Laurie Winkless

Understanding how biocomposites degrade in sunlight

Choosing the right natural fibre can have a big impact Bio-based composite materials have been used since time immemorial – at various points in history, homes, infrastructure and tools have all been constructed from clays and stones combined with…

Colorful films stretch back to the 19th century

Imagine stretching a piece of film to reveal a hidden message. Or checking an arm band’s color to gauge muscle mass. Or sporting a swimsuit that changes hue as you do laps. Such chameleon-like, color-shifting materials could now be on the horizon,…

Crumbling Away: How Climate Change Could Accelerate Corrosion

Critical pieces of infrastructure may fail sooner in the coming decades, warns study ivil infrastructure is increasingly vulnerable to the effects of climate change. The floods of 2021 saw cities including London, Zhengzhou, and New York temporarily…

Monitoring greenhouse gases using graphene

Photoelectric detector could be a low-cost route to detecting atmospheric pollutants “Climate change is widespread, rapid, and intensifying”, wrote the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) in August 2021. The only way to limit its impact…

Paper-based graphene biosensor for urine testing

Your next medical test could be biodegradable Throughout history, paper has been used in a wide variety of applications – it’s the perfect substrate for paints and inks, a key ingredient in construction materials, and the basis of many products used…

We Are Not Doing Enough To Make Our Cities Healthier

International team of scientists urge action at all levels of society Last year, I interviewed Distinguished Professor Billie Giles-Corti, Director of the Healthy Liveable Cities Lab, for a piece on walkability. During our conversation, she mentioned…

Large-scale friction bearing inspires novel nanogenerator design

Tribologists boost power output by keeping friction low Friction and triboelectricity may seem inseparable – after all, the triboelectric effect can also be described as contact electrification, i.e. “the transfer of electronic charge between two…

Harvesting electricity from seawater can be sweet

Sugarcane-based generator could power electronic devices For more than a century, generating electricity was an inherently polluting exercise, involving the burning of coal and gas to heat water, which in turn, powers steam turbines. In more recent…

Biodegradable electronic devices for wildlife conservation and lifestock management thanks to clever proteins

News MBIE funds research into a new generation of Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tags. In 2019, the world’s mountain of electronic waste, or e-waste, reached its peak-to-date: 53.6 million metric tons, equivalent to the mass of 150 Empire…

Producing technology-critical materials for a low-emission future

News MacDiarmid Institute scientists try to tip the carbon balance in NZ’s favour. Across the world, numerous countries have developed lists of ‘critical minerals’ – materials that are of strategic importance to that economy, because of how and where…

Rethinking Our Cities To Tackle Climate Change

We are living in a climate crisis, and the time for action is now. That was the rather sobering headline that accompanied the publication of the latest report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). Written by 278 experts,…

Triboelectric nanogenerator for shoulder rehabilitation

It provides support for the wearer while also generating power Patients living with shoulder related musculoskeletal impairments – originating from chronic conditions or acute events such as injury or stroke – rely on both passive supports and…

Imaging Technologies Are Transforming The Way We Inspect Infrastructure

Could cameras make inspection safer and more efficient? Roads, pavements, railway lines, sewer systems, water mains, electricity supplies, internet cables…. The modern world relies on a lot of physical infrastructure. Keeping each of these critical…

What Impact Has The Pandemic Had On Mass Transit?

Ridership figures still lag behind 2019 How has your commute changed since the onset of the COVD-19 pandemic? Maybe your employer followed health advice and encouraged you to work from home for a time; you might still be doing it now. Maybe you’re an…

Carbon fibre-rubber composite shows potential for use in space

Researchers claim it could outperform commercial thermal interface materials Every spacecraft ever launched has been designed with thermal management in mind. From passive systems like heat sinks, insulation and coatings, to active systems such as…

Tracking Coronavirus Via The Sewer System

Wastewater samples are being used to track the spread of SARS-CoV-2 It’s sometimes called ‘wastewater-based epidemiology’ (WBE) – a scientific and public health field that involves detecting and monitoring specific molecules in untreated wastewater,…

Why ‘Leaves On The Line’ Cause Problems For Trains

Rail commuters might laugh, but slippery rails are no joke. It’s officially autumn in the Northern Hemisphere, which for many people means a return to darker evenings, cozy knitwear, hot chocolate, and pumpkin-spiced everything.* But for those who…

2D hybrid material rejects ions from seawater

Solar evaporation gets a boost from 2D materials ‘Water, water, everywhere, nor any drop to drink.’ These famous lines, written by poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge in 1797, still perfectly summarise the salty, undrinkable nature of seawater. But with the…

The Roaring Game

It was the sound I noticed first. A dull, distinctive roar. As I looked down at the rink’s four long sheets of ice, the source of the sound — a grey stone with a bright yellow handle — slid into view. Rotating slowly, it was headed toward a blue and…

Layers of London

London is an ever-evolving metropolis. Continuously occupied for close to 2000 years, the city is one of Europe’s oldest capitals, and it has been shaped and reshaped to fit the changing needs of its inhabitants. Once confined to a footprint of one…