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Researchers at Wageningen University & Research have developed a new type of plastic that could not exist according to materials theory. Its properties lie between glass and plastic: it is easy to shape and resists impact. This combination arises because the building blocks are not chemically attached to each other, but are held together by physical forces.

Researchers at Wageningen University & Research have developed a new type of plastic that, according to materials theory, should not be able to exist. Its properties sit somewhere between those of glass and plastic: it is easy to (re)shape, yet resistant to impact. This unusual combination is possible because the building blocks of the material are not held together by chemical bonds, but by physical forces.

Researchers at the University of Twente and Utrecht University demonstrated for the first time that quantum states in the ultra-narrow material germanene can be switched on and off using only an electric field. The researchers were able to vary the electric field strength very precisely, causing the special 'topological' states in nanoribbons to disappear or appear.

Bacterial spores - the hardy survival structures formed by certain bacterial species - are proving to be a game changer in the field of engineered living materials (ELMs). By embedding Bacillus spores within ELMs, Jeong-Joo Oh, Franka van der Linden, Marie-Eve Aubin-Tam and their fellow researchers have created living materials that not only endure harsh environments but can also be programmed to perform specific tasks.

Researchers from TU/e and ETH Zurich have found the holy grail of brewing: the formula for stable beer foam, and it's down to protein structure. The researchers have studied the foam of six commercial beers: two triple-fermented Belgian beers, two Swiss lagers, one single-fermented Belgian beer, and one double-fermented Belgian beer.

When water freezes into ice or boils into vapour, its properties change dramatically at specific temperatures. These so-called phase transitions are fundamental to understanding materials. But how do such transitions behave in nanomaterials? In Nature Communications , a team of scientists led by TU Delft presents new insights into the complex nature of phase transitions in magnetic nanomaterials.

Scientists at the University of Twente have developed a way to create highly ordered semiconductor material at room temperature. This UT research was published today in the scientific journal Nature Synthesis . This breakthrough could make optoelectronics more efficient by controlling the crystal structure and reducing the number of defects at the nanoscale.

When water freezes slowly, the location where water turns into ice - known as the freezing front - forms a straight line. Researchers from the University of Twente showed how droplets that interact with such a freezing front, cause surprising deformations of this front. These new insights were published in a publication in the scientific journal Physical Review Letters and show potential for applications in cryopreservation and food engineering techniques.

New 3D Printing Technique by TU Delft and MIT Delivers High-Resolution Textures from a Single Material Researchers at Delft University of Technology and MIT have developed a novel 3D printing technique called Speed-Modulated Ironing , enabling high-resolution surface textures and colour gradients using just a single material.

In their recent paper , researchers from the University of Twente in the Netherlands have gained important insights into the elementary particles that make up light. These particles, photons , -behavein an amazingly greater variety than electrons surrounding atoms, while also being much easier to control.

Ruben Nicasy defended his PhD thesis at the Department of Applied Physics and Science Education on June 27th. Faster, greener and cheaper. These are currently the keywords within the printing industry, which is undergoing rapid innovations. TU/e researcher Ruben Nicasy developed an innovative method to determine how ink is absorbed by paper or cardboard in order to further improve print quality.

Researchers from TU Delft and Brown University have engineered string-like resonators capable of vibrating longer at ambient temperature than any previously known solid-state object - approaching what is currently only achievable near absolute zero temperatures. Their study, published in Nature Communications , pushes the edge of nanotechnology and machine learning to make some of the world's most sensitive mechanical sensors.

Pacemakers, defibrillators, radar technology and electric vehicles all need electrical components called capacitors that can store and release a lot of energy in a matter of a few microseconds. Researchers at the University of Twente have recently found a way to increase these capacitors' storage, efficiency and durability.

What determines the cycle life of batteries? And, more importantly, how can we extend it? An international research team led by TU Delft has discovered that local disorder in the oxide cathode material increases the number of times Li-ion batteries can be charged and discharged. Their results have been published in Nature .

Delft researchers are developing batteries that can charge faster, offer more stable storage and are made of sustainable materials that are widely available. In doing so, they offer a cheaper alternative to lithium-ion batteries that consist of rare materials and have a high CO2-footprint. A paper was recently published in Nature Energy by Marnix Wagemaker and Alexandros Vasileiadis in collaboration with researchers from the Chinese Academy of Sciences, on fast-charging Na-ion batteries and improvements made to the negative electrode.

A TU/e and Catalan Institute of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology-led collaboration involving researchers from around the world has the answer, and the why, and the results have just been published in the journal Science Advances. Electrons carry electrical energy, while vibrational energy is carried by phonons.

A coating that can hide objects in plain sight, or an implant that behaves exactly like bone tissue. These extraordinary objects are already made from 'metamaterials'. Researchers from TU Delft have now developed an AI tool that not only can discover such extraordinary materials but also makes them fabrication-ready and durable.

Most people can relate to having a laptop charger break right where the flexible cable meets the solid adapter. This is just one example of how difficult it is to effectively interface hard and soft materials. Using a unique 3D printing process, TU Delft researchers produced hybrid multi-material interfaces that reached a remarkable closeness to nature's design of bone-tendon connections.

A material that doesn't just rival the strength of diamonds and graphene, but boasts a yield strength 10 times greater than Kevlar, renowned for its use in bulletproof vests. Researchers at Delft University of Technology, led by assistant professor Richard Norte, have unveiled a remarkable new material with potential to impact the world of material science: amorphous silicon carbide (a-SiC).

Transparent conductors are essential for many devices, such as touch screens and solar cells. Copper iodide (CuI) can conduct electricity while staying see-through but is not as good as some other materials. Researchers from the University of Twente managed to improve the conductivity of CuI while keeping 75% of its transparency.