Glassy state: a new field theory describes amorphous materials such as glass beads. (Courtesy: iStock/schmidt-z) Many common materials such as glass, compacted sand and toothpaste have a solid’s ...

Researchers explain the distinctive low-temperature thermal properties of glasses using molecular dynamics simulations. By focusing on string-like defects, they were able to create a unified ...

Glassy states represent a fascinating class of disordered materials in which atoms or molecules are frozen into non-crystalline arrangements. Their vibrational properties differ markedly from those of ...

In a crystalline solid, the atoms form an ordered lattice. Crystalline solids respond elastically to small deformations: When the applied strain is removed, the macroscopic stress, as well as the ...

Researchers have developed a new method for understanding the structure organization of disordered materials fundamentally different from previous geometric approaches of ordered crystals. This ...

For a long time, it was thought that amorphous solids do not selectively absorb light because of their disordered atomic structure. However, a new uOttawa study disproves this theory and shows that ...

Material engineers and scientists have long wanted to understand the atomic structures of amorphous solids such as glass, rubber and plastics more fully. Unlike the structures of crystalline materials ...

Low-temperature properties of crystalline solids can be understood using harmonic perturbations around a perfect lattice, as in Debye’s theory. Low-temperature properties of amorphous solids, however, ...

Scientists at EPFL and AstraZeneca have developed a method to map the atomic-level structure of amorphous drugs, demonstrated on a GLP-1 receptor agonist candidate for diabetes and obesity treatment.

One of the most important things to know regarding fused silica and quartz is that they both primarily consist of silica, also known as silicon dioxide. Silica is the primary constituent of most types ...