For the first time ever, researchers direct bond gallium nitride and diamond, paving the way for the next generation of highly conductive semiconductors and high-power devices. The need for more powerful electronic devices in today’s society is curtailed by our ability to produce highly conductive semiconductors that can withstand the harsh, high temperature fabrication processes of high-powered devices. Gallium nitride (GaN)-on-diamond shows promise as a next-generation semiconductor material due to the wide band gap of both materials, allowing for high…

Scientists reveal at an atomic scale how chlorine stabilizes next-gen solar cells. Cutting-edge imaging techniques settle a long-standing puzzle in the solar tech research community over the role and presence of chlorine. Scientists have imaged atoms on the surface layer of perovskite – a revolutionary crystal material that harvests light in next-gen solar cells The study reveals how chlorine, a dopant that boosts the stability of the perovskite layer, is incorporated into the perovskite crystal structure The researchers observed dark…

Demonstrating next-generation energy technology, researchers at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign are using topology optimization and metal 3D printing to design ultra-compact, high-power heat exchangers. Used in most major industries – including energy, water, manufacturing, transportation, construction, electronic, chemical, petrochemical, agriculture and aerospace – heat exchangers transfer thermal energy from one medium to another. For decades, heat exchanger designs have remained relatively unchanged. Recent advancements in 3D printing allow the production of three-dimensional exchanger designs previously thought impossible. These new…

… for Assembling Optical Systems with Maximum Precision. The Fraunhofer Institute for Laser Technology ILT in Aachen has been developing and building laser systems for use in space for several years. At the same time, the Aachen scientists are also researching technologies for metallic 3D printing. Using the Laser Powder Bed Fusion (LPBF) process, Fraunhofer ILT – along with the Chair for Digital Additive Production DAP – has developed and set up a new precision gripper arm made of metal…

Physicists and chemists at University of Jena develop a method for nonlinear signal modulation in 2D materials. Nonlinear optics is of paramount importance in numerous fields of science and technology, in particular for second harmonic generation, namely the process of frequency doubling of a light beam. For instance, this process turns invisible infrared light into the visible light cursor of a laser pointer. In spectroscopy, this method allows to reach new wavelengths that are otherwise not available using conventional laser…

A European project led by Eurac Research has developed standard solutions suitable for every climate zone. The starting point is a modular prefabricated wooden façade that can include insulation and active components and is attached to the walls of the existing building. The façade’s openings align with those of existing windows and doors. Other technological components can be added to this base to form different solutions. These include a decentralised ventilation system that can also be equipped with a heat…

Anyone using a cellphone, laptop or electric vehicle depends on lithium. The element is in tremendous demand. And although the supply of lithium around the world is plentiful, getting access to it and extracting it remains a challenging and inefficient process. An interdisciplinary team of engineers and scientists is developing a way to extract lithium from contaminated water. New research, published this week in Proceedings of the National Academies of Sciences, could simplify the process of extracting lithium from aqueous brines,…

Soft valve paves the way for fully soft robots. Soft robots driven by pressurized fluids could explore new frontiers and interact with delicate objects in ways that traditional rigid robots can’t. But building entirely soft robots remains a challenge because many of the components required to power these devices are, themselves, rigid. Now, researchers from the Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS) have developed electrically-driven soft valves to control hydraulic soft actuators. These valves could…

Researchers from the University of Tsukuba use ultraviolet light pulses to access ion conductor properties that are otherwise difficult to safely attain. Automotive and other industries are hard at work improving the performance of rechargeable batteries and fuel cells. Now, researchers from Japan have made a discovery that will enable new possibilities for future environmental stability in this line of work. In a study recently published in Applied Materials Today, researchers from the University of Tsukuba have revealed that ultraviolet…

Vibration with different frequencies widely distributed in natural environments, living creatures, and artificial machines could be a nearly bottomless, locally obtained, and green energy source. By collecting ubiquitous vibrations through micro-transducers, it becomes possible to power wearable consumer electronics integrated in clothes, implantable devices in human bodies, portable terminals in the Internet of Things and even unsupervised vehicles in harsh environments. However, it’s a long-standing challenge to efficiently utilize the dispersed vibration energy especially within the high frequency range, since…

A new efficiency record of 21.4% for flexible CIGS solar cell on polymer film has been achieved by scientists at Empa. Solar cells of this type are especially suited for applications on roofs, transport vehicles or mobile devices. A group of scientists at Empa has pushed the efficiency of flexible solar cells to a new limit. Independent measurements revealed an efficiency of 21.4 percent when these types of solar cells convert light into electricity. For comparison: the best efficiency of…

The findings confirm theoretical predictions that certain metallic specimens could support an electron-phonon liquid phase. A team of researchers from Boston College has created a new metallic specimen where the motion of electrons flows in the same way water flows in a pipe — fundamentally changing from particle-like to fluid-like dynamics, the team reports in Nature Communications. Working with colleagues from the University of Texas at Dallas and Florida State University, Boston College Assistant Professor of Physics Fazel Tafti found…

There’s nothing like the smell of freshly brewed coffee in the morning. But how does one measure that smell? There’s no energy in a smell to help estimate how potent the coffee might be. Instead, it’s the gases emitted from brewed coffee that contribute to the invigorating scent. The human nose captures those gases in a way that Nosang Vincent Myung, the Bernard Keating Crawford Professor of Engineering at the University of Notre Dame, is working to duplicate in a device with sensors….

New material maintains borophene’s electronic properties, offers new advantages. For the first time, Northwestern University engineers have created a double layer of atomically flat borophene, a feat that defies the natural tendency of boron to form non-planar clusters beyond the single-atomic-layer limit. Although known for its promising electronic properties, borophene — a single-atom-layer-thick sheet of boron — is challenging to synthesize. Unlike its analog two-dimensional material graphene, which can be peeled away from innately layered graphite using something as simple…

Ultrafast electron microscope opens up new avenues for the development of sensors and quantum devices. Everyone who has ever been to the Grand Canyon can relate to having strong feelings from being close to one of nature’s edges. Similarly, scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Argonne National Laboratory have discovered that nanoparticles of gold act unusually when close to the edge of a one-atom thick sheet of carbon, called graphene. This could have big implications for the development…

High-voltage direct current cables which can efficiently transport electricity over long distances play a vital role in our electricity supply. Optimising their performance is therefore an important challenge. With that aim in mind, scientists from Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden, present a new insulation material up to three times less conductive, offering significant improvements to the properties and performance of such cables. If we are to transition to a world powered by renewable energy, efficient long-distance transport of electricity is…