Team turns banana peels and other trash into ‘flash graphene’

A new method turns just about any kind of carbon-based trash, from banana peels to coffee grounds, into "flash graphene" to make building materials greener.

Jeff Falk-Rice • futurity
Jan. 28, 2020 ~7 min

A dash of silicon improves boron carbide body armor

New research marks "a step forward in designing superior body armor that will safeguard against even more powerful firearms during combat."

Texas A&M University • futurity
Jan. 23, 2020 ~5 min


Nature inspires shock absorbing materials

Check out this video to see how researchers are making materials that may be useful in earthquake-resistant buildings, safety helmets, and more.

National Science Foundation • futurity
Jan. 22, 2020 ~1 min

‘Smart building skins’ change shape in the heat

See how smart skins for buildings that react to environmental cues like heat or light could make the structures far more energy efficient.

National Science Foundation • futurity
Jan. 17, 2020 ~1 min

Defects can boost battery cathodes but only to a point

Too much stress in widely used lithium iron phosphate battery cathodes can open cracks and quickly degrade batteries.

Mike Williams-Rice • futurity
Jan. 15, 2020 ~3 min

Team uses plastic to make super light 18-carat gold

Love gold but not how heavy it is? Researchers used plastic to create an incredibly lightweight 18-carat gold that weighs about five to 10 times less.

Peter Rüegg-ETH Zurich • futurity
Jan. 10, 2020 ~4 min

Tiny sensors check strain of materials under pressure

A new nano-sized sensor can measure the stresses and strains of materials at high pressures to see when they fail and hunt for new states of matter.

Mike Krapfl-Iowa State • futurity
Jan. 6, 2020 ~4 min

2D and 3D combo could keep Moore’s Law going

Using 2D materials and 3D integration practices could take integrated chips beyond their limits and keep Moore's Law going indefinitely, researchers say.

Sonia Fernandez-UCSB • futurity
Jan. 3, 2020 ~8 min


How a few tweaks revived near-dead solar tech

Researchers had all but given up on emerging organic solar cell technology, but chemical tweaks brought them back from the brink. Here's how it worked.

Ben Brumfield-Georgia Tech • futurity
Dec. 30, 2019 ~6 min

Flexible polymer could power future pacemakers non-stop

The polymer has many potential uses, including powering pacemakers without needing new batteries and keeping street lights on with energy from passing cars.

U. Melbourne • futurity
Dec. 27, 2019 ~3 min

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