Electronic 'cyclones' at the nanoscale

By careful synthesis of ultrafine layered structures or superlattices, built from layers of lead titanate and strontium titanate, researchers discovered they could create electrical spirals, called polar vortices, similar to the rotating vortices observed in magnetic systems.

New quantum liquid crystals may play role in future of computers

New state of matter may have applications in ultrafast quantum computers.

Finding order and structure in the atomic chaos where materials meet

Materials science researchers have developed a model that can account for irregularities in how atoms arrange themselves at the so-called 'grain boundaries' - the interface where two materials meet.

Clean water from a plant-based membrane

A team of researchers has developed a plant-derived material that can be used to purify water potentially far more effectively than current petroleum-based membrane materials.

Engineering technique is damaging materials research reveals

Widely used microscopy technique has unintended consequences new research reveals.

3D computer models of damage in multi-layered materials

Computer modelling of nano-indentation studies performed on ion-irradiated steels has generated 3D stress-field maps on an engineering scale that agree well with experimental results.

Deciphering material properties at the single-atom level

It was a big challenge and a small particle. Scientists determined the three-dimensional position of more than 23,000 atoms in a tiny iron-platinum particle with 22 picometer precision.

New microscopy method breaks color barrier of optical imaging

Researchers have made a significant step toward breaking the so-called 'color barrier' of light microscopy for biological systems, allowing for much more comprehensive, system-wide labeling and imaging of a greater number of biomolecules in living cells and tissues than is currently attainable.

Creation of artificial atoms in graphene

Scientists demonstrated that a vacancy in graphene can be charged in a controllable way such that electrons can be localized to mimic the electron orbitals of an artificial atom. Importantly, the trapping mechanism is reversible (turned on and off) and the energy levels can be tuned.

Smallest transistor ever

Researchers built a fully functional, nanometer-sized transistor by using atomically flat, two-dimensional molybdenum disulfide semiconductor and a single-walled carbon nanotube imbedded in zirconium dioxide.