A superior new material for optoelectronic devices. Liquid crystals derived from borophene have risen in popularity, owing to their immense applicability in optoelectronic and photonic devices. However, their development requires a very narrow temperature range, which hinders their large-scale application. Now, Tokyo Tech researchers investigated a liquid-state borophene oxide, discovering that it exhibited high thermal stability and optical switching behavior even at low voltages. These findings highlight the strong potential of borophene oxide-derived liquid crystals for use in widespread applications….
Electrical tuning of plasmonic conducting polymer nanoantennas. Researchers at Linköping University have developed optical nanoantennas that can be turned on/off and gradually tuned by applying electrical potentials. The study, which has been published in Advanced Materials, opens for applications including dynamic flat metaoptics and tuneable smart materials. Already in the medieval times, nanostructures of noble metals were embedded in glass to create beautiful colours. Although not known at the time, the colours appear because light at certain frequencies transforms into…
A team including researchers from the Helmholtz-Zentrum Hereon has developed new methods for repairing the latest generation of aircraft engine blades as part of the “Novel Engine Repair Methods” project funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action (BMWK). The Hereon researchers together with Lufthansa Technik AG were able to develop two patentable repair processes. Minimizing resource usage is a major goal of modern industry, with a longer service life being the best way to achieve…
Researchers of the Max-Planck-Institut für Eisenforschung publish their latest findings in the journal Nature. Due to its low density, high strength, and abundance, aluminium and its alloys are widely used for example in constructions, consumer electronics and for vehicles including cars, ships, trains and planes. However, aluminium alloys are prone to hydrogen embrittlement causing catastrophic failure during service if not noticed early enough. Compared to steel, the effects of hydrogen in aluminium are not well understood. Dr. Huan Zhao, postdoctoral…
Researchers at the University of Nottingham have devised a revolutionary new technique for measuring the microscopic elasticity of materials for the first time. Known as SRAS, the technology works by measuring the speed of sound across the material’s surface. The Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC)-funded innovation uses high-frequency ultrasound to produce microscopic resolution images of the microstructure and maps the relationship between stresses and strains in the material (the elasticity matrix). These crystals are normally invisible to the…
A nanomaterials-engineered penetrating sealer developed by Washington State University researchers is able to better protect concrete from moisture and salt – the two most damaging factors in crumbling concrete infrastructure in northern states. The novel sealer showed a 75% improvement in repelling water and a 44% improvement in reducing salt damage in laboratory studies compared to a commercial sealer. The work could provide an additional way to address the challenge of aging bridges and pavements in the U.S. “We focused…
Elegantly curved seating furniture that is delivered in a flat-pack and assumes its shape overnight all by itself – this may sound like a dream to those who ever puzzled over the assembly instructions from a furniture store. HygroShape is the first concept for furniture that makes this dream a reality. It relies on the shaping forces of nature and combines these with the possibilities of digitalization. It was developed by the team of Prof. Achim Menges at the Institute…
X-ray laser experiments show that intense light distorts the structure of a thermoelectric material in a unique way, opening a new avenue for controlling the properties of materials. Thermoelectric materials convert heat to electricity and vice versa, and their atomic structures are closely related to how well they perform. Now researchers have discovered how to change the atomic structure of a highly efficient thermoelectric material, tin selenide, with intense pulses of laser light. This result opens a new way to…
Researchers at Osaka University use a tiny thermometer to directly monitor changes in temperature when ions pass through a nanopore, which may lead to more efficient DNA sequencing technology. Scientists from SANKEN (the Institute of Scientific and Industrial Research) at Osaka University measured the thermal effects of ionic flow through a nanopore using a thermocouple. They found that, under most conditions, both the current and heating power varied with applied voltage as predicted by Ohm’s law. This work may lead…
Compared to metal and polymer-based materials, ceramics can better withstand high temperatures and corrosive environments, but their brittle nature often makes them susceptible to breakage. This behavior potentially causes problems for innovators trying to create lightweight porous versions of these materials, explaining why ceramic foams are not typically used as structural components. Video, Starfish skeletons and ceramics: https://video.vt.edu/media/Ling%20Li%3A%20Starfish%20skeletons%20and%20ceramics/1_5d5abu01 Facing the challenging task of developing lightweight, high-strength ceramic materials, Mechanical Engineering Assistant Professor Ling Li has turned to an unexpected collaborator for design inspiration:…
The material could pave the way for sustainable plastics. The strongest part of a tree lies not in its trunk or its sprawling roots, but in the walls of its microscopic cells. A single wood cell wall is constructed from fibers of cellulose — nature’s most abundant polymer, and the main structural component of all plants and algae. Within each fiber are reinforcing cellulose nanocrystals, or CNCs, which are chains of organic polymers arranged in nearly perfect crystal patterns. At…
A UNIGE team has developed a new material that improves the performance of solid-state sodium batteries, a less dangerous and more durable alternative to lithium. The future of battery technologies lies in sodium. More sustainable than lithium – which currently powers most of our devices and vehicles – sodium is also abundant on the earth’s surface. The only problem is that its ions do not move easily in the liquid electrolyte of conventional batteries, making it less efficient than lithium….
A research team from KTH Royal Institute of Technology and Max Planck Institute of Colloids and Interfaces reports to have found the key to controlled fabrication of cerium oxide mesocrystals. The research is a step forward in tuning nanomaterials that can serve a wide range of uses —including solar cells, fuel catalysts and even medicine. Mesocrystals are nanoparticles with identical size, shape and crystallographic orientation, and they can be used as building blocks to create artificial nanostructures with customized optical,…
Around ten thousand tons of silicon in discarded photovoltaic modules end up on the recycling market annually in Germany. This figure will rise to several hundred thousand tons per year by 2029. Currently, the aluminum, glass and copper of the discarded modules are reprocessed, however, the silicon solar cells are not. In order to be able to reuse the silicon, researchers from the Fraunhofer Center for Silicon Photovoltaics CSP and the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE together with…
It’s easier with a new targeted particle bonding strategy. The Science Colloids are microparticles in a solution, meaning the particles are evenly distributed. Crystals made from colloids are valuable in a wide range of applications such as batteries, fuel cells, sensors, solar cells, and catalysts. Scientists have sought ways to assemble these crystals into larger structures using bonding methods that operate in targeted directions. However, this approach is quite challenging. A new strategy exploits the ability to create precise regions with specific…
A mechanically reconfigurable intelligent surface operates at microwave frequencies and uses a robust control method to determine the rotation angle of each meta-atom. Reconfigurable intelligent surfaces (RISs) are a type of programmable structure that can be used to control the propagation of electromagnetic waves, by changing the electric and magnetic properties of the surface. They provide a new approach to improving the performance of wireless communications systems: change the propagation environment rather than adapting to it. The integration of metallic…
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