Graphene: The more you bend it, the softer it gets

21-Nov-2019 - New research by engineers at the University of Illinois combines atomic-scale experimentation with computer modeling to determine how much energy it takes to bend multilayer graphene - a question that has eluded scientists since graphene was first isolated. Graphene - a single layer of carbon ...

Shape-shifting organic crystals use memory to improve plastic electronics

29-Jan-2018 - Researchers have identified a mechanism that triggers shape-memory phenomena in organic crystals used in plastic electronics. Shape-shifting structural materials are made with metal alloys, but the new generation of economical printable plastic electronics is poised to benefit from this ...

A new spin to engineer better absorptive materials

15-Nov-2017 - A team of University of Illinois bioengineers has taken a new look at an old tool to help characterize a class of materials called metal organic frameworks - MOFs for short. MOFs are used to detect, purify and store gases, and could help solve some of the world's most challenging energy, ...

Wonder material?

Novel nanotube structure strengthens thin films for flexible electronics

25-Apr-2017 - Reflecting the structure of composites found in nature and the ancient world, researchers at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign have synthesized thin carbon nanotube (CNT) textiles that exhibit both high electrical conductivity and a level of toughness that is about fifty times higher ...

New photonic crystals have both electronic and optical properties

26-Jul-2011 - In an advance that could open new avenues for solar cells, lasers, metamaterials and more, researchers at the University of Illinois have demonstrated the first optoelectronically active 3-D photonic crystal."We've discovered a way to change the three-dimensional structure of a well-established ...

New visible light photocatalyst kills bacteria, even after light turned off

22-Jan-2010 - In the battle against bacteria, researchers at the University of Illinois have developed a powerful new weapon – an enhanced photocatalytic disinfection process that uses visible light to destroy harmful bacteria and viruses, even in the dark. Based upon a new catalyst, the disinfection process ...

Water droplets direct self-assembly process in thin-film materials

25-Nov-2009 - You can think of it as origami – very high-tech origami. Researchers at the University of Illinois have developed a technique for fabricating three-dimensional, single-crystalline silicon structures from thin films by coupling photolithography and a self-folding process driven by capillary ...

Ultrathin leds create new classes of lighting and display systems

21-Aug-2009 - A new process for creating ultrathin, ultrasmall inorganic light-emitting diodes (LEDs) and assembling them into large arrays offers new classes of lighting and display systems with interesting properties, such as see-through construction and mechanical flexibility, that would be impossible to ...

Rethinking Brownian motion with the 'Emperor's New Clothes'

29-Jul-2009 - In the classic fairy tale, "The Emperor's New Clothes," Hans Christian Andersen uses the eyes of a child to challenge conventional wisdom and help others to see more clearly. In similar fashion, researchers at the University of Illinois have now revealed the naked truth about a classic ...

See the force: Mechanical stress leads to self-sensing in solid polymers

08-May-2009 - Parachute cords, climbing ropes, and smart coatings for bridges that change color when overstressed are several possible uses for force-sensitive polymers being developed by researchers at the University of Illinois. The polymers contain mechanically active molecules called mechanophores. When ...