SMART MATERIALS

Electronics keep shrinking but they still need protection from unwanted radio waves. Old-school metal shields work fine, but they’re heavy and can’t adapt. A new approach uses two kinds of fields—electric and magnetic—to line up tiny flakes and wires inside a lightweight foam. Rotate the foam and su

Imagine a world where chemicals dance to a rhythm not of their own making, but one dictated by their environment. We're talking about chemical oscillators, fascinating systems where the concentration of chemical species fluctuates over time due to transport processes. These aren't your average chemi