McGill University researchers gain new insight into the workings perovskites that could lead to more efficient and cheaper solar cells. Researchers at McGill University have gained new insight into the workings of perovskites, a semiconductor material that shows great promise for making high-efficiency, low-cost solar cells and a range of other optical and electronic devices. Perovskites have drawn attention over the past decade because of their ability to act as semiconductors even when there are defects in the material’s crystal…

With brilliant colors and picturesque shapes, many crystals are wonders of nature. Some crystals are also wonders of science, with transformative applications in electronics and optics. Understanding how best to grow such crystals is key to further advances. Scientists from the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Argonne National Laboratory, along with three universities, have revealed new insights into the mechanism behind how gallium nitride crystals grow at the atomic scale. Gallium nitride crystals are already in wide use in light-emitting…

Everyone has gotten an electric shock when touching a door handle. That’s because when two different substances touch, an electrostatic charge can occur that dissipates with a small flash. This frictional electricity can be used, for example, to separate particles in exhaust gases, but it can also unintentionally trigger explosions, for example when flammable liquids or powders are being handled. However, what exactly happens during contact electrification is so far only rudimentarily understood. A team led by experimental physicist Prof….

A new class of membranes promises highly interesting applications in material separation, whether in biotechnology or water purification. The theoretical understanding of these polymer membranes is, however, still incomplete. Two researchers from Helmholtz-Zentrum Hereon and the University of Göttingen now present a study, published in the renowned science journal Chemical Reviews, that identifies these gaps in knowledge and shows promising approaches toward solving them. Whether in desalination, water purification or CO2 separation, membranes play a central role in technology. The…

Maison Fibre of the University of Stuttgart at Biennale Architettura 2021. In response to the exhibition theme “How will we live together?”, the Institute for Computational Design and Construction (ICD) and the Institute of Building Structures and Structural Design (ITKE) of the Cluster of Excellence IntCDC at the University of Stuttgart present a full-scale inhabitable installation made entirely from robotically produced, fibrous building elements, constituting the very first multi-story structure of its kind. The Maison Fibre, exhibited at the 17th…

– the basis for innovative semiconductor devices. The Berlin-based Ferdinand-Braun-Institut (FBH) recently put a sophisticated ion implanter system from High Voltage Engineering Europa B.V. into operation. The highly versatile tool extends the technological capabilities of FBH for in-house research and customer processes. With three different ion sources and the ability to heat substrates, the implanter is ideally suited for the development of innovative semiconductor devices. Among other things, the system enables doping implantations of wide-bandgap semiconductors, whose outstanding material properties…

Chiral-spin rotation found in non-collinear antiferromagnet. Researchers at Tohoku University and the Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA) have discovered a new spintronic phenomenon – a persistent rotation of chiral-spin structure. Their discovery was published in the journal Nature Materials on May 13, 2021. Tohoku University and JAEA researchers studied the response of chiral-spin structure of a non-collinear antiferromagnet Mn3Sn thin film to electron spin injection and found that the chiral-spin structure shows persistent rotation at zero magnetic field. Moreover, their…

Co-planar optoelectrowetting device allows for droplet access from above that increases microfluidic input/output system integration configurations while achieving faster droplet speeds. Microfluidic technologies have seen great advances over the past few decades in addressing applications such as biochemical analysis, pharmaceutical development, and point-of-care diagnostics. Miniaturization of biochemical operations performed on lab-on-a-chip microfluidic platforms benefit from reduced sample, reagent, and waste volumes, as well as increased parallelization and automation. This allows for more cost-effective operations along with higher throughput and sensitivity…

More and more nuclear power plants are reaching their maximum service life or are decommissioned due to the nuclear phase-out. To reduce the additional effort of water filtration during dismantling, scientists at the Laser Zentrum Hannover e.V. (LZH) have developed and validated a laser-based cutting process. With this method, up to 95 percent less radioactively contaminated secondary waste is released into the water when the reactor vessel internals are cut. In direct dismantling, the reactor components are disassembled on-site within…

Phase transformation mechanisms and kinetics of a metallic glass defined over a wide temperature range. Metallic glasses are metastable materials characterised by special atomic arrangement and properties. They are generally harder, more corrosion resistant and stronger than ordinary metals. Their amorphous structure is formed when natural crystallisation is prevented. This can be achieved, for example, by rapidly cooling the melt so that the atoms are deprived of mobility before they can adopt the crystal arrangement. The reverse process – rapid…

Researchers find replacement for toxic solvent … Scientists at SPECIFIC Innovation and Knowledge Centre, Swansea University, have found a way to replace the toxic, unsustainable solvents currently needed to make the next generation of solar technology. Printed carbon perovskite solar cells have been described as a likely front runner to the market because they are extremely efficient at converting light to electricity, cheap and easy to make. A major barrier to the large-scale manufacture and commercialisation of these cells is…

Swiss drivers wear out countless tires. Instead of incinerating them, they could be reused locally: The asphalt of various countries has long contained rubber from used tires. Empa and its partners from industry are adopting this idea for potential applications in Switzerland. Commuters who nag about traffic stress should look at the ground every now and then. And take comfort in realizing it might be worse, much worse: Asphalt endures blistering heat, cold stress and plenty of pressure from above….

The Fraunhofer IWES is now starting construction work on a third rotor blade test bench at its Großer Westring site in Bremerhaven, Germany. Once complete, the bench will be used to test state-of-the-art prototypes measuring 115 m in length and even more. Some €19 million are set to be invested in the project bearing the name “Future Concept for Fatigue Strength of Rotor Blades Phase II”, which will see the construction of a testing infrastructure with a modular test block…

Graphene nanoribbons (GNRs), narrow strips of single-layer graphene, have interesting physical, electrical, thermal, and optical properties because of the interplay between their crystal and electronic structures. These novel characteristics have pushed them to the forefront in the search for ways to advance next-generation nanotechnologies. While bottom-up fabrication techniques now allow the synthesis of a broad range of graphene nanoribbons that feature well-defined edge geometries, widths, and heteroatom incorporations, the question of whether or not structural disorder is present in these…

On the street, in the parking lot, at the traffic light … A great opportunity for development and further expansion in the field of electromobility is inductive charging. Wireless charging makes it possible to automate the charging process so that the battery can be charged automatically at any time, for example in inner-city car parks, in front of traffic lights or on selected sections of road and while driving. A team of researchers from the Institute for Electrical Energy Conversion…

Imagine an entire twenty storey concrete building which can store energy like a giant battery. Thanks to unique research from Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden, such a vision could someday be a reality. Researchers from the Department of Architecture and Civil Engineering recently published an article outlining a new concept for rechargeable batteries – made of cement. The ever-growing need for sustainable building materials poses great challenges for researchers. Doctor Emma Zhang, formerly of Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden, joined…