Sustainability is a complex problem with many different players and influenced by policies, society, and technical perspective. We are reminded every day in the media of the unnecessary amount of waste that we are generating with pervasive pictures of plastic garbage patches floating in the oceans or stranded on our beaches. Scientists within ASU’s School of Molecular Sciences (SMS) and the Biodesign Institute’s Center for Sustainable Macromolecular Materials and Manufacturing (SM3) are pursuing a multi-pronged approach towards a more circular…
First toroidal micro-robot to swim autonomously in viscous liquids. Researchers from Tampere University in Finland and Anhui Jianzhu University in China have made a significant breakthrough in soft robotics. Their groundbreaking study introduces the first toroidal, light-driven micro-robot that can move autonomously in viscous liquids, such as mucus. This innovation marks a major step forward in developing micro-robots capable of navigating complex environments, with promising applications in fields such as medicine and environmental monitoring. A peek through an optical microscope…
Laser direct writing (LDW) employing multi-photon 3D polymerisation is a scientific and industrial lithography tool used in various fields such as micro-optics, medicine, metamaterials, programmable materials, etc., due to the fusion of high-throughput and fine features down to hundreds of nm. Some limitations of technology applicability emerge from photo-resin properties as any material modifications can strongly affect its printability due to applied photoexcitation conditions. In a paper published at Light: Advanced Manufacturing, a team of scientists, led by Professor Mangirdas…
Rice researchers show magnetic relaxation serves as lever for superparamagnetic beads’ self-assembly. Particles larger than ordinary molecules or atoms yet still small enough to be invisible to the naked eye can give rise to many different kinds of useful structures such as tiny propellers for microrobots, cellular probes and steerable microwheels for targeted drug delivery. A team of Rice University chemical engineers led by Lisa Biswal has found that exposing a certain class of such particles ⎯ micron-sized beads endowed with…
Plastic waste, harmful to the environment, has been increasing continually in Germany in recent years. Packaging generates particularly high volumes of waste. Plant-based coatings for paper packaging could provide a sustainable alternative in the future. In the BioPlas4Paper project, researchers from the Fraunhofer Institute for Surface Engineering and Thin Films IST and project partners have used a coating process known as plasma polymerization to create water-repellent and plant-based barrier coatings on paper, thereby im-proving the paper’s resistance to the effects…
… a material vital for electronics. When Valery Levitas left Europe in 1999, he packed up a rotational diamond anvil cell and brought it to the United States. He and the researchers in his group are still using a much-advanced version of that pressing, twisting tool to squeeze and shear materials between two diamonds to see in situ, within the actual experiment, what happens and verify the researchers’ own theoretical predictions. How, for example, do crystal structures change? Does that…
How to balance the piezoelectric coefficient and carrier concentration of material for ultrahigh piezocatalysis? Piezocatalysis, which is able to convert natural mechanical energy into electrochemical energy, is considered a promising green and sustainable technology. The efficiency is limited by factors such as the piezoelectric properties of the material, the carrier concentration and mobility, and the number of reactive sites. Low carrier concentration will limit the applicability of the material as a piezoelectric catalyst; however, high carrier concentration may affect the…
… turns flat-pack tubes into strong building materials. Engineers at RMIT University have designed an innovative tubular structural system that can be packed flat for easier transport and pop up into strong building materials. This breakthrough is made possible by a self-locking system inspired by curved-crease origami — a technique that uses curved crease lines in paper folding. Lead researchers, Dr Jeff (Ting-Uei) Lee and Distinguished Professor Mike (Yi Min) Xie, said bamboo, which has internal structures providing natural reinforcement,…
… that can harvest energy at room temperature. Researchers have succeeded in developing a framework for organic thermoelectric power generation from ambient temperature and without a temperature gradient. Researchers have developed a new organic thermoelectric device that can harvest energy from ambient temperature. While thermoelectric devices have several uses today, hurdles still exist to their full utilization. By combining the unique abilities of organic materials, the team succeeded in developing a framework for thermoelectric power generation at room temperature without…
The global use of lithium-ion batteries has doubled in just the past four years, generating alarming amounts of battery waste containing many hazardous substances. The need for effective recycling methods for spent lithium-ion batteries is becoming increasingly critical. In the journal ChemElectroChem, scientists from various Polish research institutions, including Bydgoszcz University of Science and Technology (PBS), the Institute of Fundamental Technological Research of the Polish Academy of Sciences, the Institute of Physical Chemistry of the PAS in Warsaw, and Wroclaw…
A new study led by researchers at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities is providing new insights into how next-generation electronics, including memory components in computers, breakdown or degrade over time. Understanding the reasons for degradation could help improve efficiency of data storage solutions. The research is published in ACS Nano, a peer-reviewed scientific journal and is featured on the cover of the journal. Advances in computing technology continue to increase the demand for efficient data storage solutions. Spintronic magnetic tunnel…
How synthesis methods have a profound impact on disordered materials. A new study reveals how different synthesis methods can profoundly impact the structure and function of high entropy oxides, a class of materials with applications in everyday electronic devices. A new study has revealed for the first time how different synthesis methods can profoundly impact the structural and functional properties of high entropy oxides, a class of materials with applications in everyday electronic devices. The study was published this week…
…paves way for light, energy-efficient vehicles. When cars, planes, ships or computers are built from a material that functions as both a battery and a load-bearing structure, the weight and energy consumption are radically reduced. A research group at Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden is now presenting a world-leading advance in so-called massless energy storage – a structural battery that could halve the weight of a laptop, make the mobile phone as thin as a credit card or increase…
Fraunhofer IZFP at InnoTrans 2024: Material inspection of wheelsets for rail cars is an integral part of safe rail transportation. In smaller workshops, this inspection is usually carried out manually. Due to the fleeting nature of the data, it has not been possible to store and thus trace the inspection results. The PASAWIS inspection system now represents the next generation of wheelset inspection. How this works, experts from Fraunhofer IZFP will be demonstrating by means of a wheel rim inspection…
Energy storage systems of the future must be cost-effective and sustainable. To achieve this, it is crucial that the materials used are both readily available and recyclable. A research team at TU Bergakademie Freiberg has now made significant progress in the development of an aluminium battery that meets these requirements. The battery consists of aluminium as the anode, graphite as the cathode and a new type of polymer-based electrolyte developed at the university. The validation of the battery prototype for…
Researchers at Tohoku University have successfully increased the capacity, lifetime durability, and cost-effectiveness of a capacitor in their pursuit of a more power-efficient future. A capacitor is a device used as part of a circuit that can store and release energy, just like a battery. What makes a capacitor different from a battery is that it takes much less time to charge. For example, your cellphone battery will power your phone instantly, but charging that battery back up to 100%…
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