Structural materials articles within Nature

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  • Letter |

    The transition between ‘static’ and ‘dynamic’ friction in a model system is found to be quantitatively captured by the same theoretical framework as is used to describe brittle fracture, but deviations from this correspondence are observed as the rupture velocity approaches the speed at which sound waves propagate along the interface.

    • Ilya Svetlizky
    •  & Jay Fineberg

  • Letter |

    There are many uses for surfaces that can stay dry, self-clean or resist icing, and many applications benefit from minimizing the contact time between a surface and any drops that may come into contact with it; drops are now shown to bounce off faster when using a superhydrophobic surface with a morphology that redistributes the liquid mass so that the centre of the drop assists in the recoil.

    • James C. Bird
    • , Rajeev Dhiman
    •  & Kripa K. Varanasi

  • Letter |

    The enhanced reversibility (stable transition temperature even at high strain under a solid-to-solid phase transition), low hysteresis and unusual riverine microstructure (ranging through thermal cycles) of the martensitic material Zn45Au30Cu25 makes it attractive for applications from eco-friendly fridges to medical sensors.

    • Yintao Song
    • , Xian Chen
    •  & Richard D. James

  • Letter |

    Molten oxide electrolysis is considered a promising route for extractive metallurgy with much reduced carbon dioxide emissions relative to traditional routes; now a new chromium-based alloy has been developed for use as an oxygen evolving anode that remains stable in the high-temperature corrosive conditions found during iron production via electrolysis.

    • Antoine Allanore
    • , Lan Yin
    •  & Donald R. Sadoway

  • Letter |

    Quantum mechanical calculations reveal a surprising strain-stiffening phenomenon in two crystalline solids, one of which is cementite, a precipitate found in carbon steels.

    • Chao Jiang
    •  & Srivilliputhur G. Srinivasan

  • Outlook |

    Throughout history, gold has been prized around the world and eagerly sought. But where does it come from, and where does it all go? By Neil Savage.

    • Neil Savage

  • Outlook |

    The same property that gives stained glass windows their sublime beauty is being crafted in the latest nanophotonic technologies, says Anatoly V. Zayats.

    • Anatoly V. Zayats

  • Outlook |

    Invisibly small particles of gold can be used to manipulate the properties of light.

    • Neil Savage

  • Outlook |

    Gold can speed up a multitude of chemical reactions — so why isn't it widely used in industry?

    • Mark Peplow

  • Outlook |

    High gold prices are making it worthwhile to look for gold in some unusual places.

    • Brian Owens

  • Outlook |

    Prized for their versatility, optical properties and safety, gold nanoparticles are helping to image, diagnose and treat disease.

    • Karen Weintraub

  • News & Views |

    Hydrogels have many potential applications, but their mechanical strength is low. By simultaneously crosslinking two kinds of polymers in different ways, a highly fracture-resistant hydrogel has been made. See Letter p.133

    • Kenneth R. Shull

  • News Feature |

    Mechanical instability is usually a problem that engineers try to avoid. But now some are using it to fold, stretch and crumple materials in remarkable ways.

    • Kim Krieger

  • Letter |

    First principles calculations of the thermal and electrical conductivities of liquid iron mixtures under Earth's core conditions suggest a relatively high adiabatic heat flux of 15 to16 terawatts at the core–mantle boundary, indicating that the top of the core must be thermally stratified.

    • Monica Pozzo
    • , Chris Davies
    •  & Dario Alfè

  • Letter |

    Spider web deformation simulations, theory and experiments reveal how the nonlinear response of spider silk to strain and the discrete geometry of a web contribute to its robustness, integrity and performance.

    • Steven W. Cranford
    • , Anna Tarakanova
    •  & Markus J. Buehler

  • Letter |

    From earthquakes to hard drives, frictional motion and its strength are involved in a wide range of phenomena. The strength of an interface that divides two sliding bodies is determined by both the real contact area and the contacts' shear strength. By continuous measurements of the concurrent local evolution of the real contact area and the corresponding interface motion from the first microseconds when contact detachment occurs, frictional strength is now characterized from short to long timescales.

    • Oded Ben-David
    • , Shmuel M. Rubinstein
    •  & Jay Fineberg

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