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[Images above] Credit: NIST


NANOMATERIALS

2D perovskite materials found to have unique, conductive edge states

The Pennsylvania State University researchers found a new class of 2D perovskite materials with edges that are conductive like metals and cores that are insulating. They made the discovery while synthesizing lead halide perovskite materials for use in next-gen solar cells.

Resistance is utile: Magnetite nanowires with sharp insulating transition

Researchers led by Osaka University made ultra-thin nanowires from magnetite by deposition on a magnesium oxide substrate. When cooled to 110 K, the nanowires showed greater resistivity resulting from a change in crystal structure. This switching is essential for nanoelectronics, but hard to achieve in magnetite nanowires.

A graphene superconductor that plays more than one tune

A multitasking graphene device developed by Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory researchers easily switches from a superconductor to an insulator and back again, all with a simple flip of a switch. The device is composed of three 2D layers of graphene sandwiched between 2D layers of boron nitride.

Researchers toughen glass using nanoparticles

Researchers at University of California, Los Angeles, developed a process that uses silicon carbide nanoparticles to strengthen the atomic structure of glass. The result is a product that is at least five times tougher than any glass currently available.

Bioinspired MXene-based actuators for programmable smart devices

Researchers from Nanyang Technological University, Harbin Institute of Technology, and Guangdong University of Technology developed a bilayered actuator based on MXene-cellulose composites and polycarbonate membranes. The device mimics leaf architecture and shows energy-harvesting, conversion capabilities similar to photosynthesis.


ENERGY

Black plastics could create renewable energy

Swansea University researchers found how black plastics commonly found in food packaging, which cannot be easily recycled, can be broken down and the carbon used to create new materials like carbon nanotubes and high purity carbon electrical cables.

The interlayers help perovskite crystallization for high-performance light-emitting diodes

Scientists at Linkoping University and colleagues from China showed how to achieve efficient perovskite LEDs. The halide perovskites, which are defined by their crystal structures, can be easily prepared by low-cost solution processing from precursor solution comprising metal halides and organic halides.


MANUFACTURING

AAA research on escape tools raises concerns about indestructible vehicle windows

AAA tested six popular escape tools and found none were able to break the laminated glass increasingly used for the side windows in vehicles. That could complicate efforts to get out of a car quickly in the threat of vehicle fire or submersion.

High magnetic field of 10T during activated carbon production improves micropore capacity

Researchers created more efficient forms of activated carbon by using superconducting magnets to coax carbonized coal tar pitch to form crystallites, thus increasing the volume of pores in the activated carbon by 35%. When there are more crystallites, more crevasses are created where chemicals can come into contact with the activated carbon.

ACI conducts study on design of fly ash-blended low CO2 concrete

The American Concrete Institute presented a computational program to design fly ash-blended concrete considering carbon dioxide emission, strength, and carbonation under different climate-change scenarios.


OTHER STORIES

Electrical engineers develop ‘beyond 5G’ wireless transceiver

A new wireless transceiver invented by electrical engineers at University of California, Irvine boosts radio frequencies into 100-gigahertz territory, quadruple the speed of the upcoming 5G wireless communications standard.

Using building materials to monitor for high enriched uranium

North Carolina State University researchers showed how small samples of building materials, such as tile and brick, can be used to test whether a facility has ever stored high enriched uranium. While this technique is new, there is already interest in it among the agencies responsible for nuclear monitoring.

A material way to make Mars habitable

Researchers from Harvard University, NASA’s Jet Propulsion Lab, and University of Edinburgh showed a two to three-centimeter-thick shield of silica aerogel could transmit enough visible light for photosynthesis, block hazardous UV radiation, and raise temperatures underneath permanently above water’s melting point.

First-ever visualizations of electrical gating effects on electronic structure

Physicists from University of Washington and University of Warwick developed a technique to measure the energy and momentum of electrons in microelectronic devices made of 2D materials. They used this information to create visual representations of the materials’ electrical and optical properties to guide engineers in maximizing 2D materials’ potential.

How to make a magnet out of liquid

Scientists created a magnet out of a liquid by suspending iron oxide particles in a mixture of oil and water. The magnetism of the liquid can be created by an external field, and even when it is deformed, the liquid retains its magnetism.

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