Subscribe now

Physics

Springs made from rusty metallic glass could power nanorobots

Most metals oxidise, or rust, when exposed to air, which normally weakens them, but a kind of metallic glass instead gets more springy

By Alex Wilkins

28 December 2023

Tiny springs made from metallic glass

Fucheng Li et al

Tiny tubes of rusty glass are surprisingly springy, which could prove useful in powering nanorobotic devices.

Read more

Why nature is the ultimate quantum engineer

Most metals oxidise when left in the air – when this happens in iron, it is called rusting – which can change their properties, such as making them more brittle or less dense.

Yong Yang at City University of Hong Kong and his colleagues found that when they oxidised copper and zirconium nanotubes of metallic glass, which…

Sign up to our weekly newsletter

Receive a weekly dose of discovery in your inbox! We'll also keep you up to date with New Scientist events and special offers.

Sign up

To continue reading, subscribe today with our introductory offers

View introductory offers

No commitment, cancel anytime*

Offer ends 2nd of July 2024.

*Cancel anytime within 14 days of payment to receive a refund on unserved issues.

Inclusive of applicable taxes (VAT)

or

Existing subscribers

Sign in to your account

More from New Scientist

Explore the latest news, articles and features

Popular articles

Trending New Scientist articles

1

Sulphur dioxide from Iceland volcano eruption has reached the UK

2

Mathematician wins 2024 Abel prize for making sense of randomness

3

Extinct freshwater dolphin from the Amazon was largest of all time

4

Largest recorded solar storm was even bigger than we thought

5

Medieval horses buried in London had far-flung origins

6

Is the truth out there? Yes, but it doesn't involve aliens

7

Why 2024 Abel prize winner Michel Talagrand became a mathematician

8

Ancient campsite may show how humans survived volcanic super-eruption

9

Pneumonia in China: Everything we know so far about mystery illness

10

NASA's mission to Europa isn't meant to find alien life - but it could