Processing

Low-temperature synthesis of mesoporous metal oxides unlocks flexible electronic integration

By Guest Contributor / March 8, 2024

In a recent paper, researchers from various universities in the Republic of Korea developed a low-temperature process for synthesizing mesoporous metal oxides, which unlocks the possibility of integrating these materials onto flexible electronics.

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Rinse and repeat: Water replaces toxic chemicals in printed electronics processing

By Lisa McDonald / February 9, 2024

Printable electronic inks and their associated print processes tend to rely on environmentally hazardous chemicals, which offsets the benefits of printed electronics in application. Engineers at Duke University developed a water-only printing process for fabricating printed electronics.

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Purifying nanomaterials in bulk: New acid etching method rids boron nitride nanotubes of impurities

By Lisa McDonald / January 23, 2024

Ensuring quality of nanomaterials can be difficult when producing in bulk. Rice University researchers developed a new wet-thermal etching method that can result in mass yields of up to 29% purified boron nitride nanotubes.

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Green is not for granted: Commonly perceived sustainable practices do not always guarantee benefits

By Lisa McDonald / January 9, 2024

Incorporating practices commonly regarded as sustainable into an individual or group’s workflow does not always guarantee environmental benefits. Researchers from the Technical University of Darmstadt published a case study that shows the importance of critically evaluating perceived green technologies before adoption.

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Monolayer silicon carbide achieved with both top-down and bottom-up synthesis methods

By Lisa McDonald / November 3, 2023

Theoretical studies have predicted that 2D silicon carbide in a stable honeycomb structure is possible, but experimentally achieving this material has proven difficult. Two recent papers successfully synthesized monolayer silicon carbide using top-down and bottom-up synthesis methods, respectively.

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Nanoscale goldbeating: Ancient Egyptian technique adapted for fabricating 2D thin films

By Guest Contributor / October 20, 2023

Two-dimensional thin films are often fabricated using bottom-up solution-based techniques, such as electrochemical deposition and atomic layer deposition. Now researchers have reported a top-down, solid-state method based on the age-old Egyptian craft of goldbeating that they say is generalizable to various metallic, polymeric, or ceramic nanoparticles.

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Intricate sintering: Exploring the combined effect of multiple oxide inclusions on zirconia toughened alumina

By Lisa McDonald / October 17, 2023

Several oxides are routinely used as sintering aids in the fabrication of zirconia toughened alumina. While the individual effects of these oxides are well recorded, the effect of multiple oxide inclusions is unclear. Researchers from several institutions in Bangladesh investigated the combined effect of these oxides on the zirconia toughened alumina system.

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Reducing the environmental impacts of MXene synthesis: Life cycle assessment and production guide offer tips

By Lisa McDonald / September 15, 2023

Despite the meteoric rise of MXenes from discovery to commercial products in only a decade, the environmental impacts of MXene synthesis have not been assessed systematically. ACerS member Babak Anasori helped lead two recent studies that provided a life cycle assessment and step-by-step guide for synthesizing Ti3C2Tx MXenes, respectively.

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Compliant combustion: Nanocoating offers new way to control ‘runaway’ thermal reactions

By Lisa McDonald / September 8, 2023

Current methods for controlling “runaway” thermal reactions such as combustion and pyrolysis remain rather rudimentary. Researchers led by North Carolina State University developed a new nanocoating that, when applied to a material before combustion, allows for the reaction rate and direction of ignition propagation to be controlled.

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Optimized tape casting process creates lithium metazirconate thin films for use as solid-state electrolytes

By Lisa McDonald / August 29, 2023

Lithium metazirconate (LZO) has demonstrated promise as an electrode coating in solid-state batteries, and some researchers are exploring the use of LZO as a solid-state electrolyte itself. However, to date, all electrochemical testing on LZO for this application has been performed on pressed discs rather than thin films. Researchers in Argentina and Spain developed an aqueous forming route to obtain LZO films by tape casting.

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