Materials

Platinum is a mid-table, stable, white metal prized for its use in jewelry and electronics. The metal has excellent conductive properties in addition to its good looks. However, the metal does not have other beneficial properties, thus limiting its use and value. For example, no form of platinum has ever been magnetic...that is, until now.

Long-term recovery from conditions involving the abuse of substances, such as alcohol, can be an incredibly difficult thing to achieve. Many people who benefit from it could be aided by devices or techniques that help track their abstinence (or lack thereof, occasionally) over time.

Patients with certain conditions undergo regular diagnostic procedures such as electroencephalograms (EEGs) in order to track their health. Over time, the equipment used to deliver such readings has evolved to enhance comfort and convenience. These advancements have been made possible by chemical engineering and materials sciences.

Carbon nanotubes are one of the world's newest supermaterials. They can be used in electronics, medical research, material science, and even water purification.

“We were inspired both by science fiction and science fact – seeing dinosaurs disappear and reappear under an infrared camera in ‘Jurassic World’ and seeing squid filmed underwater do similar things.”- Alon Gorodetsky, professor at UCI Cephalopods, the class of marine animals including squids, octopuses and cuttefish, have a specialized mechanism of escaping from their prey or while signaling — camouflage.

Inspired by the high temperatures of the last few years, engineers from Stanford University have created a plastic-based material which can keep pour bodies cool. The idea is that it could be incorporated into clothing items, to cool the wearer’s body far more efficiently than current natural or synthetic fabrics.

We all love smart technologies. Smart phones, smart cars, smart houses, and so on. I have a device in my pocket that can relay my location by GPS, calculate the distance to my destination, count the number of steps it takes me to get there and displays the number of calories I burned; all of this while I stream cat videos from the internet. I can even control my smart house remotely from my phone, or have the doors to my smart car automatically unlock as I approach. It is glorious.

Now the summer is in full swing, many of us enjoy getting out in the fresh air and making the most of the sunny weather. Sometimes this means sitting in the park whilst we’re on our lunchbreak and inevitably most of us turn to our phones to check our emails and social media whilst relaxing.

We always seem to be one step behind Mother Nature – using her materials as inspiration as we look for better and more environmentally friendly materials for the future.

Usually when we go for a run and work up a sweat, we would stop and take a layer off. MIT have developed a workout suit which instead responds to your body heat, opening and closing tiny flaps which react to humidity and allow heat and sweat to escape.

Since their discovery, carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have opened many avenues in material science. What makes them fascinating is their atomic structure, which dictates their electromagnetic and mechanical properties. They exhibit tremendous strength and conductivity while only being one atom thick. As they are a unique among other fullerene carbon structures, they are considered a new allotrope of carbon.

Where are toxic gases found?