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Edgy look at 2D molybdenum disulfide

The drive to develop ultrasmall and ultrafast electronic devices using a single atomic layer of semiconductors, such as transition metal dichalcogenides, has received a significant boost. Researchers with the U.S. Department of Energy’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory have recorded the first observations of a strong nonlinear optical resonance along the edges of a single layer of molybdenum disulfide. The existence of these edge states is key to the use of molybdenum disulfide in nanoelectronics, as well as a catalyst for the hydrogen evolution reaction in fuel cells, desulfurization and other chemical reactions.

The GelMan quest: NRL materials science informs helmet and armor design 

“GelMan” is not the latest comic book superhero—though he has been shot at, stood near explosions, dropped from towers, and held underwater. Made up of synthetic bones and soft tissue, the GelMan surrogates help U.S. Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) Materials Science and Technology Division scientists understand how helmets and armor protect our real heroes in uniform. Using resources and protocols they’ve been developing since 2000, NRL can take any helmet design—from a football helmet to a military prototype—and in a few weeks come back with an analysis of how that design compares to current standards at protecting the brain. Recently, NRL started placing live cells inside a GelMan brain to see how a blast affects cell function and survival. 

Design of a new fluorescent hybrid material that changes color according to the direction of the light

Spanish researchers have developed a highly fluorescent hybrid material that changes color depending on the polarization of the light that it is illuminated by. The aim with respect to hybrid materials with one organic component and another inorganic one is to combine the best attributes of each one into a single system. To achieve this perfect fit, the team uses as the host material an aluminophosphate (AIPO-11) that has a suitable pore size to accommodate dyes with a structure of three fused benzene rings.

Element 117 discovered by Lawrence Livermore one step closer to being named

Element 117, first discovered by Lawrence Livermore scientists and international collaborators in 2010, is one step closer to being named. The existence of element 117 and its decay chain to elements 115 and 113 have been confirmed by a second international team led by scientists at GSI Helmholtz Centre for Heavy Ion Research, an accelerator laboratory located in Darmstadt, Germany. The next step is for the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) to accept the confirmation.

Antimicrobial edible films inhibit pathogens in meat

Antimicrobial agents incorporated into edible films applied to foods to seal in flavor, freshness and color can improve the microbiological safety of meats, according to researchers in Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences. Using films made of pullulan—an edible, mostly tasteless, transparent polymer produced by the fungus Aureobasidium pulluns—researchers evaluated the effectiveness of films containing essential oils derived from rosemary, oregano and nanoparticles against foodborne pathogens associated with meat and poultry.

Two-phase immersion cooling with 3M Novec Engineered Fluid wins bronze Edison Award

As the growth of data traffic in the cloud spikes, data centers must deliver more performance and storage with less energy consumption. To help meet this goal, 3M has pioneered a revolutionary two-phase immersion cooling technology that can reduce energy costs by 95 percent. In the new solution, equipment is placed directly into 3M Novec Engineered Fluid, an efficient dielectric that keeps the hardware cooled with minimum additional energy, maximum performance and better reliability. The technique has been shown to require 10 times less space than conventional air cooling, making it cost effective for large-scale data center hubs. 

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