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When faced with the most cutting-edge problems in materials science, the 'right' research infrastructure can be as important as the quality of the scientific ideas. European researchers are being asked to consider a more inclusive way of doing science.
When polymer scientists are asked to select goals for the development of polymer nanostructures and mesoscale engineering, they find self-organization is an important task for scientists and polymers alike.
Nanocrystalline alloys with grain sizes less than 100 nanometres are very strong, but tend to fail rapidly during plastic deformation. A new composite alloy with an unusual microstructure is able to achieve high plasticity by controlling the instabilities responsible for early failure.
Should computational materials science be recognized as a field with a role in the community comparable to computational physics or chemistry? With the emergence of multiscale modelling, the answer is a resounding 'yes'.
A contact-free method for generating precise patterns in polymers is an exciting advance in soft lithography. By exploiting the interactions of two polymers with an electric field, the scale of the patterns can be reduced still further.
Owing to their exceptional stiffness and strength, some of the first materials to use them were reinforced polymer composites. As toughening agents, carbon nanotubes now face a bigger challenge — reinforcing brittle ceramics.