New laser-based bubble printing technique creates ultra-flexible liquid metal circuits. As tiny as bubbles may seem, in engineers’ hands they can spark big innovations. Yokohama National University scientists have developed a promising bubble printing method that enables high-precision patterning of liquid metal wiring for flexible electronics. This technique offers new options for creating bendable, stretchable, and highly conductive circuits, ideal for devices such as wearable sensors and medical implants. Their study was published in Nanomaterials on Oct. 17. Wiring technology…
… best quality at minimum cost thanks to precise stabilisation. Online characterisation, plastic formulations, more profitable. All organic substances, including plastics such as polypropylene (PP), undergo auto-oxidation in the presence of oxygen.This happens millions of times faster at the high temperatures of compounding and injection moulding. The result for PP is a degradation of the polymer chains, i.e. reduction in molecular weight, which means that products made from these plastics can no longer be recycled. Antioxidants added during the manufacturing…
Thermoplastic blends, produced by a new process, have better resilience. Now, experiments at the IRIS beamline show, why: nanocrystalline layers increase their performance. Bio-based thermoplastics are produced from renewable organic materials and can be recycled after use. Their resilience can be improved by blending bio-based thermoplastics with other thermoplastics. However, the interface between the materials in these blends sometimes requires enhancement to achieve optimal properties. A team from the Eindhoven University of Technology in the Netherlands has now investigated at…
MXene nanomaterials enable wireless charging in textiles. Researchers demonstrate printed textile-based energy grid using MXene ink. The next step for fully integrated textile-based electronics to make their way from the lab to the wardrobe is figuring out how to power the garment gizmos without unfashionably toting around a solid battery. Researchers from Drexel University, the University of Pennsylvania, and Accenture Labs in California have taken a new approach to the challenge by building a full textile energy grid that can…
Takeout containers get your favorite noodles from the restaurant to your dining table (or couch) without incident, but they are nearly impossible to recycle if they are made from foil-lined plastics. Research published in ACS Omega suggests that replacing the plastic layer with paper could create a more sustainable packaging material. The researchers used mechanical demonstrations and computer simulations to identify paper-aluminum laminate designs that won’t compromise on performance. Protective packaging, like containers made from polyethylene and aluminum laminates, combines…
Singlet fission can be promoted by chiral molecular self-assemblies that absorb light. In organic molecules an exciton is a particle bound pair of an electron (negative charge) and its hole (positive charge). They are held together by Coulombic attraction and can move within molecular assemblies. Singlet fission (SF) is a process where an exciton is amplified, and two triplet excitons are generated from a singlet exciton. This is caused by the absorption of a single particle of light, or photon,…
Small drops, big impact: Over time, rain can damage the surfaces of rotor blades. This reduces the efficiency and profitability of wind turbines, especially at sea. Researchers from institutions of the U Bremen Research Alliance are developing repair solutions to extend the service life of rotor blades. Picture a large shower cubicle and you are not far off the test bench at the Fraunhofer Institute for Wind Energy Systems IWES in Bremerhaven. The only difference is that the water comes…
…takes sensor technology to extreme conditions. Researchers at Tampere University have developed the world’s first soft touchpad that can sense the force, area and location of contact without electricity. The device utilises pneumatic channels, enabling its use in environments such as MRI machines and other conditions that are unsuitable for electronic devices. Soft devices like soft robots and rehabilitation aids could also benefit from this new technology. Researchers at Tampere University have developed the world’s first soft touchpad that is…
Polaritons are coupled excitations of electromagnetic waves with either charged particles or vibrations in the atomic lattice of a given material. They are widely used in nanophotonics because of their ability to confine light at extremely small volumes, on the order of nanometers, which is essential to enhance light-matter interactions. Two-dimensional materials (that is, materials only one-atom thick) are commonly used for this purpose, since the polaritons they host show even more extreme confinement, lower energy losses -resulting in longer…
Quantum materials are changing the way we think about the behaviour of electrons and opening the way to powerful new technologies. In high school science class, we learned that plugging a cable into an electrical circuit sets off a flow of electrons, powering everything from our lights to our phones. Traditionally, we’ve understood how electrons behave in metals and semiconductors through a simple model: electrons are imagined as tiny, independent particles, much like cars on an open highway—each one moving…
… and thermal post-treatment of flexible ultra-thin glass. Ultra-thin glass offers great potential for modern high-tech applications. Despite its superior properties compared to polymer films, the material has not yet established itself on the mass market. A key obstacle is its tendency to brittle fracture, which is typical of glass and requires adjustments along the entire process chain. Such a process chain is now available at the Fraunhofer FEP in Dresden for feasibility studies up to the pilot scale for…
Conventional catalysts for hydrogen production via water electrolysis usually contain precious metals and are expensive. However, cheaper alternatives have been developed, for example cobalt-manganese catalysts. They have a high activity and are stable over a long period of time. The decisive factor for these characteristics is their manganese content. Why manganese plays this essential role was unknown for a long time. The mechanism behind this has now been deciphered by researchers from the German institutions Ruhr University Bochum, the Max…
The European Commission’s targets are ambitious: the ReFuelEU Aviation Regulation stipulates a 60 percent reduction in CO₂ emissions from aviation by 2050 compared to 1990 levels. A comprehensive EU Space Law (EUSL) is also planned, including rules on the sustainability of space activities. Aerospace companies are receiving support from the Fraunhofer Institute for Laser Technology ILT in Aachen and its new additive manufacturing processes, which significantly reduce the ecological footprint and reduce production costs. “How can aviation be made greener?”…
Researchers from Univ. of British Columbia and Drexel University Use Kirigami to Create Tunable Radio Antennas from MXene Nanomaterials. The future of wireless technology — from charging devices to boosting communication signals — relies on the antennas that transmit electromagnetic waves becoming increasingly versatile, durable and easy to manufacture. Researchers at Drexel University and the University of British Columbia believe kirigami, the ancient Japanese art of cutting and folding paper to create intricate three-dimensional designs, could provide a model for…
Using mechanisms inspired by nature to create new technological innovations is a signature of one Virginia Tech research team. The group led by Associate Professor Michael Bartlett has created an octopus-inspired adhesive, inspired by the shape of octopus suckers, that can quickly grab and controllably release challenging underwater objects. Having the ability to grab and release these underwater objects like heavy rocks, small shells, and soft beads, and other debris could be a powerful tool for underwater salvage and even rescue operations….
Materials researchers have created a new composite material that combines two incompatible properties: stiff yet with a high damping capacity. In brief Oscillations and vibrations damage machines and buildings, while noise affects human health and wellbeing. Damping materials are consequently needed that are not only both rigid and load-bearing but also mitigate noise. Based on simulations, ETH materials researchers have developed a composite material that combines both these properties. This consists of layers of a stiff material in combination with…
Feedback
