In recent years, scientists have been unlocking the secrets of the world around us. Concepts that were once the exclusive property of science fiction have emerged in the real world – including mind-controlled robotic arms and medicine that can be guided to specific parts of the body. A major part of bringing these dreams into reality has come through the work of materials scientists who develop substances capable of performing under unique circumstances.
Now, that field of has made a significant advancement, according to Phys.org. Researchers Rouzbeh Shahsavari and Navid Sakhavand of Rice University created universal, computer-based maps that can predict the properties of a variety of natural and biomimetic compounds and substances. The maps analyze four fundamental characteristics: length, stiffness, plasticity and the ways the composites layer.
“If you know them, you can predict the stiffness, strength and toughness of the final composite,” offered Sakhavand. “We call this a universal map because all of those input parameters are relevant to all composites and their structural properties.”
“The field of materials science has made a significant advancement.”
Additionally, the size of the object shouldn’t inhibit the map’s effectiveness.
“That’s the beauty of this approach: It can scale to something very large or very small,” Shahsavari explained, according to Phys.org.
This unified materials theory can help scientists determine which compounds may be better suited for different jobs and the ways in which different substances interact. With that said, nothing can replace an independent testing laboratory when it comes to ensuring an end product is ready for the general public.
Illinois researchers discover the mystery of heat flow
In another field of research, a team of scientists from the University of Illinois got the answer to a hot question – literally. For years, the process of heat flow between diamond and metals has been a topic of much discussion and little understanding. But now, researchers discovered the laws that govern this interesting phenomenon – offering insight into the transfer of heat between any two materials.
Diamond has five times the thermal capacity of copper, but heat flow from other materials to diamond occurs at a frustratingly slow rate. This sluggish heat transfer has limited the applications of diamond’s ample thermal conductivity. But by applying a massive amount of pressure to metal films on diamond, the Illinois team attained a higher grasp of this concept.
“Overheating has become a major limiting factor in the performance of high-power RF devices,” David Cahill, a professor and head of the Department of Materials Science and Engineering, said in a university press release. “Studies of extremes like metals on diamond at high pressure are valuable because they allow us to test our ideas about what is happening in this complex problem.”
So, just what is happening in this complex problem? Greg Hohensee, first author of the research appearing in Natural Communications, provided an excellent analogy.
“Metals on diamond are a special case. The diamond is so stiff that it’s like banging a pot attached to a rope and expecting the rope to dance,” Hohensee said in the press release. “The vibrations stay in the pot, because the rope is not stiff enough to carry such high frequency vibrations. Likewise, you can’t make the pot sing by shaking the rope. But somehow, metals on diamond are doing exactly that.”
To be sure, the team’s work is not yet complete. But now that scientists have a more in-depth understanding of the processes that govern this variety of heat flow, they can design new experiments, methods and devices aimed at unveiling more information.
Watch out, chameleon – science is on to you.
Science takes on the chameleon
In terms of specific breakthroughs in materials production, University of California scientists have finally caught up with the color-shifting chameleon. The lizard has become synonymous with blending in, camouflage and changing colors. Now, researchers developed a material that reacts with specific wavelengths of light to appear different colors to the human eye, according to Sci-News.com.
The secret lay in altering the surface of the material – on a microscopic scale – so that it reflects incoming light in unique ways. Some butterflies and beetles feature this design to give off particularly iridescent colors.
In the new material, the team applied an ultra-thin layer of silicon and carved in ridges of different depths and lengths. These etchings can be tuned to react to specific light waves and also changed by flexing or bending the material. It might have a wide array of applications, ranging from camouflage to advertising to displaying imperceptible defects in buildings or bridges.
To be fair, the chameleon still claims the bragging rights for its ability to mimic the color behind it – the ultimate camouflage. But this material may have unique capabilities that have been impossible to effectively replicate – until now.