dynamicallystatic

University of Exeter:

Experts from the University of Exeter have developed a pioneering new technique that uses nanoengineering technology to incorporate graphene into traditional concrete production.

The new composite material, which is more than twice as strong and four times more water resistant than existing concretes, can be used directly by the construction industry on building sites. All of the concrete samples tested are according to British and European standards for construction.

Crucially, the new graphene-reinforced concentre material also drastically reduced the carbon footprint of conventional concrete production methods, making it more sustainable and environmentally friendly.

The research team insist the new technique could pave the way for other nanomaterials to be incorporated into concrete, and so further modernise the construction industry worldwide.

Lisa Zyga, Phys.org:

Cotton thread is made of many tiny fibers, each just 2-3 cm long, yet when spun together the fibers are capable of transmitting tension over indefinitely long distances. From a physics perspective, how threads and yarns transmit tension—making them strong enough to keep clothes from falling apart—is a long-standing puzzle that is not completely understood.

In a new paper published in Physical Review Letters entitled “Why Clothes Don’t Fall Apart: Tension Transmission in Staple Yarns,” physicists Patrick Warren at Unilever R&D Port Sunlight, Robin Ball at the University of Warwick, and Ray Goldstein at the University of Cambridge have investigated yarn tension in the framework of statistical physics. Using techniques from linear programming, they show that the collective friction among fibers creates a locking mechanism, and as long as there is sufficient friction, a random assembly of fibers can in principle transmit an indefinitely large tension.

Matt Waren, Science Mag:

Scientists have gone to great lengths to make the blackest possible surfaces. But it turns out that nature is pretty good at creating light-absorbing structures, too. WIRED reports that certain male birds of paradise have “superblack” feathers that absorb as much as 99.95% of light. The profoundly black appearance is produced by the microscopic structure of the feathers. Whereas other birds’ feathers have lots of tiny filaments that lie flat and are neatly organized, on the birds of paradise these filaments are tightly packed and bend upward, with deep cavities between them. As light enters the feather, it bounces around these cavities and gradually gets absorbed. Writing in Nature Communications, the scientists speculate that superblack feathers make neighboring, colorful patches on the bird appear even brighter to impress females during courtship.