Marvin Young

Surfaces that repel water can support efficient boiling if all air and vapor is removed from a system first, according to new research.

A new conductor material and a new electrode material could pave the way for inexpensive batteries and therefore the large-scale storage of renewable energies.

Researchers have developed an algorithm that can discover and optimize thermoelectic materials for energy conversion in a matter of months, relying on solving quantum mechanical equations, without any experimental input.

A new greener, stronger and more durable concrete that is made using the wonder-material graphene could revolutionise the construction industry.

Engineers discovered that tiny crystal lattices called 'self-assembling molecular nanosheets' expand when exposed to light. The advancement could form the backbone of new light-powered actuators, oscillators and other microscopic electronic components useful in the development of artificial muscles and other soft robotic systems.

Researchers have made a nanoscale construction kit comprised of molecular 'bricks' and 'scaffolding,' inspired by the way the extracellular matrix is built around living cells.

Engineers have developed a technique that causes a composite material to become stiffer and stronger on-demand when exposed to ultraviolet light.

Researchers have created a biodegradable composite made of silk fibers that can be used to repair broken load-bearing bones without the complications sometimes presented by other materials.

Brittle diamond can turn flexible and stretchable when made into ultrafine needles, researchers at MIT and elsewhere have discovered.

The term Brownfield land is used for a land that has been developed previously, i.e. buildings and associated infrastructures have been constructed...

Each year, the effects of corroding materials sap more than $1 trillion from the global economy. As certain alloys are exposed to extreme stress and temperatures, an oxide film begins to form, causing the alloys to break down even more quickly. What precisely makes these conditions so conducive for corrosion, however, remains poorly understood, especially in microelectromechanical devices. Chinese researchers have started to chip away at why these materials corrode under mechanical stress.

What are embedments in concrete? Embedments are any items for instance pipes, ducts, sleeves, and conduits placed in concrete elements for different...

A new algorithm developed by the University of Surrey could help structural engineers better monitor the health of bridges and alert them to when they need repair faster.

Checking verticality works would encounter during building construction at several stages such as during installing vertical formworks of columns and...

Checks that need to be carried at different stages of urban stormwater system construction includes checklist for excavation, trenching, pipes before...

Scientists have engineered a tiny guitar string that vibrates 1 billion times when plucked. They would like to use it as a microphone for light.

Several recommendations for good site brick masonry construction includes practices for accuracy and tolerances, appearance, durability, structural...

UBC researchers have perfected a process to efficiently separate fiberglass and resin -- two of the most commonly discarded parts of a cellphone -- bringing them closer to their goal of a zero-waste cellphone.

Researchers have been pushing the capabilities of materials by carefully designing precise structures that exhibit abnormal properties that can control acoustic or optical waves. However, these metamaterials are constructed in fixed geometries, meaning their unique abilities are always fixed. Now, new 3-D printed metamaterial can be remotely switched between active control and passive states.

A newly discovered structure of a sodium-based material allows the materials to be used as an electrolyte in solid-state batteries, according to researchers. The team is fine-tuning the material using an iterative design approach that they hope will shave years off the time from research to everyday use.

Researchers find a solid protective coating material that can flow like a liquid to repair any cracks that develop.

Scientists describe how kirigami has inspired its efforts to build malleable electronic circuits. Their innovation -- creating tiny sheets of strong yet bendable electronic materials made of select polymers and nanowires -- could lead to improvements in smart clothing, electronic skin and other applications that require pliable circuitry.

In a new study, researchers found that GDP remains intrinsically linked with metal use even as affluence grows -- a relationship that might threaten long-term global access to critical metals and hopes for a low-carbon future.