van der Waals

American  

[van-der wawlz, wahlz] / ˈvæn dər ˌwɔlz, ˌwɑlz /

noun

1. Johannes Diderik, 1837–1923, Dutch theoretical physicist; Nobel Prize 1910.

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adjective

1. Also van der Waals'. of or relating to the equation or forces associated with the work of Johannes van der Waals.

van der Waals British  

/ vɑn dər ˈwaːls /

noun

1. Johannes Diderik (joːˈhɑnəs ˈdiːdərik). 1837–1923, Dutch physicist, noted for his research on the equations of state of gases and liquids: Nobel prize for physics in 1910

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van der Waals Scientific  

/ văn′dərwôlz′ /

1. Dutch physicist who accounted for many phenomena concerning gases and liquids by postulating the existence of intermolecular forces and a finite molecular volume. He derived a new equation of state for gases and liquids (now named for him), and for this work he received the 1910 Nobel Prize for physics.

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

van der Waals

In these systems, the semiconductor and insulating layer bond together much more strongly instead of remaining loosely connected by van der Waals forces.

From Science Daily ● May 9, 2026

For example, graphite is a van der Waals material that isbroadly used in industry in electrodes, lubricants, fibers, heat exchangers and batteries.

From Science Daily ● May 1, 2024

"Our device is also more energy efficient than other van der Waals magnets that are unable to switch at room temperature."

From Science Daily ● Feb. 22, 2024

This is key, since magnets composed of atomically thin van der Waals materials can typically only be controlled at extremely cold temperatures, making them difficult to deploy outside a laboratory.

From Science Daily ● Feb. 22, 2024

One of the latest materials to come out of the Roy lab, CeSiI is a van der Waals crystal that can be peeled into layers that are just a few atoms thick.

From Science Daily ● Jan. 17, 2024