They are known as “magic sized nano clusters” because they have special properties: The particles consist of only a few atoms, but since they are arranged in a special crystal structure, they are extremely stable. Unless you expose them to light. Scientists from the Center for Nanointegration (CENIDE) at the University of Duisburg-Essen (UDE) have discovered that such materials undergo fundamental changes as soon as they are merely analysed using optical methods. “Nature Communications” reports on the issue. Junior professor…
Scientists reveal ‘flat band’ behavior in 2D ‘bitriangular’ lattice of germanium, confirming earlier theoretical prediction. Scientists have recently revealed, both theoretically and experimentally, that germanium atoms can arrange themselves into a 2D “bitriangular” lattice on zirconium diboride thin films grown on germanium single crystals to form a “flat band material” with an embedded “kagome” lattice. The result provides experimental support to a theoretical prediction of flat bands emerging from trivial atomic geometry and indicates the possibility of their existence in…
Device could cut HVAC energy use by nearly 20% in the US. Engineers at Duke University have demonstrated a dual-mode heating and cooling device for building climate control that, if widely deployed in the U.S., could cut HVAC energy use by nearly 20 percent. The invention uses a combination of mechanics and materials science to either harness or expel certain wavelengths of light. Depending on conditions, rollers move a sheet back and forth to expose either heat-trapping materials on one…
Skoltech researchers have investigated the procedure for catalyst delivery used in the most common method of carbon nanotube production, chemical vapor deposition (CVD), offering what they call a “simple and elegant” way to boost productivity and pave the way for cheaper and more accessible nanotube-based technology. The paper was published in the Chemical Engineering Journal. Single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNT), tiny rolled sheets of graphene with a thickness of just one atom, hold huge promise when it comes to applications in…
As a vehicle travels through space at hypersonic speeds, the gases surrounding it generate heat at dangerous temperatures for the pilot and instrumentation inside. Designing a vehicle that can drive the heat away requires an understanding of the thermal properties of the materials used to construct it. A recent two-part study at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign developed a method to create 3D models of the fibers within composite materials then used that information to predict the thermal conductivity of…
Medical products such as blood bags and tubing are often made from soft PVC, a plastic that contains phthalate plasticizers, which are suspected to be harmful to human health. These substances are not chemically bound to the polymer, which means they can leach into the blood bags and thus come into contact with human cells. A new method developed at the Fraunhofer Institute for Surface Engineering and Thin Films IST prevents these harmful substances from migrating into the surrounding media….
A material that mimics human skin in strength, stretchability and sensitivity could be used to collect biological data in real time. Electronic skin, or e-skin, may play an important role in next-generation prosthetics, personalized medicine, soft robotics and artificial intelligence. “The ideal e-skin will mimic the many natural functions of human skin, such as sensing temperature and touch, accurately and in real time,” says KAUST postdoc Yichen Cai. However, making suitably flexible electronics that can perform such delicate tasks while…
Scientists from NUST MISIS have improved the technology of 3D printing from aluminum, having achieved an increase in the hardness of products by 1,5 times. The nanocarbon additive to aluminum powder, which they have developed, obtained from the products of processing associated petroleum gas, will improve the quality of 3D printed aerospace composites. The research results are published in the international scientific journal Composites Communications Today, the main field of application for aluminum 3D printing is the creation of high-tech…
Nature-inspired material designed by Berkeley Lab scientists removes copper from wastewater with atomic precision. We rely on water to quench our thirst and to irrigate bountiful farmland. But what do you do when that once pristine water is polluted with wastewater from abandoned copper mines? A promising solution relies on materials that capture heavy metal atoms, such as copper ions, from wastewater through a separation process called adsorption. But commercially available copper-ion-capture products still lack the chemical specificity and load…
Understanding how particles travel through a device is vital for improving the efficiency of solar cells. Researchers from KAUST, working with an international team of scientists, have now developed a set of design guidelines for enhancing the performance of molecular materials. When a packet of light, or photon, is absorbed by a semiconductor, it generates a pair of particles known as an exciton. An electron is one part of this pair; the other is its positively charged equivalent, called a…
With an innovative research project, Hof University of Applied Sciences has declared war on one of the biggest annoyances of German motorists: marten damage. At the Institute for Applied Biopolymer Research (ibp) at Hof University of Applied Sciences, headed by Prof. Dr. Michael Nase, in cooperation with the automotive supplier UNIWELL Rohrsysteme GmbH & Co. KG, materials are currently being investigated and tested that are expected to withstand the bite of the common marten far better than the materials currently…
An exciting research project with current relevance and a wide range of possible applications is currently underway at Hof University of Applied Sciences: The Institute for Material Sciences (ifm) is doing research on antibacterial surface coatings. In the future, these paint compounds are going to be used in hospitals, doctors’ surgeries or even in public transport systems in particular and will inhibit the spread of bacteria and viruses. For the first time, a natural substance, which can be obtained by…
Form shapes function: Special feature discovered in the enamel of shark teeth. Shark teeth must function to the point during their short retention time: The Port Jackson shark feeds on hard-shelled prey such as sea urchins, starfish, mussels and snails. Its teeth must be able to withstand high mechanical stress. The special structure of the tooth enamel ensures this continuously high performance: “The special feature is that the inner layer of tooth enameloid provides mechanical stability, while the outer one…
Scientists are working on new materials to create neuromorphic computers, with a design based on the human brain. A crucial component is a memristive device, the resistance of which depends on the history of the device – just like the response of our neurons depends on previous input. Materials scientists from the University of Groningen analysed the behaviour of strontium titanium oxide, a platform material for memristor research and used the 2D material graphene to probe it. On 11 November…
Simplified model of van der Waals forces will allow previously impossible simulations of how faceted nanoparticles self-assemble into larger structures. Materials scientists at Duke University have devised a simplified method for calculating the attractive forces that cause nanoparticles to self-assemble into larger structures. With this new model, accompanied by a graphical user interface that demonstrates its power, researchers will be able to make previously impossible predictions about how nanoparticles with a wide variety of shapes will interact with one another….
The right material for the mobile communication standard of tomorrow. The performance of radio-frequency applications such as 5G or radar depends mainly on the materials and interconnects used. In order to investigate and optimize these, a new research group has been founded at Fraunhofer IZM in Berlin. Drawing on the expertise of the researchers, radio-frequency structures are assembled in such a way that facilitates optimal wave transmission. According to a study by technology analysts Yole Développement, the market for radio…
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