Imagine a liquid that flows freely one moment, then stiffens into a near-solid the next, and then can switch back with a simple change in temperature. Researchers at the University of Chicago Pritzker ...

A small team of physicists at the University of Amsterdam has demonstrated the ability of 3D-printed particles to propel themselves across the surface of a fluid, given the right fuel. The group has ...

Materials scientists are measuring the rolling friction of tiny, micrometer-sized particles. These measurements permit them to better understand everyday products such as concrete. For the first time, ...

Scientists didn’t understand why independently oscillating microscopic particles suddenly begin moving in perfect sync when grouped together. Researchers showed that fluid-driven hydrodynamic ...

If you mix cornstarch and water in the right proportions, you get “oobleck”: something that seems not-quite-liquid but also not-quite-solid. Oobleck flows and settles like a liquid when untouched, but ...

The measuring tip of an atomic force microscope with a specially designed holder in which a spherical particle is “trapped”. Lacquers, paint, concrete—and even ketchup or orange juice: Suspensions are ...