Materials Science
- Materials Science
These fabrics change color as they stretch
Stretchy, color-shifting cloth may lead to new art, fashions and sensors. A century-old Nobel-prize-winning invention served as its inspiration.
- Tech
How to turn your hobby into a seriously cool science project
This year’s Broadcom MASTERS finalists were inspired by their love of painting, horseback riding and other pastimes.
- Tech
No trees were harmed to 3-D print this piece of wood
How clever! Scientists used print-speed adjustments to control how flat, 3-D printed shapes morph into complex wooden objects.
- Materials Science
Laser light transformed plastic into tiny diamonds
The technique could be used to make nanodiamonds for quantum devices and other technology.
- Materials Science
Cool Jobs: Scientific glassblowers shape science
Glass has played a major role in research for centuries. Today’s artisans work at the forefront of discovery.
- Chemistry
Scientists Say: Pigment
From fruits to fur to fine art, many materials get their colors from compounds called pigments.
- Materials Science
Let’s learn about diamond
Diamond is born under extreme heat and pressure inside Earth and elsewhere in the universe.
- Materials Science
Scientists Say: Silicone
Silicone is a generic term for a whole slew of humanmade polymers with many different forms and applications.
- Chemistry
Reusable plastic bottles release hundreds of pollutants into water
Data show the plastic ends up tainting drinking water. For now, scientists don’t know what health risks downing these pollutants might pose.
- Chemistry
Let’s learn about cellulose
The world’s most abundant natural polymer is finding all kinds of new uses, in everything from ice cream to construction.
- Materials Science
This new fabric can ‘hear’ sounds or broadcast them
With special fibers that convert tiny vibrations to voltages, a new fabric senses sound. Someday, such fabrics could monitor the body or aid hearing.
- Materials Science
Let’s learn about the future of smart clothing
Researchers are fashioning new materials to make clothes more comfortable and convenient.
