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Scientists Seek Materials That Defy Friction at the Atomic Level

August 2019

Force Chain Lattice

Aug 5, 2019

Researchers Forecast Failure in Disordered Materials

Physicists forecasted likely points of failure in two-dimensional disordered laser-cut lattices without needing to study detailed states of the material.
water droplets on a reflective surface

Aug 2, 2019

Self-Sterilizing Polymer Proves Effective Against Drug-Resistant Pathogens

Researchers have found an elastic polymer that possesses broad-spectrum antimicrobial properties, allowing it to kill a range of viruses and drug-resistant bacteria in just minutes.

Aug 2, 2019

Sulfonated Polymer Kills Drug-Resistant Microbes in Minutes

Chemistry World
After recent outbreaks of superbugs like MRSA, antimicrobial coatings have gained increasing attention as a potential way to sterilise surfaces and stop the transmission of pathogens. A team of researchers, led by Richard Spontak and Reza Ghiladi at North Carolina State University, has now discovered that Nexar, a polymer used for water treatment and high performance breathable clothing, could act as an antimicrobial surface.
Melissa Ramirez, smiling in a floral shirt in front of a red and yellow wall.

Aug 1, 2019

Meet DELTA Faculty Fellow Melissa Ramirez

Melissa Ramirez of the Department of Biological Sciences is making strides to implement universal design in online learning and ensure that all students have the opportunity to succeed.
a rocky plain with a star rising above the horizon

Aug 1, 2019

The Uncertainty of Detecting Planets

Planetary geologist Paul Byrne explains how uncertainty can help improve our knowledge of the natural world and tell us what questions to ask next.
The red belltower looms over campus.

Aug 1, 2019

NC State Chemist Earns $1.5 Million Research Grant to Study Next-Generation Quantum Systems

A team led by David Shulz has earned a major grant from the Department of Energy for research that has potential impacts on computing, networking and sensing.

Aug 1, 2019

Scientists Seek Materials That Defy Friction at the Atomic Level

Science NewsIn the quest to tweak materials to adjust friction, scientists have been making steady progress, but it’s not so easy to draw direct connections between the physics of big and small. In her lab at North Carolina State University in Raleigh, Krim says she can adjust atomic properties of materials and study what happens. But in general, the two worlds are separated by a tough-to-penetrate forest. “There are some foot trails that have connected up,” she says. But “there is still some bushwhacking” to do.