Last Summer, researchers at Northwestern University set an unusual record: They created a material with the highest-ever ratio of surface to volume. A teaspoon's worth could hold the equivalent of eight tightly folded football fields. Such improbable materials could help us store methane far more efficiently, the researchers said, but they also represent the latest advance in the ancient struggle to do more with less. Surfaces are extremely useful, after all. They can hold energy, as in the case of batteries, or convey information or soak up light. But they also take up a lot of space. They can be heavy. Large surfaces, such as giant solar cells, are hard to maneuver. How can we have the best of both worlds? Along at least five dimensions.
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