Materials and Matter - News

Topological Materials Become Switchable

Symbolic representation of two particles with connections in between
© Raphael Bühler

Because they are extremely stable, so-called "topological states" play an important role in materials research. Now, for the first time, it has been…

Three Eyes See More than Two

a plate with three different microscopes

Researchers at TU Wien (Vienna) and FHI Berlin succeeded in monitoring a catalytic reaction with three different microscopies under exactly the same…

Designing New Quantum Materials on the Computer

two people outdoors, trees in the background
© Tommy LaVergne/Rice University)

A new design principle can now predict the properties of quantum materials that have hardly been explored so far. For the first time, a strongly…

Faster friction - less wear

[Translate to English:] Drei dreidimensionale Computerdarstellungen der Metallstruktur: Quader bestehend aus kleinen unregelmäßigen Körnchen.

A seemingly paradoxical effect: friction normally causes more damage at higher speeds. But at extremely high speeds, it is the other way around.

 

Recycling Greenhouse Gases

two people in a lab

CO2 and methane can be turned into valuable products. But until now the catalysts required for such reactions quickly lose their effectiveness. TU…

Nanoparticles can Save Historic Buildings

sandstone is being treated with a liquid substance
© Archiv der Dombauhütte St. Stephan

Buildings made of porous rock can weather over the years. Now, for the first time, scientists at TU Wien (Vienna) have studied in detail how silicate…

A Four-Stroke Engine for Atoms

Janek Wettstein and Andrei Pimenov in the lab

Switching something on and off again usually takes it back into its original state. A new magnetic material, however, has to be switched four times,…