Inspired by a deep-sea sponge, engineers at RMIT University in Melbourne have developed a new material with remarkable compressive strength and stiffness that could improve architectural and product designs. The double lattice design was inspired by the intricate skeleton of a deep-sea sponge, known as Venus’ flower basket, that lives in the Pacific Ocean. Post-doctoral … [Read more...] about Sea sponge inspires super strong compressible material
Materials
Study pinpoints weaknesses in hot water bottle design
Research from the University of Liverpool has highlighted weaknesses in the structural design of hot water bottles. Hot water bottles have been around for generations, yet there’s surprisingly little research into how they respond to external forces. However, increased reports of sudden ruptures causing burns prompted a research team from the university’s School of … [Read more...] about Study pinpoints weaknesses in hot water bottle design
Coffee concrete wins national research award
An innovative technique for turning coffee grounds into construction material has won an award at Universities Australia’s Shaping Australia Awards in the Problem Solver category, after gaining the most votes from the public. Rajeev Roychand, Professor Jie Li, associate professor Shannon Kilmartin-Lynch, Mohammad Saberian, Professor Chun Qing Li and Professor Guomin (Kevin) … [Read more...] about Coffee concrete wins national research award
How disorder toughens materials
Researchers from the University of Pennsylvania and Aarhus University have demonstrated that adding just the right amount of disorder to the structure of certain materials can make them more than twice as resistant to cracking. According to the researchers, the finding opens the door to more widespread use of so-called ‘mechanical metamaterials’, a class of materials whose … [Read more...] about How disorder toughens materials
Coffee grounds and mushroom spores can be 3D printed into a compostable alternative to plastics
Researchers at the University of Washington have developed a new system for turning coffee grounds into a paste that can be used to 3D print objects and then using mushroom spores to create a resilient, fully compostable alternative to plastic. Only 30 per cent of a coffee bean is soluble in water, and many brewing methods aim to extract significantly less than that. So, of … [Read more...] about Coffee grounds and mushroom spores can be 3D printed into a compostable alternative to plastics