The melting of materials seems like a simple phenomenon. However, when their thickness is reduced to just a few atoms, ...

PROVIDENCE, R.I. [Brown University] -- In 1972, physicists J. Michael Kosterlitz and David Thouless published a groundbreaking theory of how phase changes could occur in two-dimensional materials.

Physicists have finally filmed a crystal as it melts and discovered that, under the right conditions, it refuses to behave ...

Hong Kong scientists bridged the gap between sci-fi and real life after creating a robot that can transform from solid to liquid like a real-life T-1000 robot from “Terminator 2.” A study detailing ...

New research offers clearer insight into how phase transitions unfold at the atomic scale in real materials. When ice turns into water, the change happens almost instantly. Once the melting ...

Shape-shifting liquid metal robots might not be limited to science fiction anymore. Miniature machines can switch from solid to liquid and back again to squeeze into tight spaces and perform tasks ...

The key ingredient is gallium, a metal that has a very low melting point of just under 30 °C (86 °F), with magnetic particles embedded in it. The idea is that the MPTM robots remain solid at room ...

In 1842, the famous British researcher Michael Faraday made an amazing observation by chance: A thin layer of water forms on the surface of ice, even though it is well below zero degrees. So the ...

Scientists have observed transitions into and out of an exotic state of matter found between liquid and solid in 2-D materials (Sci. Rep. 2021, DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-80082-x). The hexatic phase ...

A new study helps to reconcile a Nobel Prize-winning theory with experiments on how solids actually melt. In 1972, physicists J. Michael Kosterlitz and David Thouless published a groundbreaking theory ...