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New first-principles calculations reveal the range of atomic arrangements underlying the average crystallographic structure of a perovskite oxide, PZT. This work opens the door to understanding the exceptional physical behaviour of PZT and related systems.
The electronic properties of carbon nanotubes are predicted to be very sensitive to their structure. Combining high-resolution electron microscopy with electrical transport provides both confirmation of this and new insights into the transport mechanisms.
The ability to tune the properties of disordered materials is reaching new levels. Experiments with colloidal systems, combined with theoretical predictions, may lead to the design of novel soft materials and to a deeper understanding of the glass and gel states of matter.
The verdict returned by an inquiry into scientific misconduct by Bell Labs researchers left many in the community feeling stunned. Where do we go from here?
Why use a lens to build a light microscope when you can see better without one? State-of-the-art optical microscopy techniques that avoid the usual limitations associated with lenses are making waves in unexpected areas of materials science.
The structure of glass is not as untidy as one would think. It has some degree of order intermediate between a liquid and a crystal. A new method allows control of this intermediate range order and improves our understanding of glass structures.
A century-old puzzle on the apparent contradiction that some materials disorder as they are cooled gains universality following new observations of closed-loop phase behaviour in a block-copolymer system.
A transmission electron microscope capable of identifying individual atoms or defects in a crystal lattice has much to offer materials scientists. It has now been used to study the early stages of nanocluster nucleation and growth in semiconductors.
