Interactions between iron, water, oxygen and ions quickly become complex. Scientists have now developed a more precise method to observe how iron minerals like rust form. Thanks to a new technique developed by chemists at Michigan Technological University, the initial stages of this process can be studied in greater detail with surface analysis. The team,…

A nanomaterials-engineered penetrating sealer is able to better protect concrete from moisture and salt — the two most damaging factors in crumbling concrete infrastructure in northern states. The novel sealer showed a 75% improvement in repelling water and a 44% improvement in reducing salt damage in laboratory studies compared to a commercial sealer. The novel…

Metamaterials, made up of small, repeated structures, engineered to produce desired interactions with light or sound waves, can improve optical devices used in telecommunications, imaging and more. But the functionality of the devices can be limited by the corresponding design space. Kang and interdisciplinary collaborators from Penn State and Sandia National Laboratories leveraged three dimensions…

Scientists and engineers discover fluorescence from silicon nanoparticles in cement and show how it can be used to reveal early signs of damage in concrete structures. A collaboration between research groups at Rice and the Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research discovered by chance that common Portland cement contains microscopic crystals of silicon that emit near-infrared…

A new type of micromotor — powered by ultrasound and steered by magnets — can move around individual cells and microscopic particles in crowded environments without damaging them. In one demonstration, a micromotor pushed around silica particles to spell out letters. Researchers also controlled the micromotors to climb up microsized blocks and stairs, demonstrating their…

Researchers have successfully applied machine learning to guide the synthesis of new nanomaterials, eliminating barriers associated with materials discovery. The highly trained algorithm combed through a defined dataset to accurately predict new structures that could fuel processes in clean energy, chemical and automotive industries. Nanoparticles have already found their way into applications ranging from energy…

Engineers invent ‘green’ method that combines quantum mechanics with machine learning to accurately predict oxide reactions at high temperatures when no experimental data is available; could be used to design clean carbon-neutral processes for steel production and metal recycling. A Columbia Engineering team reports that they have developed a new computation technique that, through combining…

A new analysis could help architects and builders reduce the carbon footprint of truss structures, the crisscrossing struts that bolster bridges, towers, and buildings. The «embodied carbon» in a construction material includes the fuel used in the material’s production (for mining and smelting steel, for example, or for felling and processing trees) and in transporting…

Scientists have developed new simulations of black holes with widely varying masses merging that could help power the next generation of gravitational wave detectors. As scientists develop more advanced detectors, such as the Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA), they will need more sophisticated simulations to compare the signals they receive with. The simulations calculate properties…

Astronomers have identified one of the rarest known classes of gamma-ray emitting galaxies, called BL Lacertae, within the first 2 billion years of the age of the universe. Only a small fraction of the galaxies emits gamma rays, which is the most extreme form of light. Astronomers believe that these highly energetic photons originate from…