[Images above] Credit: NIST
NANOMATERIALS
Picoscience and a plethora of new materials
Yale University researchers created an artificial, layered crystal made of lanthanum, titanium, cobalt, and oxygen. They layered the elements one atomic plane at a time so 1D-thick sheets of titanium oxide transferred an electron to 1D-thick sheets of cobalt oxide, changing the electronic configuration and magnetic properties of the cobalt oxide sheet.
The nanoguitar string that plays itself
Scientists at Lancaster University and the University of Oxford created a nanoelectronic circuit based on a carbon nanotube that vibrates without any external force. The nano-oscillator could be used to amplify tiny forces, such as in novel microscopes, or to measure the viscosity of exotic quantum fluids.
Researchers integrate 2D-based single photon emitters with SiN waveguides
Researchers from the Photonics Research Group (an imec research group at Ghent University) and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology integrated single photon emitters in 2D layered materials with a silicon nitride photonic chip.
Graphene substrate improves the conductivity of carbon nanotube network
Scientists at Aalto University and University of Vienna introduced a hybrid material to transparent conductive films made by combining carbon nanotubes and graphene, which improved the conductivity of the film beyond what is possible when using each of these component structures separately.
Creating 2D heterostructures for future electronics
Northwestern University researchers created 2D heterostructures from graphene and borophene by growing both materials on the same substrate—an important step toward creating integrated circuits from these nanomaterials.
ENERGY
Sealed cell improves oxide-peroxide conversion in lithium-ion battery
A team of researchers in Japan and China designed an oxygen-free cell in which the Li2O to Li2O2 reaction can take place. They did this by embedding Li2O nanoparticles into an iridium-reduced graphene oxide catalytic substrate to successfully control the charging potential within a small region of the device and avoid over-polarization.
Scientists pinpoint cause of harmful dendrites and whiskers in lithium batteries
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory researchers showed the presence of ethylene carbonate in the electrolyte prompts the growth of dendrites and whiskers in lithium metal batteries. The team’s findings include videos that show the step-by-step growth of a whisker inside a nanosized lithium metal battery specially designed for the study.
BIOMATERIALS
Transparent graphene wearables monitor signs of health
Researchers from The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology and the Catalan Institution for Research and Advanced Studies developed a new class of flexible and transparent wearables based on graphene sensitized with semiconducting quantum dots. The new technology can successfully measure heart rate and oxygen saturation.
ENVIRONMENT
Researchers create new glass-ceramic material from industrial contaminants
Researchers from Mexico and Spain created a new glass-ceramic material from sludge contaminated with toxic chromium. The material has high resistance to bending compared to others of the same class and, once processed, is nontoxic and environmentally harmless.
Scientists use graphene filter to purify methane from biogas
University of New South Wales scientists who developed a graphene filter to improve the quality of drinking water discovered a new application for the very thin form of carbon—the ability for graphene to purify methane from biogas produced in wastewater plants.
MANUFACTURING
‘Electroadhesive’ stamp picks up and puts down microscopic structures
Massachusetts Institute of Technology researchers developed a miniature “electroadhesive” stamp that can pick up and place down objects as small as 20 nanometers wide. The stamp is made from a sparse forest of ceramic-coated carbon nanotubes arranged like bristles on a tiny brush.
OTHER STORIES
Cooling nanotube resonators with electrons
Researchers from ICFO-The Institute of Photonic Sciences, in collaboration with researchers from ICN2 in Barcelona and CNRS in France, demonstrated the ability to cool down a carbon nanomechanical resonator to 4.6 +- 2.0 quanta of vibration.
New science on cracking leads to self-healing materials
In a pair of new studies from Princeton University, researchers found in a large class of common materials, including clay and human skin, individual grains of the material shrink as they dry. By harnessing the amount and speed of shrinkability, the researchers are able to predict, and even reverse, cracking over time.
Concrete doped with microbes gains durability
Researchers at Ehime University in Japan mixed the bacteria Bacillus subtilis natto with cement and found it consumed dissolved oxygen to oxidize organic matter. This reaction reduced corrosion of steel bars in concrete and favored the formation of calcium carbonate, sealing cracks in the concrete automatically.
That new yarn? Wearable, washable textile devices are possible with MXene-coated yarns
Two groups of researchers at Drexel University showed they can create a highly conductive, durable yarn by coating standard cellulose-based yarns with titanium carbide MXene. The MXene-based conductive yarns not only held up against the wear and tear of industrial knitting machines, but the fabrics survived a battery of tests to prove durability.