Communicating science through visualization

For the next big breakthroughs, scientists are thinking small — really small. Researchers at The University of Texas at Austin, US, are applying nanotechnology to develop new uses for molybdenum disulfide, currently used as a lubricant and in petroleum refining. The illustration shows a close-up view of multilayered molybdenum disulfide. To the left is the structure of the compound, and to the far right a compressed version. Scientists use visualizations at the molecular scale shown here to engineer new materials. In this case, the researchers found molybdenum disulfide has high conductivity, useful for new transistors in more powerful computers and cell phones. Image courtesy Texas Advanced Computing Center.