#materials-science — Public Fediverse posts

Self-activating electrocatalysts are a novel class of materials for green hydrogen production that autonomously reorganize and improve their catalytic efficiency during continuous operation.
Electrochemistry #MaterialsScience, #PhysicalChemistry #RenewableEnergyTechnologies #sflorg
https://www.sflorg.com/2026/05/chm05122601.html

Poly(ionic liquid)s (PILs) can achieve exceptionally high carbon dioxide (CO₂) adsorption rates when their counter anions are exchanged and inorganic salt impurities are strictly eliminated.
#MaterialsScience #ChemicalEngineering #EnvironmentalChemistry #sflorg
https://www.sflorg.com/2026/05/ms05102601.html

The Roman Cup That Acts Like a Mood Ring (and Predates Nanotech by 1,700 Years)

Dear Cherubs, a Roman drinking cup has entered the chat from the 4th century and it is behaving suspiciously like it has opinions about lighting. Depending on how you shine it, it flips from green to glowing red like it’s trying out mood-ring cosplay long before mood rings were even a bad idea.

A CUP THAT CAN’T PICK A SIDE
Meet the famous Lycurgus Cup, a late Roman glass vessel usually dated to around the 4th century AD. In reflected light it appears greenish, but when light passes through it, it turns a deep ruby red. It’s not magic, not wizardry, and definitely not a Roman prank—though it does feel like something they would have done for fun.

According to analyses carried out in the late 20th century, including work reported by the British Museum, this optical trick comes from microscopic particles embedded in the glass. And by “microscopic,” we’re talking on the scale of tens of nanometers. Yes, nanometers. In ancient Rome. The vibes are honestly a bit disrespectful to modern tech timelines.

The cup depicts the myth of King Lycurgus tangled in vines—very dramatic, very extra—and yet the real drama is happening in the material itself.

NANOTECH BEFORE IT WAS COOL
Here’s where things get spicy. In studies conducted in the 1990s using electron microscopy, researchers found tiny particles of gold and silver dispersed in the glass, roughly around 50–100 nanometers in size. That’s the sweet spot where metals start messing with light in very specific ways, scattering wavelengths differently depending on whether light is reflected or transmitted.

As noted in historical materials science discussions referenced by thisclaimer.com, this isn’t “nanotechnology” in the modern engineered sense—but it absolutely is nanostructure behavior. In other words, Romans weren’t calculating particle distributions on a whiteboard, but they did accidentally stumble into physics that engineers today still try to control deliberately.

So how did they do it? Likely through impurities in metal dust used during glassmaking. Gold and silver particles, when suspended in glass, create what scientists call a dichroic effect. Fancy term, simple outcome: the cup is basically a tiny optical illusion generator.

The key twist? They didn’t know why it worked. They just knew it looked expensive. Which, to be fair, is also how a lot of modern luxury tech is designed.

Today, materials scientists study objects like the Lycurgus Cup to understand early accidental nanotechnology. It sits in the awkward historical category of “they absolutely didn’t mean to do this, but they did it anyway and now we’re impressed.”

It also quietly challenges the idea that advanced material science is strictly modern. Humans have been experimenting with matter for millennia—we just got better at naming it later.

So yes, this is a 1,600-year-old cup that changes color based on light. No, it is not a wizard artifact. But it does make you wonder what else ancient artisans stumbled into while just trying to make something look fancy for a banquet.

Sources:
British Museum Collection – Lycurgus Cup https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/H_1958-1222-1
Nature (materials science discussions on dichroic glass and nanoparticles) https://www.nature.com/
Encyclopaedia Britannica – Lycurgus Cup https://www.britannica.com/topic/Lycurgus-Cup

Looking at yet another situation where plastic bottles are littered everywhere in nature, it makes me wonder how thin, light, and strong is it possible to make a reusable ceramic bottle? #MaterialsScience #Ceramics

📸🌍 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗜𝗡𝗔𝗠 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝘁𝗼𝗴𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿!

A group picture during the visit of our International Advisory Board and a nice opportunity to bring together the whole INAM community.

#INAM #SomUJI #Research #MaterialsScience @ujiuniversitat

🌍 𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗔𝗱𝘃𝗶𝘀𝗼𝗿𝘆 𝗕𝗼𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝗺𝗲𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴

We bring together our Advisory Board for a new working session.

Great to have you with us!

#INAM #SomUJI @ujiuniversitat
#Research #MaterialsScience #AdvisoryBoard

🌌 “That’s no moon...” – it’s the future of Materials Science.

Happy #MayThe4th! 🚀 This isn't a movie set, but the tech behind the planned High Brilliance Neutron Source HBS-I at Forschungszentrum Jülich.

Instead of destroying planets, HBS-I uses neutron beams to look deep inside matter—developing the materials we need for a sustainable future. 🔋🔬

👉 https://www.fz-juelich.de/de/aktuelles/news/pressemitteilungen/2026/wissenschaftsrat-hbs-i

#StarWarsDay #NeutronScience #MaterialsScience #Research #HBS #FZJülich #Innovation

Polaritons are hybrid light-matter quasiparticles created by fusing photons with a layered crystalline material. In this context, molybdenum oxydichloride (MoOCl2) crystals are utilized to effectively guide and manipulate these light-based particles at the nanoscale.
#PhysicalChemistry #Optoelectronics #MaterialsScience #QuantumPhysics #sflorg
https://www.sflorg.com/2026/05/chm05032601.html

Postdoctoral Fellow - Tissue Engineering/Biomedical Engineering
University of Arizona

See the full job description on jobRxiv: https://jobrxiv.org/job/university-of-arizona-27778-postdoctoral-fellow-tissue-engineering-biomedical-engineering/

#biology #biomedicalengineering #materialsscience #mechanicalengineering #neuroscience #ScienceJobs #hiring #research
https://jobrxiv.org/job/university-of-arizona-27778-postdoctoral-fellow-tissue-engineering-biomedical-engineering/?fsp_sid=11761

A nanoreactor is a porous shell containing catalytically active nanoparticles; researchers have discovered that these microscopic reactors operate more efficiently when the flow of reactants into the inner space is slightly restricted rather than completely uninhibited.
#ChemicalEngineering #Nanotechnology #MaterialsScience #PhysicalChemistry #sflorg
https://www.sflorg.com/2026/05/chm05012601.html

Researchers have developed the first universal model to accurately explain and predict energy level alignment at the interfaces between electrodes, hole-collecting monolayers (HCMs), and #perovskite layers in solar cells. This framework establishes physical guidelines for designing efficient, durable perovskite solar cells without relying heavily on trial and error.
#MaterialsScience #Photovoltaics #SolidStatePhysics #PhysicalChemistry #sflorg
https://www.sflorg.com/2026/04/ms04302601.html

Max Planck team explains short circuits caused by dendrite propagation in solid state batteries, paving the way for safer and longer-lasting next-generation batteries. Latest publication in journal Nature. #battery #energy #materials #materialsscience
https://nachrichten.idw-online.de/2026/04/22/understanding-the-short-circuit-in-solid-state-batteries

Physicists assumed an attempt time of roughly one nanosecond for decades, recent experimental measurements reveal the actual attempt time is between 4 and 11 nanoseconds.
#CondensedMatterPhysics #Physics #Spintronics #MaterialsScience #sflorg
https://www.sflorg.com/2026/04/phy04222601.html

Structural stability risk threshold of classical garden rockeries based on elastoplastic theory https://www.allforgardening.com/1723924/structural-stability-risk-threshold-of-classical-garden-rockeries-based-on-elastoplastic-theory/ #garden #gardener #gardening #General #MaterialsScience

Postdoctoral Fellow - Tissue Engineering/Biomedical Engineering
University of Arizona

See the full job description on jobRxiv: https://jobrxiv.org/job/university-of-arizona-27778-postdoctoral-fellow-tissue-engineering-biomedical-engineering/

#biology #biomedicalengineering #materialsscience #mechanicalengineering #neuroscience #ScienceJobs #hiring #research
https://jobrxiv.org/job/university-of-arizona-27778-postdoctoral-fellow-tissue-engineering-biomedical-engineering/?fsp_sid=11321

A novel, energy-efficient heterostructure catalyst designed to split water into hydrogen and oxygen using renewable electricity. This innovation provides a low-cost, highly durable alternative to traditional platinum-based materials for the production of zero-emissions hydrogen fuel.
#ChemicalEngineering #MaterialsScience #PhysicalChemistry #RenewableEnergy #Technology #sflorg
https://www.sflorg.com/2026/04/eng04142601.html

MIT physicists have discovered a scalable chemical synthesis method to grow three-dimensional "moiré crystals" in which electrons exhibit quantum dynamics that simulate movement through a four-dimensional synthetic space.
#CondensedMatterPhysics #Physics #QuantumMechanics #MaterialsScience #Engineering #sflorg
https://www.sflorg.com/2026/04/phy04042601.html

🎓 Alexis Villanueva Antolí has successfully defended his PhD thesis entitled “Optimization of Halide Perovskite Nanocrystals for Advanced Optoelectronics” at the Institute of Advanced Materials (INAM), @ujiuniversitat.

Congratulations on this important academic achievement and best wishes for your future scientific career! 🔬

#INAM #SomUJI #CiènciaUJI #PhDDefense #MaterialsScience

HOBIT is a fully integrated, wireless implantable device that houses engineered, drug-producing cells and sustains them by actively generating local oxygen. It solves the critical challenge of keeping dense clusters of therapeutic cells alive in poorly oxygenated areas of the body, such as under the skin.
#Bioengineering #Biomedical #MaterialsScience #Engineering #Bioelectronics #sflorg
https://www.sflorg.com/2026/03/beng03272601.html

#Perovskite solar cells are an emerging, highly efficient technology for converting solar light into electricity that have recently been engineered with molecular anchors to withstand the structural deterioration caused by extreme environmental temperature swings.
#MaterialsScience #Photovoltaics #PhysicalChemistry #sflorg
https://www.sflorg.com/2026/03/ms03272601.html

🔬 𝗙𝗶𝗿𝘂𝗷𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗲̀𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗮 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲 (@ujiuniversitat)

Our research groups 𝗤𝗢𝗠𝗖𝗔𝗧 and 𝗠𝗔𝗦𝗣, together with 𝗨𝗖𝗜𝗘-𝗜𝗡𝗔𝗠, brought science closer to the public through live demos on CO₂ capture, green hydrogen and organometallic chemistry. ♻️🧫

Great to see so much curiosity and engagement from young audiences throughout the day! 👀

#INAM #Firujiciència #SomUJI #CiènciaUJI #MaterialsScience #Innovation #Sustainability

Researchers at US national laboratories and universities have created a lithographic 3D printing method that provides microscopic control over crystallinity in individual thermoplastic parts, enabling engineers to precisely tailor material properties for specific applications. https://3dprintingindustry.com/news/craft-method-gives-3d-printed-thermoplastics-spatial-control-over-crystallinity-250215/ #3Dprint #3Dprinting #Research #MaterialsScience