Argonne researchers pioneer “redox gating” — a new way to precisely modulate electron flow. Breakthrough could help lead to the development of new low-power semiconductors or quantum devices. As the integrated circuits that power our electronic devices get more powerful, they are also getting smaller. This trend of microelectronics has only accelerated in recent years as scientists try to fit increasingly more semiconducting components on a chip. Microelectronics face a key challenge because of their small size. To avoid overheating,…
Researchers from Osaka University combine high-speed atomic force microscopy with a laser light source for real-time observation of azo-polymer films. Expanding our scientific understanding often comes down to getting as close a look as possible at what is happening. Now researchers from Japan have observed the nanoscale behavior of azo-polymer films while triggering them with laser light. In a study published last month in Nano Letters the researchers from Osaka University used tip-scan high-speed atomic force microscopy (HS-AFM) combined with…
Optical properties of afterglow luminescent particles (ALPs) in mechanoluminescence (ML) and mechanical quenching (MQ) have attracted great attention for diverse technological applications. Recently, a team of researchers from Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH) has garnered attention by developing an optical display technology with ALPs enabling the writing and erasure of messages underwater. The team, comprised of Professor Sei Kwang Hahn and PhD candidate Seong-Jong Kim from the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at the POSTECH, uncovered a…
A team of computational scientists at the MPSD is establishing an open-source software platform to support the development of environmentally friendly magnets. The platform will host a wealth of software tools to model and simulate the properties of novel magnetic materials and is part of an EU-funded collaborative project. Each of the partners, including the MPSD, will contribute their expertise and analytical tools, starting with a particular group of promising materials. Magnets are crucial for many of today’s technologies, from…
Inspired by the remarkable adaptability observed in biological organisms like the octopus, a breakthrough has been achieved soft machines. A research team, led by Professor Jiyun Kim in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at UNIST has successfully developed an encodable multifunctional material that can dynamically tune its shape and mechanical properties in real-time. This groundbreaking metamaterial surpasses the limitations of existing materials, opening up new possibilities for applications in robotics and other fields requiring adaptability. Current soft machines…
…improves zinc-air battery function. Zinc-air batteries are an inexpensive, powerful battery alternative that can be used on the small scale to power electronics or on the large scale for electric vehicles or energy storage. These batteries work when oxygen from the air oxidizes zinc, but the difficulty in oxygen activation which degrades battery performance has prevented their wide commercial adoption. Information presented in a paper published in Carbon Future on 26 February shows how the addition of fullerene-derived carbon materials…
A 3D printed ‘metamaterial’ boasting levels of strength for weight not normally seen in nature or manufacturing could change how we make everything from medical implants to aircraft or rocket parts. A sample of theA sample of the new titanium lattice structure 3D printed in cube form. Credit: RMIT. new titanium lattice structure 3D printed in cube form. Credit: RMIT RMIT University researchers created the new metamaterial – a term used to describe an artificial material with unique properties…
… enable high-performance multifunctional electronic devices. Downscaling of electronic devices, such as transistors, has reached a plateau, posing challenges for semiconductor fabrication. However, a research team led by materials scientists from City University of Hong Kong (CityUHK) recently discovered a new strategy for developing highly versatile electronics with outstanding performance, using transistors made of mixed-dimensional nanowires and nanoflakes. This innovation paves the way for simplified chip circuit design, offering versatility and low power dissipation in future electronics. In recent decades,…
Successful completion of the EU Graphene Flagship. Think big. Despite its research topic, this could well be the motto of the Graphene Flagship, which was launched in 2013: With an overall budget of one billion Euros, it was Europe’s largest research initiative to date, alongside the Human Brain Flagship, which was launched at the same time. The same applies to the review article on the effects of graphene and related materials on health and the environment, which Empa researchers Peter…
An MIT team precisely controlled an ultrathin magnet at room temperature, which could enable faster, more efficient processors and computer memories. Experimental computer memories and processors built from magnetic materials use far less energy than traditional silicon-based devices. Two-dimensional magnetic materials, composed of layers that are only a few atoms thick, have incredible properties that could allow magnetic-based devices to achieve unprecedented speed, efficiency, and scalability. While many hurdles must be overcome until these so-called van der Waals magnetic materials…
Sodium-ion batteries still have a number of weaknesses that could be remedied by optimising the battery materials. One possibility is to dope the cathode material with foreign elements. A team from HZB and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin has now investigated the effects of doping with Scandium and Magnesium. The scientists collected data at the X-ray sources BESSY II, PETRA III, and SOLARIS to get a complete picture and uncovered two competing mechanisms that determine the stability of the cathodes. Lithium-ion batteries…
The Leibniz Institute for Plasma Science and Technology (INP) in Greifswald, Germany has developed a new method for the production of ultra-hydrophobic organosilicon polymer coatings. These coatings are an alternative to per- and polyfluorinated compounds (PFAS), which are still used in many industrial applications and sectors. PFAS compounds have been used for decades to enhance a wide range of products, including those in the medical, semiconductor and textile industries. They are extremely water-repellent and therefore have a number of advantages,…
Hot water tanks, washing machines, kettles: limescale forms in every domestic appliance that comes into contact with (hot) water – especially in areas where the water is hard, meaning high in calcium. Often the only thing that helps is to use vinegar or a special descaler to dissolve the rock-hard deposits and restore the appliance’s functionality. This is a nuisance in households – and an expensive problem in thermal power stations, for example those that generate electricity, where the formation…
Janus nanosheets bring unprecedented control to preparation of nanoscrolls. Researchers from Tokyo Metropolitan University have come up with a new way of rolling atomically thin sheets of atoms into “nanoscrolls.” Their unique approach uses transition metal dichalcogenide sheets with a different composition on either side, realizing a tight roll that gives scrolls down to five nanometers in diameter at the center and micrometers in length. Control over nanostructure in these scrolls promises new developments in catalysis and photovoltaic devices. Nanotechnology…
…that can withstand extreme environments. Unlike conventional refractory conductimaterials, it not oxidizeand maintains performance at temperatures up to 1,000°C in air. Expected to be used in a wide range of extreme environments, including space, aerospace and thermophotovoltaic(TPV) system. Thermal radiation is electromagnetic radiation emitted by all objects with temperature and most representatively, there is the solar radiation spectrum that enters the Earth and causes the greenhouse effect. Controlling and utilizing the thermal radiation energy emitted from solar power, thermal power…
Groundbreaking nanocavities unlock new frontiers in light confinement. Dr. Hanan Herzig Sheinfux, from Bar-Ilan University: “What started as a chance discovery, may well open the way to new quantum applications, pushing the boundaries of what we thought was possible.” In a significant leap forward for quantum nanophotonics, a team of European and Israeli physicists, introduces a new type of polaritonic cavities and redefines the limits of light confinement. This pioneering work, detailed in a study published today in Nature Materials,…
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