Robert Palgrave
@robertpalgrave.bsky.social
Professor of Inorganic and Materials Chemistry at UCL. Director of UK National XPS Service.
...but them being hard to make means they will have to be even better at their job to make manufacture worthwhile. A difficult conundrum to solve.
To me computation seems much better as a focused tool for understanding a material of interest, rather than a discovery method.
To me computation seems much better as a focused tool for understanding a material of interest, rather than a discovery method.
May 1, 2025 at 9:47 PM
...but them being hard to make means they will have to be even better at their job to make manufacture worthwhile. A difficult conundrum to solve.
To me computation seems much better as a focused tool for understanding a material of interest, rather than a discovery method.
To me computation seems much better as a focused tool for understanding a material of interest, rather than a discovery method.
Fact is shovelling stuff into a furnace is pretty easy. And diffraction is pretty easy. That accounts for so many oxides and metal alloys being known. Typing to beat the furnace in discovering those - I'd say good luck.
Success will come from niche compounds that are hard to make
Success will come from niche compounds that are hard to make
May 1, 2025 at 9:47 PM
Fact is shovelling stuff into a furnace is pretty easy. And diffraction is pretty easy. That accounts for so many oxides and metal alloys being known. Typing to beat the furnace in discovering those - I'd say good luck.
Success will come from niche compounds that are hard to make
Success will come from niche compounds that are hard to make
As far as I know, none of those kinds of materials can be discovered with current ab initio methods. But even the material types that are idealised for computation - crystalline, simple composition, no disorder... are there examples of these discoveries led by computation? I'd say not many.
May 1, 2025 at 9:47 PM
As far as I know, none of those kinds of materials can be discovered with current ab initio methods. But even the material types that are idealised for computation - crystalline, simple composition, no disorder... are there examples of these discoveries led by computation? I'd say not many.
I'd also note the original table was about materials discovery specifically, not calculation in general.
Materials can be non crystalline, or composite, or nanoscale, or have texture, impurities, or compositional disorder. In fact most useful materials fall into at least one of those.
Materials can be non crystalline, or composite, or nanoscale, or have texture, impurities, or compositional disorder. In fact most useful materials fall into at least one of those.
May 1, 2025 at 9:47 PM
I'd also note the original table was about materials discovery specifically, not calculation in general.
Materials can be non crystalline, or composite, or nanoscale, or have texture, impurities, or compositional disorder. In fact most useful materials fall into at least one of those.
Materials can be non crystalline, or composite, or nanoscale, or have texture, impurities, or compositional disorder. In fact most useful materials fall into at least one of those.
to a high degree without computational theory (meaning an ab initio) Examples are all the proteins and enzymes Hodgkin solved, all the structures Braggs solved, all the organic molecules that were essentially solved before even diffraction (Kekule - even if some had to rely on dreams)
May 1, 2025 at 9:47 PM
to a high degree without computational theory (meaning an ab initio) Examples are all the proteins and enzymes Hodgkin solved, all the structures Braggs solved, all the organic molecules that were essentially solved before even diffraction (Kekule - even if some had to rely on dreams)
The table is tongue in cheek for sure... and of course we need both experiment and computational theory.
I would also say although there can be no observation without theory (theory in the most general sense) - in materials science it is quite possible to work out 'what this stuff is'...
I would also say although there can be no observation without theory (theory in the most general sense) - in materials science it is quite possible to work out 'what this stuff is'...
May 1, 2025 at 9:47 PM
The table is tongue in cheek for sure... and of course we need both experiment and computational theory.
I would also say although there can be no observation without theory (theory in the most general sense) - in materials science it is quite possible to work out 'what this stuff is'...
I would also say although there can be no observation without theory (theory in the most general sense) - in materials science it is quite possible to work out 'what this stuff is'...
Add to cv anyway
April 16, 2025 at 7:27 PM
Add to cv anyway
You can select the style, it can be anything! Gospel, prog rock, nasheed... In any language too...you just enter the lyrics and describe the style.
The website isn't specifically for academic papers, but maybe we can create a new genre!
The website isn't specifically for academic papers, but maybe we can create a new genre!
January 9, 2025 at 9:08 AM
You can select the style, it can be anything! Gospel, prog rock, nasheed... In any language too...you just enter the lyrics and describe the style.
The website isn't specifically for academic papers, but maybe we can create a new genre!
The website isn't specifically for academic papers, but maybe we can create a new genre!
Yes very much agree, but I think electroboom had the better video on this one topic
December 29, 2024 at 1:19 PM
Yes very much agree, but I think electroboom had the better video on this one topic
How Wrong Is VERITASIUM? A Lamp and Power Line Story
YouTube video by ElectroBOOM
youtu.be
December 29, 2024 at 10:50 AM
The Big Misconception About Electricity
YouTube video by Veritasium
youtu.be
December 29, 2024 at 10:30 AM
Facts are invented not discovered
December 29, 2024 at 10:05 AM
Facts are invented not discovered
It's always been clear most out-and-out racists voted Tory. I'd always wondered what would happen if their votes were subtracted. Last GE we found out.
If left is reasonably united Tories can't win without the Reform vote. That's why they are scrabbling to the right.
If left is reasonably united Tories can't win without the Reform vote. That's why they are scrabbling to the right.
December 28, 2024 at 9:00 PM
It's always been clear most out-and-out racists voted Tory. I'd always wondered what would happen if their votes were subtracted. Last GE we found out.
If left is reasonably united Tories can't win without the Reform vote. That's why they are scrabbling to the right.
If left is reasonably united Tories can't win without the Reform vote. That's why they are scrabbling to the right.
I do appreciate all your replies and definitely not tl;dr!
Happy Christmas!
Happy Christmas!
December 25, 2024 at 5:12 PM
I do appreciate all your replies and definitely not tl;dr!
Happy Christmas!
Happy Christmas!
These are the people I'm replying to. Their mental model is that all the IR is absorbed as pure CO2 does in a short tube because if its high attenuation. It *is* a superficially convicting argument.
By showing that some IR is escaping earth that proves that model is wrong.
By showing that some IR is escaping earth that proves that model is wrong.
December 25, 2024 at 5:12 PM
These are the people I'm replying to. Their mental model is that all the IR is absorbed as pure CO2 does in a short tube because if its high attenuation. It *is* a superficially convicting argument.
By showing that some IR is escaping earth that proves that model is wrong.
By showing that some IR is escaping earth that proves that model is wrong.
Thanks for all these helpful posts.
I do think this that when laymen deniers use 'saturated' they mean it in a different sense. They mean all the IR is absorbed by CO2 and none is left to absorb, based on simple ideas about absorption coefficients.
E.g. these replies on twitter
I do think this that when laymen deniers use 'saturated' they mean it in a different sense. They mean all the IR is absorbed by CO2 and none is left to absorb, based on simple ideas about absorption coefficients.
E.g. these replies on twitter
December 25, 2024 at 5:12 PM
Thanks for all these helpful posts.
I do think this that when laymen deniers use 'saturated' they mean it in a different sense. They mean all the IR is absorbed by CO2 and none is left to absorb, based on simple ideas about absorption coefficients.
E.g. these replies on twitter
I do think this that when laymen deniers use 'saturated' they mean it in a different sense. They mean all the IR is absorbed by CO2 and none is left to absorb, based on simple ideas about absorption coefficients.
E.g. these replies on twitter