Without lithium-ion batteries, environmentally friendly mobility and a sustainable energy supply would be virtually inconceivable. However, the increasing demand for batteries and the associated raw materials poses major challenges. The REWIND project aims to overcome important obstacles on the way to an efficient and ecologically sustainable circular economy. REWIND is part of the BattFutur program of the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF). The project goal is clearly defined: To significantly improve the recyclability of batteries in order…
Researchers from Tel Aviv University have for the first time created a transparent, self-repairing adhesive glass that forms spontaneously when it comes in contact with water. An international discovery published in the prestigious journal Nature: Researchers from Tel Aviv University (TAU) have created a new type of glass with unique and even contradictory properties, such as being a strong adhesive (sticky) and incredibly transparent at the same time. The glass, which forms spontaneously when comes in contact with water at…
An approach developed by materials scientists is already yielding discoveries that could improve the efficiency and durability of metallic catalysts used in a variety of processes. A team led by Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) has invented a technique to study electrochemical processes at the atomic level with unprecedented resolution and used it to gain new insights into a popular catalyst material. Electrochemical reactions – chemical transformations that are caused by or accompanied by the flow of electric currents…
Eyes glued to a live transmission from inside a reaction vessel, LMU researchers watch chemical reactions at work. Their results will improve the manufacture of the next generation of energy materials. Shooting a movie in the lab requires special equipment. Especially when the actors are molecules – invisible to the naked eye – reacting with each other. “Imagine trying to film tiny lava flows during a volcanic eruption. Your smartphone camera wouldn’t be up to the job. First, you’d need…
Researchers have created a new class of materials called “glassy gels” that are very hard and difficult to break despite containing more than 50% liquid. Coupled with the fact that glassy gels are simple to produce, the material holds promise for a variety of applications. Gels and glassy polymers are classes of materials that have historically been viewed as distinct from one another. Glassy polymers are hard, stiff and often brittle. They’re used to make things like water bottles or…
X-ray microscopes are essential for examining components and materials because they can be used to detect changes and details in the material. Until now, however, it has been difficult to detect small cracks or tiny inclusions in the images. By developing a new method, researchers at the Helmholtz-Zentrum Hereon are now able to visualize such changes in the nanometer regime. In particular materials research and quality assurance will profit from this development. The quality must be right. This also applies…
Part Ⅱ: From single phase to multiple phases via adjusting V content. In recent years, high-entropy carbide ceramics have received extensive attention and become another research focus in the high entropy materials field, which are also known as multi-component carbide ceramics. The multi-component carbide ceramics not only inherit the special properties of high-entropy materials brought by complex compositions, but also keep the advantages of transition metal carbide ceramics as a kind of ultra-high temperature ceramics (UHTCs), such as high melting…
With applications in clothing, construction and food storage, the new textile reduces heat from both the sun and thermal radiation from nearby buildings. This year has already seen massive heatwaves around the globe, with cities in Mexico, India, Pakistan and Oman hitting temperatures near or past 50 degrees Celsius (122 degrees Fahrenheit). As global temperatures and urban populations rise, the world’s cities have become “urban heat islands,” with tight-packed conditions and thermal radiation emitting from pavement and skyscraper trapping and…
A multidisciplinary research team has developed an evidence-based predictive tool for designing complex metal alloys that can withstand extreme environments. Cooks love stainless steel for its durability, rust resistance and even cooking when heated. But few know the secret that makes stainless steel so popular. It’s the metal chromium in stainless steel, which reacts with oxygen in the air to form a stable and protective thin coating for protecting the steel underneath. These days, scientists and engineers are working to…
Scientists have for the first time observed how atoms in magnesium oxide morph and melt under ultra-harsh conditions, providing new insights into this key mineral within Earth’s mantle that is known to influence planet formation. High-energy laser experiments—which subjected tiny crystals of the mineral to the type of heat and pressure found deep inside a rocky planet’s mantle—suggest the compound could be the earliest mineral to solidify out of magma oceans in forming “super-Earth” exoplanets. “Magnesium oxide could be the…
…for post-consumer recyclates in specific applications. Due to EU regulations and waste reduction targets, the use of recyclates has increased significantly. However, a major challenge is to ensure that post-consumer recyclates meet safety standards, especially in terms of flame retardancy. Upgrading with effective halogen free flame retardants is essential. Teams of experts at the Fraunhofer Institute for Structural Durability and System Reliability LBF are working intensively on EU regulations and the need for halogen free flame retardancy in specific applications….
… lock them into new shapes. Researchers from North Carolina State University have demonstrated miniature soft hydraulic actuators that can be used to control the deformation and motion of soft robots that are less than a millimeter thick. The researchers have also demonstrated that this technique works with shape memory materials, allowing users to repeatedly lock the soft robots into a desired shape and return to the original shape as needed. “Soft robotics holds promise for many applications, but it…
Researchers have for the first time demonstrated that a specific class of oxide membranes can confine, or “squeeze,” infrared light – a finding that holds promise for next generation infrared imaging technologies. The thin-film membranes confine infrared light far better than bulk crystals, which are the established technology for infrared light confinement. “The thin-film membranes maintain the desired infrared frequency, but compress the wavelengths, allowing imaging devices to capture images with greater resolution,” says Yin Liu, co-corresponding author of a…
Today, researchers are developing ways to accelerate discovery by combining automated experiments, artificial intelligence and high-performance computing. A novel tool developed at Oak Ridge National Laboratory that leverages those technologies has demonstrated that AI can influence materials synthesis and conduct associated experiments without human supervision. This autonomous materials synthesis tool uses pulsed laser deposition, or PLD, to deposit a thin layer of substance onto a base material. It then employs AI to analyze how the quality of the newly created material relates to…
Finely created interfaces offer new design strategies beyond conventional materials for applications in infrared optics, sensing and more, researchers say. If a material absorbs light, it will heat up. That heat must go somewhere, and the ability to control where and how much heat is emitted can protect or even hide such devices as satellites. An international team of researchers, including those from Penn State, has developed a novel method for controlling this thermal emission, with what they called promising…
A new type of pure synthetic leather meets the high requirements of the European Ecodesign Regulation. Made from a bio-based plastic, it is biodegradable and meets the requirements for a closed recycling process. Many synthetic leathers consist of a textile substrate to which a polymer layer is applied. The polymer layer usually consists of an adhesive layer and a top layer, which is usually embossed. The textile backing and the top coat are usually completely different materials. Woven, knitted, or…
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