The immense water-absorbing capacity of hydrogels has made them exciting materials in a number of fields including engineering and biotechnology. It is possible to design ‘smart’ hydrogels, where water-binding properties can be tuned by changing the environmental conditions of the hydrogel, such as by applying a voltage.
By Rebecca Ingle, Ph.D
22 Sep 2021
Arctic sea ice levels are often considered as one of the key indicators of our changing climate. A new NASA mission, ICESat-2, has set out to record this new dimension of information.
By Rebecca Ingle, Ph.D
22 Sep 2021
The impact of methane on the environment and human health is often overlooked. A quantum-enabled gas imaging system that Bristol, UK-based QLM Technology, has developed could aid accurate monitoring of this greenhouse gas.
By Ben Pilkington
21 Sep 2021
AZoOptics is taking a sector-specific look at how optic technology and research tackle key issues highlighted within the IPCC's 2018 Summary for Policymakers and 2021 Physical Science Basis reports.
By Megan Craig
21 Sep 2021
Australian laser heat treating technology pioneer, LaserBond, has just announced a $1 million technology sale to Curtin University, Western Australia. Curtin University will use LaserBond’s innovative laser metal deposition (LMD) system to advance materials development with its capacity for cutting-edge 3D metal printing, laser additive manufacturing, laser welding, and other laser cladding solutions.
The use of carbon nanotubes has exploded in recent years. Raman spectroscopy has emerged as a standard tool for establishing the various unique properties of carbon nanotubes, allowing scientists to develop their use in a growing number of applications.
By Sarah Moore
10 Sep 2021
Brillouin spectroscopy is rapidly becoming an essential complementary method to Raman spectroscopy. In this article, its current implementation and future outlook are discussed.
By Kerry Taylor-Smith
8 Sep 2021
Raman and infrared spectroscopy possess a key similarity: their ability to recover information on molecular vibrations. However, does that mean using both techniques together is redundant, or are there scenarios where this may be advantageous?
By Rebecca Ingle, Ph.D
3 Sep 2021
Hundreds of meters underwater might not seem like the natural home of a Raman spectrometer, but recent work has shown that this method's excellent analytical powers can be put to use just there.
By Rebecca Ingle, Ph.D
2 Sep 2021
With the growth of new electric vehicle developments comes the demand for new manufacturing and maintenance techniques. For this industry, one of these has been laser cleaning for EV batteries.