A research team at HZDR and the University of Rostock has recovered intact nanodiamonds formed when high-energy laser pulses compressed PET, the plastic used in bottles. The peer-reviewed, open-access study appears in Diamond and Related Materials and reports particles averaging about 3 nanometers, with a detailed measurement of 3.23 ± 0.79 nm. No explosives were … Read more
Scientists in Valencia have engineered a cotton textile that destroys bacteria, fungi and at least one virus when exposed to ordinary white light — no ultraviolet lamps, no specialised fixtures. In a pilot study, treated swatches placed in patient rooms reduced microbial load by 75% compared with untreated cotton. The research was published in August … Read more
Metallurgy has spent millennia treating contamination in recycled metal as a defect to flush out with fresh ore. An international research team has now inverted that logic, using machine learning to design cast iron that exploits the copper, tin and titanium found inside scrap. The resulting alloys are up to 15.2% stronger or 73.2% more … Read more