Nanospirals that form as molten metals solidify could be key to new materials – and invisibility

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Funding Agency
(Funded by the Air Force Office of Scientific Research, the National Science Foundation and the U.S. Department of Energy)

This article is an interview with Ashwin Shahani, an assistant professor of materials science and engineering at the University of Michigan, whose research has revealed that an intricate and beautiful set of nanoscale rods, sheets, and spirals forms spontaneously in cooling metal alloys. His research could lead to a new generation of lightweight alloys and optical products with properties superior to monolithic materials.