Novel Materials

Scientists produce previously theoretical semiconducting 2D alloy

Materials Today: Semiconducting 2D alloys could be key to overcoming the technical limitations of modern electronics, and now scientists from Japan Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (JAIST) have realized the first experimental demonstration of a particularly promising candidate: 2D silicon-germanium…

Bionic muscles that are stronger, faster, and more efficient

IEEE Spectrum: Artificial muscles, once a tangle of elaborate servomotors, and hydraulic and pneumatic actuators, is now a thing of shape-memory alloys and hair-thin carbon nanotube (CNT) fibers. Bionics are, in brief, getting smaller—though perhaps not simpler. Electrochemical CNT muscles are…

How engineered protein patches could boost immunotherapy

FierceBiotech: Scientists at the University of Washington and the U.K.’s Medical Research Council Laboratory of Molecular Biology have designed a new protein material they say could improve the efficacy of immunotherapies by influencing cell signaling. The new flat material, formed…

Nickel clusters attracted to surface imperfections on hydrogen catalyst

Materials Today: Hydrogen is a sustainable source of clean energy that avoids toxic emissions and can add value to multiple sectors of the economy, including transportation, power generation and metals…