A new method of discovering materials using data analytics and electron microscopy has found a new class of extremely hard alloys. Such materials could potentially withstand severe impact from projectiles, thereby providing better protection of soldiers in combat. Researchers from Lehigh University describe the method and findings in an article, “Materials Informatics For the Screening…

As an embryo develops, tissues bend into complex three-dimensional shapes that lead to organs. Epithelial cells are the building blocks of this process forming, for example, the outer layer of skin. They also line the blood vessels and organs of all animals. These cells pack together tightly. To accommodate the curving that occurs during embryonic…

Nanostructures are the holy grail of new materials. The wonder material graphene, for example, is a single layer of carbon atoms arranged in a hexagonal pattern that, because of its conductivity, flexibility, transparency and strength, has the potential to create more efficient solar cells, smaller and faster electric circuits and microchips, transparent displays, and high…

The ability to harness light into an intense beam of monochromatic radiation in a laser has revolutionized the way we live and work for more than fifty years. Among its many applications are ultrafast and high-capacity data communications, manufacturing, surgery, barcode scanners, printers, self-driving technology and spectacular laser light displays. Lasers also find a home…

They may be tiny and invisible, says Xiaoji Xu, but the aerosol particles suspended in gases play a role in cloud formation and environmental pollution and can be detrimental to human health. Aerosol particles, which are found in haze, dust and vehicle exhaust, measure in the microns. One micron is one-millionth of a meter; a thin…

It is easy to speculate why fish might swim in schools — better protection from predators, improved foraging capability, easier fish-to-fish communication. Yet, none of these reveal why fish might move together in a specific pattern. Research on the energetics of schools of fish offers counter-intuitive data–the group patterns do not necessarily maximize energy use.…

The life of a watershed is complex. The watershed is the area of land separating the smaller water flows that feed into a larger, common outlet–like a river, lake or ocean. As such, it is often home to a variety of wildlife, as well as subject to agricultural and recreational uses. From this complicated ecosystem,…

Once the preferred weapon of B-movie madmen and space-fiction heroes alike, the laser — a device that generates an intense beam of coherent electromagnetic radiation by stimulating the emission of photons from excited atoms or molecules — has grown a bit domesticated of late. These days, it has a steady job in industry, and spends…

Charles McLaren, a doctoral student in materials science and engineering at Lehigh University, arrived last fall for his semester of research at the University of Marburg in Germany with his language skills significantly lagging behind his scientific prowess. “It was my first trip to Germany, and I barely spoke a word of German,” he confessed. The…