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Physicist Andrea Bianchi has observed the "quantum spin liquid" state in a magnetic material created in his lab. It's not every day that someone comes across a new state of matter in quantum physics, the scientific field devoted to describing the behaviour of atomic and subatomic particles in order to elucidate their properties.

Wearing a face mask, when combined with other protective measures, has been shown to help slow the spread of the virus that causes COVID-19. But there remain many misconceptions about the relationship between a mask's level of protection and its comfort - namely that more protective models such as N95 respirators are less comfortable to wear.

UBC researchers have developed an inexpensive, non-toxic coating for almost any fabric that decreases the infectivity of the virus that causes COVID-19 by up to 90 per cent. And in the future, you might be able to spray it on fabric yourself. "When you're walking into a hospital, you want to know that pillow you're putting your head onto is clean," says lead author Taylor Wright, a doctoral candidate in the department of chemistry.

A water tank full of coin-sized invertebrates may not be the first thing you'd expect to see in a materials science and engineering research lab. But Eli Sone , a professor in the department of materials science and engineering in the University of Toronto's Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering and the Institute of Biomedical Engineering, and his team have been studying both zebra and quagga mussels for years in the hope that they can help solve a diverse range of challenges.

Researchers from the University of Toronto's Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering and Rice University have reported the first measurements of the ultra-low-friction behaviour of a material known as magnetene. The results point the way toward strategies for designing similar low-friction materials for use in a variety of fields, including tiny, implantable devices.

A coating developed by researchers at the University of Toronto allows for certain liquids to move across surfaces without fluid loss - and could usher in new advances in a range of fields, including medical testing. The new coating - created in the  DREAM (Durable Repellent Engineered Advanced Materials) laboratory, led by  Kevin Golovin , an assistant professor of mechanical engineering in the Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering - was inspired by the natural world.

Scientists from McGill University develop stronger and tougher glass, inspired by the inner layer of mollusk shells. Instead of shattering upon impact, the new material has the resiliency of plastic and could be used to improve cell phone screens in the future, among other applications. While techniques like tempering and laminating can help reinforce glass, they are costly and no longer work once the surface is damaged.