More and more companies and organizations are considering the potential of mycelium, the root-like structure of most fungi, as a green construction material. Today’s CTT spotlights several recent innovations in this area.
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Fog catching provides people living in dry but foggy areas with a stable water source. But air pollution can make the collected water unsafe for use unless it is treated. Researchers led by ETH Zurich developed a system for simultaneously harvesting and cleaning the water collected from fog nets.
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Silicon carbide-based semiconductor chips are starting to be embraced by automotive manufacturers looking to overcome the limitations of traditional silicon. To prepare for an expected surge in demand for SiC electronics, several semiconductor manufacturers have announced plans to construct new or expand existing fabrication facilities.
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Reducing the thickness of silicon wafers in solar cells below 40 μm typically results in decreased performance. Using black silicon for the wafer, however, which has a textured surface structure, can improve the wafer’s absorption capabilities. Researchers in Spain and Finland demonstrated this improvement by using ultrathin black silicon wafers to create interdigitated back-contact solar cells.
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Thermal barrier coatings protect engine components from extreme heat, but they can be damaged by the dust that gets sucked in and turned into molten glass. Previous studies found yttria-stabilized zirconia coatings doped with alumina and titania demonstrated improved corrosion resistance against this molten glass. Now, researchers in Turkey explored whether these additives could improve the resistance of ceria-stabilized coatings as well.
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The expansion of real-time translation apps is bringing the benefits of subtitles to real-life conversations. In February 2023, the integration of these apps into everyday dialogue took a step forward with the beta release of a new product called TranscribeGlass, which attaches to your glasses and projects real-time captions in front of your eyes.
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Automating experiments can help speed up the materials development process. Researchers led by North Carolina State University developed a new high-throughput automated testing system that deposits multiple samples on the same substrate, thus saving time and energy.
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While some studies have demonstrated that electric fields and light exposure can affect the motion of dislocations in ceramics, the principal driving force of motion in these cases was mechanical stress. Now, an international group of researchers showed dislocation motion in a single-crystalline zinc sulfide can be controlled using only an external electric field.
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The potential of perovskites as a photovoltaic material, both in combination with silicon and alone, is gaining steam. This CTT overviews some of the biggest advancements in this field in recent months.
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Cadmium telluride solar cells are the second most common photovoltaic technology globally after crystalline silicon. Today’s CTT looks at recent funding initiatives and commercial expansions to accelerate the impact of this maturing technology.
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