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Environment - Materials Science - 28.08.2023 
Inspiration from spider webs and beetles to harvest fresh water from thin air
The proposed freshwater generation systems are inexpensive, energy-efficient, and environmentally friendly A team of researchers is designing novel systems to capture water vapour in the air and turn it into liquid. University of Waterloo professor Michael Tam and his PhD students Yi Wang and Weinan Zhao have developed sponges or membranes with a large surface area that continually capture moisture from their surrounding environment.
Electroengineering - Materials Science - 03.05.2023
Materials Science - Microtechnics - 24.04.2023
Chemistry - Materials Science - 12.04.2023 
More efficient perovskite solar cell
A team of researchers from the University of Toronto has created a triple-junction perovskite solar cell with record efficiency by overcoming a key limitation of previous designs. The prototype represents a significant advance in the development of low-cost alternatives to silicon-based solar cells, which are the current industry standard.
Materials Science - Innovation - 14.03.2023 
University of Toronto researchers advance metal 3D printing technology for automotive, energy and biomedical applications
A team of University of Toronto researchers, led by Professor Yu Zou in the Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering, is working to advance the field of metal additive manufacturing at the university's first metal 3D printing laboratory.
Chemistry - Materials Science - 23.02.2023 
Researchers enhance durability of low-cost solar cells made from nano-sized crystals
An international team of researchers has developed a new technique to enhance the durability of inverted perovskite solar cells - an important step toward commercialization of an emerging photovoltaic technology that could significantly reduce the cost of solar energy. Unlike traditional solar cells, which are made from wafers of extremely high-purity silicon, perovskite solar cells are built from nano-sized crystals.
Materials Science - Physics - 07.02.2023 
AI used to discover clean energy materials ’faster and more efficiently’
Researchers at the University of Toronto have developed a method of harnessing artificial intelligence to discover new and more efficient materials for clean energy technology. A team led by Alex Voznyy , an assistant professor in the department of physical and environmental sciences at University of Toronto Scarborough, used machine learning to significantly speed up the amount of time needed to find new materials with desired properties.
Materials Science - Environment - 30.01.2023
Materials Science - 24.10.2022 
Penguin feathers may hold an effective anti-icing solution
McGill University research team develops chemical-free solution that could be used to de-ice electrical wires, wind turbines and even airplane wings In 1998, ice build-up on electrical towers and wires caused the ice storm that paralyzed eastern Canada and the northeastern United States, leaving many people in the dark and cold for days and even weeks.
Materials Science - Chemistry - 14.06.2022 
A biological super glue from mistletoe berries?
Each mistletoe berry can produce up to two metres of a gluey thread called viscin. It allows the seeds of this parasitic plant to stick to and infect host plants. Since ancient times, mistletoe berries have been explored as treatments for everything from infertility and epilepsy to cancer. But, until now, no one has fully investigated the potential medical or technical uses of the glue itself.
Materials Science - Chemistry - 09.06.2022 
Researchers envision wood-derived, self-powered biosensors for wireless devices
Wood-derived materials can be used to harvest electrical energy from everyday movements such as walking, according to University of Toronto and University of Waterloo researchers. In a new study recently published in Nano Energy , the team demonstrated the use of lignocellulosic nanofibrils - derived from tree bark - in a prototype self-powered device capable of sending a wireless signal to a smartphone via bluetooth.
Physics - Materials Science - 09.05.2022
Materials Science - 11.04.2022
Health - Materials Science - 10.02.2022 
Futuristic coating for hospital fabrics and activewear kills COVID and E. coli
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.
Materials Science - Health - 17.01.2022 
Why are zebra mussels so sticky? Study could lead to new industrial coatings, medical adhesives
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.
Physics - Materials Science - 23.11.2021 
Graphene-like 2D material leverages quantum effects to achieve ultra-low friction
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.
Materials Science - Campus - 25.10.2021 
Nature-inspired coatings could power lab-on-a-chip devices for rapid, inexpensive medical tests
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.
Materials Science - Innovation - 28.09.2021 
Unbreakable glass inspired by seashells
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.
Materials Science
Results 1 - 18 of 18.
The proposed freshwater generation systems are inexpensive, energy-efficient, and environmentally friendly A team of researchers is designing novel systems to capture water vapour in the air and turn it into liquid. University of Waterloo professor Michael Tam and his PhD students Yi Wang and Weinan Zhao have developed sponges or membranes with a large surface area that continually capture moisture from their surrounding environment.
Engineers tap into good vibrations to power the Internet of Things
May 3, 2023 New material converts vibrations into electricity In a world hungry for clean energy, engineers have created a new material that converts the simple mechanical vibrations all around us into electricity to power sensors in everything from pacemakers to spacecraft. The first of its kind and the product of a decade of work by researchers at the University of Waterloo and the University of Toronto, the novel generating system is compact, reliable, low-cost and very, very green.
May 3, 2023 New material converts vibrations into electricity In a world hungry for clean energy, engineers have created a new material that converts the simple mechanical vibrations all around us into electricity to power sensors in everything from pacemakers to spacecraft. The first of its kind and the product of a decade of work by researchers at the University of Waterloo and the University of Toronto, the novel generating system is compact, reliable, low-cost and very, very green.
New programmable smart fabric responds to temperature and electricity
April 24, 2023 Unique smart fabric is the first to change both colour and shape in response to two different stimuli A new smart material developed by researchers at the University of Waterloo is activated by both heat and electricity, making it the first ever to respond to two different stimuli. The unique design paves the way for a wide variety of potential applications, including clothing that warms up while you walk from the car to the office in winter and vehicle bumpers that return to their original shape after a collision.
April 24, 2023 Unique smart fabric is the first to change both colour and shape in response to two different stimuli A new smart material developed by researchers at the University of Waterloo is activated by both heat and electricity, making it the first ever to respond to two different stimuli. The unique design paves the way for a wide variety of potential applications, including clothing that warms up while you walk from the car to the office in winter and vehicle bumpers that return to their original shape after a collision.
A team of researchers from the University of Toronto has created a triple-junction perovskite solar cell with record efficiency by overcoming a key limitation of previous designs. The prototype represents a significant advance in the development of low-cost alternatives to silicon-based solar cells, which are the current industry standard.
A team of University of Toronto researchers, led by Professor Yu Zou in the Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering, is working to advance the field of metal additive manufacturing at the university's first metal 3D printing laboratory.
An international team of researchers has developed a new technique to enhance the durability of inverted perovskite solar cells - an important step toward commercialization of an emerging photovoltaic technology that could significantly reduce the cost of solar energy. Unlike traditional solar cells, which are made from wafers of extremely high-purity silicon, perovskite solar cells are built from nano-sized crystals.
Researchers at the University of Toronto have developed a method of harnessing artificial intelligence to discover new and more efficient materials for clean energy technology. A team led by Alex Voznyy , an assistant professor in the department of physical and environmental sciences at University of Toronto Scarborough, used machine learning to significantly speed up the amount of time needed to find new materials with desired properties.
Coating that prevents synthetic fabrics from shedding harmful microplastics in the wash
A team of researchers at the University of Toronto have designed a solution to reduce the amount of microplastic fibres shed when washing synthetic fabrics. In a world swamped by fast fashion - an industry that produces a high-volume of cheaply made clothing at an immense cost to the environment - more than two thirds of clothes are now made of synthetic fabrics, such as nylon, polyester, acrylic and rayon.
A team of researchers at the University of Toronto have designed a solution to reduce the amount of microplastic fibres shed when washing synthetic fabrics. In a world swamped by fast fashion - an industry that produces a high-volume of cheaply made clothing at an immense cost to the environment - more than two thirds of clothes are now made of synthetic fabrics, such as nylon, polyester, acrylic and rayon.
McGill University research team develops chemical-free solution that could be used to de-ice electrical wires, wind turbines and even airplane wings In 1998, ice build-up on electrical towers and wires caused the ice storm that paralyzed eastern Canada and the northeastern United States, leaving many people in the dark and cold for days and even weeks.
Each mistletoe berry can produce up to two metres of a gluey thread called viscin. It allows the seeds of this parasitic plant to stick to and infect host plants. Since ancient times, mistletoe berries have been explored as treatments for everything from infertility and epilepsy to cancer. But, until now, no one has fully investigated the potential medical or technical uses of the glue itself.
Wood-derived materials can be used to harvest electrical energy from everyday movements such as walking, according to University of Toronto and University of Waterloo researchers. In a new study recently published in Nano Energy , the team demonstrated the use of lignocellulosic nanofibrils - derived from tree bark - in a prototype self-powered device capable of sending a wireless signal to a smartphone via bluetooth.
Unusual quantum state of matter observed for the first time at UdeM
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.
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.
Are more protective masks less comfortable? Not as long as they fit properly
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.
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.
