Strange Metals as the Key to Superconductivity

Superconductors allow electrical current to flow without any resistance – but only below a certain critical temperature. Many materials have to be cooled down to almost absolute zero, while some materials keep their superconducting properties up to much higher temperatures. How this “high-temperature superconductivity” works and how it is possible to develop new materials that Read more about Strange Metals as the Key to Superconductivity[…]

A drop of water as a model for the interplay of adhesion and stiction

Physicists at the University of Zurich have developed a system that enables them to switch back and forth the adhesion and stiction (static friction) of a water drop on a solid surface. The change in voltage is expressed macroscopically in the contact angle between the drop and the surface. This effect can be attributed to the change in Read more about A drop of water as a model for the interplay of adhesion and stiction[…]