[Images above] Credit: NIST
NANOMATERIALS
Once unstuck, boron nitride nanotubes show promise
Rice University chemists determined surfactants—the basic compounds in soap—offer the best and easiest way to keep boron nitride nanotubes from clumping. That could lead to expanded use as thermal and mechanical reinforcement for composite materials.
ENERGY
Oxford PV perovskite solar cell achieves 28 percent efficiency
Oxford PV, a leader in the field of perovskite solar cells, achieved a new perovskite world record with 28 percent conversion efficiency, certified by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory. Oxford PV received $3 million from the United Kingdom government to develop cells with 37 percent conversion efficiency.
Aluminum nitride to extend life of solar power plants
Scientists from National University of Science and Technology MISiS and Central Metallurgical R&D Institute developed porous composites based on silicon carbide/aluminum nitride that could extend life of solar towers up to five years. Such composites have a low coefficient of thermal expansion, which significantly improves their performance.
MANUFACTURING
Fabrication of shape-conformable batteries based on 3D-printing technology
A KAIST-Harvard research collaboration team manufactured various kinds of battery shapes, including ring-type, H, and U shape, using 3D printing technology. And through a research collaboration with Korea Research Institute of Chemical Technology, 3D-printed batteries were applied to small-scale wearable electronic devices.
MIT researchers develop novel 3D printing method for transparent glass
The G3DP2 platform, developed by MIT scientists and used to turn molten glass into 3-meter tall columns, is described in a new article. The researchers describe the early printer and the complete redesign, upgrading it to an industrial platform capable of achieving architectural output.
OTHER STORIES
Researchers develop three new 2D materials
A collaboration between researchers in Cusat and at Rice and Houston universities resulted in the development of 2D hematene, ilmenene, and manganese telluride. All three materials differ greatly in quality compared to other 2D materials.
Strong interactions produce a dance between light and sound
Researchers from Imperial College London, the University of Oxford, and the National Physical Laboratory experimentally demonstrated “strong-coupling regime” between light and high-frequency acoustic vibrations using a tiny round glass structure to bounce light many times around the surface.