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A colourful film made from plant matter could keep buildings cool An iridescent cellulose film can efficiently cool surfaces by 3?C and could one day be used in structures that remain cold without requiring energy.

Colourful material made from wood could help keep buildings cool

26 March 2023

A material made from two forms of cellulose, which is found in wood, reflects heat and can be made in a variety of colours


Windows filled with see-through wood layer help hold in heat

16 March 2023

A transparent material made from cellulose nanofibres and pockets of gas could replace air in double-glazed windows to improve thermal insulation


Rays of light

Glass device can tell objects apart without needing a computer

4 November 2022

A device that uses a piece of glass with little bumps on it can distinguish objects based on how they scatter light, removing the need for a camera or a computer


A piece of material is pulled and changes colour

Material that changes colour as it stretches could be used in bandages

2 August 2022

An obsolete photographic technique that won a Nobel prize over a century ago has been resurrected to create a novel material that changes colour when stretched


Image printed on a flexible material

Stretchy material could make bandages change colour when getting loose

1 August 2022

A stretchy material developed for holograms and an obsolete photography technique from the 19th century have been combined to create a material that changes colour as its tension changes


Silkworms make fluorescent silk after eating quantum dots

Silkworms make fluorescent silk after eating quantum dots

4 March 2022

Nanometre-sized semiconductors extracted from mulberry leaves make silkworms and their silk emit a strong red glow


Super strong metamaterial inspired by kirigami, a variation of origami

Super strong metamaterial inspired by kirigami, a variation of origami

3 March 2022

A metamaterial inspired by kirigami, the Japanese art of paper cutting, can support nearly 3000 times its own weight


The construction of a kirigami-based, strong, lightweight metamaterial and its prototypes in multiple curved surfaces. The glue-free mechanical connector is in the initial and folded state of a kirigami shell. C?H) Six prototypes of kirigami metamaterial shape-morphed into various surfaces, i.e., planar, cylindrical, wave, spherical, conical, and vase-shaped.

Light yet strong metamaterial inspired by art of paper cutting

1 March 2022

A chequerboard pattern based on kirigami, the Japanese art of paper cutting, enables thin and light structures to support much heavier loads


D413MM Roof windows under snow during winter.

Smart windows keep heat in during winter and let it out in summer

16 December 2021

Radiative cooling means ordinary windows aren't very effective at keeping buildings warm or cool as required, but modified windows could help save energy


Octopus-inspired camouflage fabric can change colour to blend in

Octopus-inspired camouflage fabric can change colour to blend in

22 November 2021

A material made with layers that have different tensions wrinkles when heated, which can be used to reflect light such that an object matches its surroundings


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