ScienceDaily (July 7, 2008):
Scientists at CNRS-affiliated laboratories(1) in Bordeaux, Lyon and Paris have provided the first proof that amorphous materials, also known as soft glasses, deform and flow through a collective movement of their particles. These materials (which include chocolate mousse, shaving cream, mayonnaise, metallic glasses, granular materials and mud) are amorphous solids, in other words, they are resistant like solids but, like liquids, lack a crystalline structure. This discovery, published in the journal Nature, should make it possible to better understand deformation and fracturing in metallic glasses(2) and the spreading of thin layers of fragile materials (such as face creams) used in the cosmetics, food-processing and lubrication industries.
Monday, July 14, 2008
Amorphous Materials: How Some Solids Flow Like Liquids
ScienceDaily (July 7, 2008):
Scientists at CNRS-affiliated laboratories(1) in Bordeaux, Lyon and Paris have provided the first proof that amorphous materials, also known as soft glasses, deform and flow through a collective movement of their particles. These materials (which include chocolate mousse, shaving cream, mayonnaise, metallic glasses, granular materials and mud) are amorphous solids, in other words, they are resistant like solids but, like liquids, lack a crystalline structure. This discovery, published in the journal Nature, should make it possible to better understand deformation and fracturing in metallic glasses(2) and the spreading of thin layers of fragile materials (such as face creams) used in the cosmetics, food-processing and lubrication industries.
