Physics World Materials Briefing 2020
Welcome to this free-to-read Physics World Materials Briefing. The ferroelectric nematic liquid crystal shown on the cover of this briefing is the first of its kind. So, too, is a liquid-metal lattice that returns to its original shape when crushed. Then there’s the hydrogel that cools solar photovoltaic panels, the photocatalyst that converts carbon dioxide and water into formic acid, the ultra-porous metal-organic framework that can store 66% of its own weight in methane, and many more. In addition to all of these new materials, the fact that common materials like silk and tooth enamel still harbour so many mysteries, despite being known to humans since antiquity, is surely one of the reasons why materials research is such a vibrant discipline.
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New material could be used to make a liquid metal robot
Physicists put a lower limit on viscosity
Ferroelectric nematic appears in a liquid crystal
Diamond defects reveal viscous currents in graphene
Why bubbles burst in viscous liquids
Building a flexible future
Bioinspired material can’t be cut
Radiation alters ceramic grain boundaries
Thin-film solar cells make champion harvesters of ambient light
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