Advanced materials

Topic description and stories

̽��ֱ��demand continues for materials that are stronger, cheaper, lighter, more conductive – simply better.

Confocal fluorescence image of gold nanotures (green) in mesothelioma cells, Credit: Arsalan Azad

Tiny golden bullets could help tackle asbestos-related cancers

27 Oct 2020

Gold nanotubes – tiny hollow cylinders one thousandth the width of a human hair – could be used to treat mesothelioma, a type of cancer caused by...

̽��ֱ��scientist who launched a comic and flew the flag for Black History Month

23 Oct 2020

Self-confessed comic addict Osarenkhoe Ogbeide sees beyond the superhero to the scientist. When he’s not developing printable gas sensors, he’s...

Artist's impression of a hybrid-nanodielectric-based printed-CNT transistor, Credit: Luis Portilla

Easy-to-make, ultra-low-power electronics could charge out of thin air

13 Oct 2020

Researchers have developed a new approach to printed electronics that allows ultra-low-power electronic devices which could recharge from ambient...

Squeezing light inside memory devices could help improve performance

05 Oct 2020

Researchers have developed a method to ‘squeeze’ visible light in order to see inside tiny memory devices. ̽��ֱ��technique will allow researchers to...

3D-printed ‘invisible’ fibres can sense breath, sound, and biological cells

30 Sep 2020

From capturing your breath to guiding biological cell movements, 3D printing of tiny, transparent conducting fibres could be used to make devices...

Coffee stains inspire optimal printing technique for electronics

12 Aug 2020

Using an alcohol mixture, researchers modified how ink droplets dry, enabling cheap industrial-scale printing of electronic devices at unprecedented...

Perovskite solar cell with oxide coating

Printed coatings enable more efficient solar cells

09 Jul 2020

Researchers at Cambridge, Imperial and Singapore have developed a method to print ultrathin coatings on next-generation solar cells, allowing them to...

Schematic of membrane on a chip device, Credit: Susan Daniel/Cornell ̽��ֱ��

Cell ‘membrane on a chip’ could speed up screening of drug candidates for COVID-19

06 Jul 2020

Researchers have developed a human cell ‘membrane on a chip’ that allows continuous monitoring of how drugs and infectious agents interact with our...