Category Physics

Researchers at the University of Toronto’s Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering have used machine learning to design nano-architected materials that have the strength of carbon steel but the lightness of Styrofoam.

In a new paper published in Advanced Materials, a team led by Professor Tobin Filleter describes how they made nanomaterials with properties that offer a conflicting combination of exceptional strength, light weight and customizability. The approach could benefit a wide range of industries, from automotive to aerospace.

“Nano-architected materials combine high performance shapes, like making a bridge out of triangles, at nanoscale sizes, which takes advantage of the ‘smaller is stronger’ effect, to achieve some of the highest strength-to-weight and stiffness-to-we...

Researchers at the Technical University of Darmstadt and the Helmholtz Center Dresden-Rossendorf have developed flexible robot wings that are moved by magnetic fields. Inspired by the efficiency and adaptability of the wings of the monarch butterfly, they enable precise movements without electronics or batteries.

This bio-inspired development could fundamentally change environmental monitoring, rescue operations and biomedical applications.

Monarch butterflies are known for their outstanding endurance and adaptability. Every year, they cover thousands of kilometers on their migrations between Canada and Mexico. The key to this feat lies in their unique wings, which allow the insects to fly energy-efficiently through a combination of active movement and passive bending.

These ...

A team of researchers from the University of Ottawa has developed innovative methods to enhance frequency conversion of terahertz (THz) waves in graphene-based structures, unlocking new potential for faster, more efficient technologies in wireless communication and signal processing.

THz waves, located in the far-infrared region of the electromagnetic spectrum, can be used to perform non-invasive imaging through opaque materials for security and quality control applications. Additionally, these waves hold great promise for wireless communication.

Advances in THz nonlinear optics, which can be used to change the frequency of electromagnetic waves, are essential for the development of high-speed wireless communication and signal processing systems for 6G technologies and beyond.

For decades there has been near constant progress in reducing the size, and increasing the performance, of the circuits that power computers and smartphones. But Moore’s Law is ending as physical limitations – such as the number of transistors that can fit on a chip and the heat that results from packing them ever more densely – are slowing the rate of performance increases. Computing capacity is gradually plateauing, even as artificial intelligence, machine learning and other data-intensive applications demand ever greater computational power.

Novel technologies are needed to address this challenge...