2-D layered devices can self-assemble with precision

Flexible Insulator

"This is the first time that a self-healable material has been created that can restore multiple properties over multiple breaks, and we see this being useful across many applications," said Qing Wang, professor of materials science and engineering, Penn State. more

Lightning and subvisible discharges produce molecules that clean the atmosphere

Lightning bolts break apart nitrogen and oxygen molecules in the atmosphere and create reactive chemicals that affect greenhouse gases. Now, a team of atmospheric chemists and lightning scientists have found that lightning bolts and, surprisingly, subvisible discharges that cannot be seen b ... more

An improved wearable, stretchable gas sensor using nanocomposites

A stretchable, wearable gas sensor for environmental sensing has been developed and tested by researchers at Penn State, Northeastern University and five universities in China. The sensor combines a newly developed laser-induced graphene foam material with a unique form of molybdenum disulf ... more

Self-healing soft material outsmarts nature

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 ... more