sustainable solutions. New analytical methods and user-friendly evaluation strategies should enable cost-efficient quality control and improvement of recycling processes. The project promotes the transformation to a circular economy and invites partners to collaborate. More information will be provided in a free online seminar on May 6, 2025. National…

Researchers have discovered antiferromagnetism in a real icosahedral quasicrystal, reinvigorating the search for antiferromagnetic quasicrystals Quasicrystals (QCs) are fascinating solid materials that exhibit an intriguing atomic arrangement. Unlike regular crystals, in which atomic arrangements have an ordered repeating pattern, QCs display long-range atomic order that is not periodic. Due to this ‘quasiperiodic’ nature, QCs have unconventional symmetries that are absent in conventional crystals. Since their Nobel Prize-winning discovery, condensed matter physics researchers have dedicated immense attention towards QCs, attempting to…

Lacquers, paint, concrete—and even ketchup or orange juice: Suspensions are widespread in industry and everyday life. By a suspension, materials scientists mean a liquid in which tiny, insoluble solid particles are evenly distributed. If the concentration of particles in such a mixture is very high, phenomena can be observed that contradict our everyday understanding of a liquid. For example, these so-called non-Newtonian fluids suddenly become more viscous when a strong force acts upon them. For a brief moment, the liquid…

Andrew Iams saw something strange while looking through his electron microscope. He was examining a sliver of a new aluminum alloy at the atomic scale, searching for the key to its strength, when he noticed that the atoms were arranged in an extremely unusual pattern. “That’s when I started to get excited,” said Iams, a materials research engineer, “because I thought I might be looking at a quasicrystal.” Not only did he find quasicrystals in this aluminum alloy, but he…

The UMass Amherst-led team challenges the conventional wisdom that perfect fillers are better for making thermally conductive polymers The UMass Amherst-led team challenges the conventional wisdom that perfect fillers are better for making thermally conductive polymers In the quest to design the next generation of materials for modern devices – ones that are lightweight, flexible and excellent at dissipating heat – a team of researchers led by the University of Massachusetts Amherst made a discovery: imperfection has its upsides. This…

Researchers can pull carbon directly from the air using changes in humidity, now with materials at a fraction of the cost EVANSTON, Ill. — Researchers at Northwestern University have expanded the potential of carbon capture technology that plucks CO2 directly from the air by demonstrating that there are multiple suitable and abundant materials that can facilitate direct air capture. In a paper to be published on Thursday (April 3) in the journal Environmental Science & Technology, the Northwestern researchers present…

Bilayer device can control many forms of polarized light Almost a decade ago, Harvard engineers unveiled the world’s first visible-spectrum metasurfaces – ultra-thin, flat devices patterned with nanoscale structures that could precisely control the behavior of light. A powerful alternative to traditional, bulky optical components, metasurfaces today enable compact, lightweight, multifunctional applications ranging from imaging systems and augmented reality to spectroscopy and communications. Now, researchers in the Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS) are doubling down, literally, on metasurface…

Researchers have discovered an unexpected superconducting transition in extremely thin films of niobium diselenide (NbSe₂). Published in Nature Communications, they found that when these films become thinner than six atomic layers, superconductivity no longer spreads evenly throughout the material, but instead becomes confined to its surface. This discovery challenges previous assumptions and could have important implications for understanding superconductivity and developing advanced quantum technologies. Researchers at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem have made a surprising discovery about how superconductivity behaves…

A metamaterial with potential applications in sensor technology A flower-shaped structure only a few micrometres in size made of a nickel-iron alloy can concentrate and locally enhance magnetic fields. The size of the effect can be controlled by varying the geometry and number of ‘petals’. This magnetic metamaterial developed by Dr Anna Palau’s group at the Institut de Ciencia de Materials de Barcelona (ICMAB) in collaboration with her partners of the CHIST-ERA MetaMagIC project, has now been studied at BESSY…

Crashes on electric scooters are mostly due to the behaviour of the riders, with one-handed steering and riding in a group being some of the largest risk factors. The researchers are also concerned about riders who deliberately crash or cause dangerous situations when riding, a phenomenon that seems to be specific to electric scooters. This is shown by a study from Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden, which for the first time examines the causes behind crashes with electric scooters…

Researchers developed a compact, solid-state laser system that generates 193-nm coherent light — the first 193-nm vortex beam — promising significant advancements in semiconductor lithography and other high-tech applications Deep ultraviolet (DUV) lasers, known for their high photon energy and short wavelengths, are essential in various fields such as semiconductor lithography, high-resolution spectroscopy, precision material processing, and quantum technology. These lasers offer increased coherence and reduced power consumption compared to excimer or gas discharge lasers, enabling the development of more…

Using machine learning workflows developed in-house, the researchers were able to establish that heat conduction is much more intricate than previously thought. Findings offer potential for developing specific materials. Complex materials such as organic semiconductors or the microporous metal-organic frameworks known as MOFs are already being used for numerous applications such as OLED displays, solar cells, gas storage and water extraction. Nevertheless, they still harbour a few secrets. One of these has so far been a detailed understanding of how…

Combining solar energy and farming can be enhanced by smart PV-trackers that adjust solar panel positioning to ensure an optimal balance between light available for photosynthesis and light available for electricity production Agrivoltaic systems, which combine solar power generation with agricultural practices, offer a promising solution to the growing demand for both renewable energy and food production. By integrating solar panels with crops, these systems not only address the land use conflict between agriculture and energy production, but they also…

Researchers have advanced a decades-old challenge in the field of organic semiconductors, opening new possibilities for the future of electronics. The researchers, led by the University of Cambridge and the Eindhoven University of Technology, have created an organic semiconductor that forces electrons to move in a spiral pattern, which could improve the efficiency of OLED displays in television and smartphone screens, or power next-generation computing technologies such as spintronics and quantum computing. The semiconductor they developed emits circularly polarised light—meaning…

Nickel’s role in the future of electric vehicle batteries is clear: It’s more abundant and easier to obtain than widely used cobalt, and its higher energy density means longer driving distances between charges. However, nickel is less stable than other materials with respect to cycle life, thermal stability, and safety. Researchers from The University of Texas at Austin and Argonne National Laboratory aim to change that with a new study that dives deep into nickel-based cathodes, one of the two…

Researchers have manufactured Super-invar Fe64-Ni32-Co4 (wt %) alloy through wire-arc additive manufacturing(WAAM), revealing the association between the micro-structure and the value of the G (the temperature gradient)/R (the solidification rate) during the deposition process, and achieving the coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) of 0.265×10-6K-1 from 20℃ to 100℃. Published in Advanced manufacturing, the findings provide a reference for the fast fabrication of super-invar alloy components through WAAM, which promotes the applications of super-invar alloy in aerospace. Super-invar alloy, distinguished by…