ScienceDaily: Matter & Energy News

Scientists find strongest natural material known to humans Posted: 17 Feb 2015 05:27 PM PST Limpet teeth might be the strongest natural material known to humans, a new study has found. Limpets -- small aquatic snail-like creatures with conical shells -- have teeth with biological structures so strong they could be copied to make cars, boats and planes of the future.

New solder for semiconductors creates technological possibilities Posted: 17 Feb 2015 12:40 PM PST Scientists have demonstrated how semiconductors can be soldered and still deliver good electronic performance.

Voltage tester for beating cardiac cells Posted: 17 Feb 2015 11:43 AM PST For the first time, scientists have succeeded in recording the current in membrane channels of contracting cardiac cells. To do this, the scientists combined an atomic force microscope with a widely used method for measuring electrical signals in cells.

New desalination technology could answer state drought woes Posted: 17 Feb 2015 11:42 AM PST Could desalination be the answer to California’s drought? As parts of the state become drier, scientists are looking at ways to turn seawater into drinkable water.

A rapid extension of nanographene sheets from readily available hydrocarbons Posted: 17 Feb 2015 10:13 AM PST The rapid and uniform construction of nanographene sheets has now become possible in a precisely controlled manner from a new catalytic system developed by a team of chemists at the Institute of Transformative Bio-Molecules (ITbM), Nagoya University and the JST-ERATO Project led by Professor Kenichiro Itami.

Novel crumpling method takes flat graphene from 2-D to 3-D Posted: 17 Feb 2015 10:12 AM PST Researchers have developed a unique single-step process to achieve three-dimensional texturing of graphene and graphite. Using a commercially available thermally activated shape-memory polymer substrate, this 3-D texturing, or 'crumpling,' allows for increased surface area and opens the doors to expanded capabilities for electronics and biomaterials.

Building a more versatile frequency comb: Newly developed frequency combs can operate at higher power Posted: 17 Feb 2015 10:12 AM PST Researchers have developed a room temperature frequency comb with increased power based on quantum cascade lasers. Since the discovery of optical frequency combs in the 1990s, many applications in metrology, spectroscopy, and frequency synthesis have emerged. Similar to the way a grandfather clock's pendulum ticks off the seconds before signaling the gears to turn its hands, frequency combs count oscillations and convert them into useful electronic signals.

Insight into inner magnetic layers Posted: 17 Feb 2015 10:12 AM PST Research teams from Paris, Madrid and Berlin have observed for the first time how magnetic domains mutually influence one another at interfaces of spintronic components. Using measurements taken at BESSY II, they could demonstrate that what are known as spin filters form between the outer ferromagnetic layers and the inner anti-ferromagnetic insulating layer, influencing tunnel magnetoresistance.

Recent research provides new data on chemical gardens, whose formation is a mystery for science Posted: 17 Feb 2015 09:27 AM PST Recent research has yielded new data on chemical gardens, mysterious formations produced when certain solid salts -- copper sulfate, cobalt chloride -- are added to an aqueous solution of sodium silicate.

Potential new breathalyzer for lung cancer screening Posted: 17 Feb 2015 09:25 AM PST Chinese researchers have developed a simple, rapid device for detecting volatile organic compounds on the breath, demonstrating potential for early cancer detection.

A new spin on spintronics Posted: 17 Feb 2015 08:40 AM PST A team of researchers is exploring new materials that could yield higher computational speeds and lower power consumption, even in harsh environments.

Novel solid-state nanomaterial platform enables terahertz photonics Posted: 17 Feb 2015 08:40 AM PST Compact, sensitive and fast nanodetectors are considered to be somewhat of a "Holy Grail" sought by many researchers around the world. And now a team of scientists in Italy and France has been inspired by nanomaterials and has created a novel solid-state technology platform that opens the door to the use of terahertz (THz) photonics in a wide range of applications.