Sep 18
A team of scientists have taken inspiration from nature to develop a new material that can be painted onto surfaces and keep them wet or dry, while never needing to be cleaned.
     |
Sep 14
We might not be able to build a liquid metal T-1000 killing machine yet, but we just took a huge step towards building a plastic one. Scientists have managed to develop a new polymer that—when cut in half—can heal all by itself. Pretty awesome trick.
| |
Sep 12
The world’s thinnest sheet of glass ever has been created—and it measure just two atoms in thickness. Better not chance dropping anything made out of that.
| |
Sep 09
Forget Mother Nature: when it comes to all matters matter, the sheer ingenuity of the human mind can give rise to some of the most insane—and useful—new materials you’ve ever encountered. Here are five crazy new man-made materials whose uses could be practically limitless.
| |
Aug 28
A team from the University of Newcastle is perfecting a method of capturing carbon emissions and transforming them into carbonate rock bricks. They’re just part of a wave of efforts by scientists who hope to tame carbon in order to shape a greener future.
| |
Aug 15
Move over graphene; get outta here diamond. There’s a new carbon supermaterial in town, and it’s stronger and stiffer than either of you.
| |
Aug 06
Usually, if you cool any substance down enough it will turn into a solid—the most stable state of matter that exists, according to traditional physics. But that could all be about to change, because researchers have discovered a weird new liquid state that’s more stable than a solid crystal.
| |
Jul 19
For more than a century, scientists have been saying the same thing: It’s impossible to create a water-free disordered magnesium carbonate. It’s too difficult. You’ll never amount to anything! Well, suck it, haters: Researchers at Uppsala University in Sweden have unveiled a super-absorbent version of magnesium carbonate that breaks the world record for surface area and water absorption.
| |
Jul 07
As wildfires escalate year by year, fire prevention is becoming even more important. And prevention doesn’t always mean Smokey Bear PSAs. In fact, the lumber industry has developed a symbiotic relationship with the very material feeding many of the fires.
| |
Jun 26
BENDLAY 3D Is A Bendable Printing Filament That You Can Use To Make Clear, Flexible Straps And Bands
Posted in: Today's ChiliKai Parthy is a German engineer who creates odd printing filaments for 3D printers. His previous projects, LayWoo-d3 and Laybrick, are two non-warping plastics that offer wood and brick-like consistencies when extruded. Oddly, LayWoo-d3 actually smells like wood when printed.
Now he’s created a bendable printing filament called BENDLAY that is 91% transparent and remains “bendable” after printing.
One of the problems with ABS plastic is that it can split and warp as it is formed and it isn’t quite food safe. It is also very brittle and will “whiten” when bent, resulting in a messy final object. This filament is made of stretchy Butadiene, a form of synthetic rubber. It is foodsafe and can be used for clear bottles and containers and works well for flexible straps.
While ABS can be used to create flexible items like bracelets, this material will truly bend without breaking, allowing for hinges and other mechanical parts to be built into other, stiffer parts.
It costs $42 a roll, which is about right for a pound or so of 3mm filament, and comes on 750 gram rolls. It should work with almost any extruder-based device but, sadly, doesn’t smell like fresh rubber.
Who's in charge here?
This is site is run by Sascha Endlicher, M.A., during ungodly late night hours. Wanna know more about him? Connect via Social Media by jumping to about.me/sascha.endlicher.