In addition to designing new types of functionalized RTIL molecules, we have also been making ionic polymers based on RTIL building blocks to make solid-state ionic materials with RTIL-like gas ...

Chemical vapor deposition (CVD) is a process widely used in the manufacturing of electronic and energy devices as it is able to form conducting, semiconducting and dielectric thin films. Here, in the ...

This article shows how to determine moisture diffusion coefficients in polymer thin films by measuring adsorption isotherms on the thin films in a DVS instrument. Moisture diffusion in thin polymer ...

Given that solar panels lie in direct sunlight, it goes without saying that they can get pretty hot. Unfortunately, though, they also get less efficient as they heat up. That said, a new gel could ...

The identification of the mass, morphology and molecular structure of polymeric materials (both synthetic and natural) is termed polymer characterization. These polymers are made up of chains of ...

A sponge absorbing water from the air does not at first appear to be a promising powerplant for a microactuator, let alone one that could rival the speed and power of our own muscle. A research group ...

The health of living plants could soon be reliably probed throughout their entire life cycle, thanks to recent research. In work published in Science Advances, a group from the University of ...

Researchers have developed a technique to improve the flexibility of ultra-thin electronics, such as those used in bendable devices or clothing. To do so, they used water-vapor plasma to directly bond ...

Drip feed: droplets of a low-surface-tension fluid forming on the surface of a pipe treated by iCVD. (Courtesy: K Varanasi and collegues/MIT) A new surface coating that could boost the efficiency of ...