Topic description and stories

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

PhD student Maria Kiourlappou holding a piece of SmB6

To conduct, or to insulate? That is the question

02 Jul 2015

Researchers have identified a material that behaves as a conductor and an insulator at the same time, challenging current understanding of how...

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A jet engine turbine blade.

From atoms to jet engines – extreme materials on display at summer exhibition

30 Jun 2015

At any one time over half a million people are flying far above our heads in modern aircraft. Their lives depend on the performance of the special...

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Rotor

Engineering atoms inside the jet engine: the Great British Take Off

29 Jun 2015

The Periodic Table may not sound like a list of ingredients but, for a group of materials scientists, it’s the starting point for designing the...

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Pick and mix materials

‘Pick & mix’ smart materials for robotics

24 Jun 2015

Researchers have successfully combined multiple functions into a single smart life-like material for the first time. These ‘designer’ materials could...

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Health-conscious concrete

23 Mar 2015

Roads that self-repair, bridges filled with first-aid bubbles, buildings with arteries… not some futuristic fantasy but a very real possibility with...

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Graphene flowers

The European roadmap for graphene science and technology

24 Feb 2015

Europe's Graphene Flagship lays out a science and technology roadmap, targeting research areas designed to take graphene and related two-dimensional...

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Model of graphene structure

Graphene’s potential for energy conversion and storage

19 Feb 2015

Scientists working with Europe's Graphene Flagship and the Cambridge Graphene Centre have provided a detailed and wide-ranging review of the...

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A lipid membrane functionalised with DNA-linkers

Responsive material could be the ‘golden ticket’ of sensing

07 Jan 2015

A new responsive material ‘glued’ together with short strands of DNA, and capable of translating thermal and chemical signals into visible physical...

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Airbus A350 XWB MSN001

Lighter planes are the future

16 Dec 2014

A global fleet of composite planes could reduce carbon emissions by up to 15 per cent, but the lighter planes alone will not enable the aviation...

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Artificial fish

Artificial muscle capable of ‘remembering’ movements developed

14 Nov 2014

Researchers from the University of Cambridge have developed artificial muscles which can learn and recall specific movements, the first time that...

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The Mary Rose

New single-step method for conserving waterlogged wooden artefacts

11 Nov 2014

A safer, greener material for conserving waterlogged wooden artefacts, such as those recovered from Henry VIII’s ship Mary Rose, could preserve...

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A high performance semiconducting polymer with an amorphous structure

Clearing a path for electrons in polymers: closing in on the speed limits

05 Nov 2014

A new class of low-cost polymer materials, which can carry electric charge with almost no losses despite their seemingly random structure, could lead...

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