Materials Science

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.

Materials Science

New cloth cools you when you’re hot, warms you when you’re cold

Scientists 3-D printed the new fabric, which has even more tricks up its sleeve — such as conducting electricity and resisting radio waves.

Materials Science

Engineers borrow a tree’s cellulose to toughen new materials

Cellulose gives plants their strength. Engineers are turning this renewable, environmentally friendly resource into brand new materials.

Materials Science

A disinfectant made from sawdust knocks out deadly microbes

It’s made by pressure-cooking sawdust and water, is cheap and easy to make — and could lead to greener cleaning products than chemicals used today.

Chemistry

New process can transform urban CO₂ pollution into a resource

Researchers have developed a liquid metal that breaks down carbon dioxide in the air, converting it from a climate threat into a valuable raw material.

Environment

‘Mining’ cryptocurrencies pollutes the real world

Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies exist only online. Yet the environmental impacts of their networks affect the real world.

Environment

How we choose to pay has hidden costs for the planet

Whether cash or credit, phone apps or digital currencies — all forms of payment have behind-the-scenes costs. And these can vary dramatically.