[Images above] Credit: NIST
NANOMATERIALS
Chemists synthesize narrow ribbons of graphene using only light and heat
UCLA chemists have developed a new method to produce nanoribbons of graphene. The research team constructed graphene nanoribbons molecule by molecule using a simple reaction based on ultraviolet light and exposure to 600ºC heat.
Demonstrating high performance 2-D monolayer transistors on paper substrate
Researchers at the University of Texas at Austin recently demonstrated high-performance 2-D monolayer transistors on paper substrates. The graphene and molybdenum disulfide transistors on a normal paper substrate worked nearly as well as those based on plastic.
Quantum waltz of electrons hints at the next generation of chips
Researchers have successfully measured some of the quantum properties of electrons in 2-D semiconductors. This work in the field of spintronics could one day lead to chips that are not only smaller but that also generate less heat.
Functional ring oscillators based on stacked gate-all-around silicon nanowire transistors
An optimized CMOS process flow was used to integrate, for the first time, vertically stacked gate-all-around silicon nanowire transistors in a functional ring oscillator. This demonstrator shows promise this technology holds for realizing sub-5 nm technology nodes.
Subnanometer-scale channels in 2-D materials could point toward future electronics, solar cells
Researchers at King Abdullah, Cornell, and MIT with colleagues at Academia Sinica and Texas Tech University describe both the material deposition method and the mechanism underlying the formation of the MoS2 nanowires, which they modeled computationally.
ENERGY
Researchers make solid ground toward better lithium-ion battery interfaces
Research at Sandia National Laboratories has identified a major obstacle to advancing solid-state lithium-ion battery performance in small electronics: the flow of lithium ions across battery interfaces.
‘Holy Grail’ for batteries: Solid-state magnesium battery a big step closer
Researchers at Berkeley Lab and Argonne National Lab have discovered the fastest magnesium-ion solid-state conductor, a major step towards making solid-state magnesium-ion batteries that are both energy dense and safe.
High-rate and long-life lithium-ion battery through a prelithiation strategy
When it is cold in winter, batteries tend to have problems. Now scientists have designed a battery system with a cold-enduring hard-carbon anode and a powerful lithium-rich cathode, with the important initial lithiation step integrated.
Scientists discover path to improving game-changing battery electrode
Researchers from Stanford University, two Department of Energy national labs, and the battery manufacturer Samsung created a comprehensive picture of how the same chemical processes that give lithium-rich battery cathodes their high capacity are also linked to changes in atomic structure that sap performance.
New power devices could drastically reduce energy waste
Researchers from MIT, semiconductor company IQE, Columbia University, IBM, and the Singapore-MIT Alliance for Research and Technology presented a new design that, in tests, enabled gallium nitride power devices to handle voltages of 1,200 volts.
BIOMEDICINE
A smart, portable, miniaturized system that can analyze sweat
EPFL researchers have teamed up with startup Xsensio to develop a tiny, fully portable system that can encapsulate and analyze biomarkers in a person’s sweat. The low-power system fits on a chip measuring under 1 cm².
New way to form bioactive spider silk for medical use
Technology hasn’t quite mastered the spider’s ability to form silk proteins into structures. But a new technique has been developed that can form silk structures without relying on chemicals that compromise their usefulness in medical applications.
Ultrasound imaging needle to transform heart surgery
Heart tissue can be imaged in real-time during keyhole procedures using a new optical ultrasound needle. The revolutionary technology has been successfully used for minimally invasive heart surgery in pigs, giving an unprecedented, high-resolution view of soft tissues.
OTHER RESEARCH
Nature’s toughest substances decoded
Using more than 400 computer simulations of platelet-matrix composite materials, Rice materials scientists developed a design map to help with the synthesis of staggered composites for applications at any scale where lightweight, multifunctional structural composites are key.
The future of electronics: New catalytic effect discovered for producing gallium oxide
Physicists at the Paul Drude Institute for Solid State Electronics have now drastically increased the yield of gallium oxide with a catalytic effect observed for the first time during crystal growth. Plus, this effect can also be ported to other materials with similar properties.
Discovery points the way to better and cheaper transparent conductors
Researchers at the University of Liverpool have made a discovery that could improve the conductivity of a type of glass coating which is used on items such as touch screens, solar cells, and energy efficient windows.
Atomistic calculations predict that boron incorporation increases the efficiency of LEDs
Using predictive atomistic calculations and high-performance supercomputers, researchers at the University of Michigan found that incorporating boron into indium-gallium nitride material can keep electrons from becoming too crowded in LEDs, making the material more efficient.
Narrow glass threads synchronize the light emissions of distant atoms
Researchers at the Joint Quantum Institute have shown that nanofibers can provide a link between far-flung atoms, serving as a light bridge between them. The new technique could eventually provide secure communication channels between distant atoms and more.