New stretchable material entirely recovers its structure and properties at the blink of an eye – and it can do this over and over again

30-Jul-2020

A soft material that heals itself instantaneously is now reality. A team of scientists at the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems and at Pennsylvania State University tune the nanostructure of a new stretchable material in such a way that it now entirely recovers its structure and ...

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Scientists outsmart nature

30-Apr-2020

A specific fibril tip shape design is the key to achieving elastic dry fibril adhesives with super liquid repellency. This new bioinspired material opens up many possibilities for use, as it prevents any form of liquid droplet or layer from hindering or degrading its adhesion. Stuttgart – ...

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Scientists discover new light-matter interaction with which they can write nanometer-sized magnetic structures

22-Apr-2020

In cooperation with Chinese researchers from the Chinese Academy of Sciences and others, German researchers from the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems (MPI-IS) in Stuttgart have for the first time ever created individual skyrmions in a magnetic layer using soft X-rays. In numerous ...

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27-Jun-2019

Building a robot with many different components is a challenging task, even more so at the micro scale. Very convenient, if the parts self-assemble. The self-assembly of particles is nothing new. In fact, it has been achieved for decades. Magnetic particles interacting under rotating magnetic ...

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A team of researchers generates ultra-short spin waves in an astoundingly simple material

29-Mar-2019

Due to its potential to make computers faster and smartphones more efficient, spintronics is considered a promising concept for the future of electronics. In a collaboration including the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems (MPI-IS) and the Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (HZDR), a ...

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05-Mar-2019

Skyrmions are three-dimensional structures that occur in magnetic materials. They are magnetic vortices a few nanometers in size in which atomic elementary magnets are arranged in closed vortex structures. Skyrmions are topologically protected, meaning that their shape cannot be changed. First ...

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07-Sep-2018

Scientists at the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems in Stuttgart invented a new and cost-effective method for making X-ray lenses with nanometer-sized features and excellent focusing capabilities. By using an advanced 3D printing technique, a single lens can be manufactured under a ...

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03-Sep-2018

In chemistry, a reaction is spontaneous when it does not need the addition of an external energy input. How much energy is released in a reaction is dictated by the laws of thermodynamics. In the case of the spontaneous reactions that occur in the human body this is often not enough to power ...

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Soft materials that can use magnetic fields can provide an engine for microswimmers

28-Sep-2016

One day, microrobots may be able to swim through the human body like sperm or paramecia to carry out medical functions in specific locations. Researchers from the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems in Stuttgart have developed functional elastomers, which can be activated by magnetic ...

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20-May-2016

Some adhesives may soon have a metallic sheen and be particularly easy to unstick. Researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems in Stuttgart are suggesting gallium as just such a reversible adhesive. By inducing slight changes in temperature, they can control whether a layer of ...

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