materials

Oct 14, 2016

Study Finds Surface Texture of Gallium Nitride Affects Cell Behavior

Researchers at North Carolina State University have determined that the surface texture of gallium nitride materials can influence the health of nearby cells. 

Sep 28, 2016

NC State Leads NSF Program to Train Future Leaders at Nexus of Big Data and Materials Science

NC State and NC Central are launching an NSF-funded program to create a new generation of scientists who work at the crossroads of big data and materials science. 

Sep 19, 2016

Atom Art: Beauty at the Atomic Scale

Nature makes beautiful patterns with atoms. 

Sep 13, 2016

New Technique Integrates Graphene, Graphene Oxide and Reduced Graphene Oxide onto Silicon Chips at Room Temperature

Researchers have developed a technique that allows them to integrate graphene, graphene oxide and reduced graphene oxide onto silicon substrates at room temperature by using nanosecond pulsed laser annealing. 

Jul 21, 2016

Integration of Novel Materials with Silicon Chips Makes New ‘Smart’ Devices Possible

Researchers have developed a way to integrate novel functional materials onto a computer chip, allowing the creation of new smart devices and systems. 

Jul 11, 2016

Researchers Develop Faster, Precise Silica Coating Process for Quantum Dot Nanorods

NC State researchers have fine-tuned a technique that enables them to apply precisely controlled silica coatings to quantum dot nanorods in a day – up to 21 times faster than previous methods. 

May 10, 2016

Researchers Integrate Diamond/Boron Nitride Crystalline Layers for Use in High-Power Devices

NC State researchers have developed a new technique to deposit diamond on the surface of cubic boron nitride, integrating the two materials into a single crystalline structure. 

Mar 28, 2016

Metal Foam Protects From Fire and Heat Twice as Well as Plain Metal

Light-weight composite metal foams (CMFs) are significantly more effective at insulating against high heat than the conventional base metals and alloys that they’re made of, such as steel. The CMF is especially promising for use in storing and transporting nuclear material, hazardous materials, explosives and other heat-sensitive materials, as well as for space exploration. 

Feb 23, 2016

Researchers Can Tune Mechanical Properties of Radiation-Sensitive Material for Biomedical Use

An interdisciplinary team of researchers has developed a composite material that emits light and heat when exposed to specific wavelengths of radiation and that can be customized to have specific mechanical characteristics. The composite holds promise for use in biomedical imaging, drug delivery and therapeutic treatments. 

Feb 3, 2016

Researchers Discover New Phase of Boron Nitride and a New Way to Create Pure c-BN

NC State researchers have discovered a new phase of the material boron nitride (Q-BN), which has potential applications for both manufacturing tools and electronic displays. The researchers have also developed a new technique for creating cubic boron nitride (c-BN) at ambient temperatures and air pressure, which has a suite of applications, including the development of advanced power grid technologies. 

Dec 18, 2015

Magnetic Nanoparticle Chains Offer New Technique for Controlling Soft Robots

Researchers have developed a new technique that uses chains of magnetic nanoparticles to remotely control new “soft robots.” 

Nov 30, 2015

Researchers Find New Phase of Carbon, Make Diamond at Room Temperature

NC State researchers have discovered a new phase of solid carbon, called Q-carbon, which is distinct from the known phases of graphite and diamond. They have also developed a technique for using Q-carbon to make diamond-related structures at room temperature and at ambient atmospheric pressure in air. 

Oct 7, 2015

Researchers Work on New Techniques for Creating High-Temperature Alloys

NC State is taking the lead in a new initiative aimed at addressing fundamental scientific questions that could lead to the development of so-called “entropy-stabilized alloys” that can withstand extremely high temperatures. 

Oct 1, 2015

Researchers Measure How Specific Atoms Move in Dielectric Materials

Researchers have measured the behavior of specific atoms in dielectric materials when exposed to an electric field. The work advances our understanding of dielectric materials, which are used in a wide variety of applications – from handheld electronics to defibrillators. 

Sep 29, 2015

Researchers Create First Entropy-Stabilized Complex Oxide Alloys

NC State researchers have created the first entropy-stabilized alloy that incorporates oxides – and demonstrated conclusively that the crystalline structure of the material can be determined by disorder at the atomic scale rather than chemical bonding.