[Images above] Credit: NIST
NANOMATERIALS
Alignment of single-wall carbon nanotubes along common axis
University of Wyoming researchers showed the ability to globally align single-wall carbon nanotubes along a common axis. Unlike previous efforts to align nanotubes using nanotube solution filtration, they created an automated system that could create multiple aligned films at one time.
Double layer of graphene helps to control spin currents
University of Groningen scientists created a device based on a double layer of graphene on top of a layer of tungsten disulfide that can switch spin currents on and off, and won’t reduce the lifetime of the spins.
Easy-to-use technique to measure the hydrophobicity of micro- and nanoparticle
University of Hawaii at Manoa researchers invented a groundbreaking method that allows for easy determination of the surface free energy of particles as a quantitative measure of particle hydrophobicity.
Why modified carbon nanotubes can help the reproducibility problem
Tokyo Institute of Technology researchers conducted an in-depth study on how carbon nanotubes with oxygen-containing groups can be used to greatly enhance the performance of perovskite solar cells, by improving the contact between the two materials greatly and by serving as a protection against attacks from moisture on the perovskite.
ENERGY
Calcium batteries: New electrolytes, enhanced properties
Researchers of Karlsruhe Institute of Technology synthesized a class of new electrolytes based on special organic calcium salts that makes charging calcium-based batteries at room temperature possible.
Metallic tin ‘reduces’ limitations of perovskite solar cells
Researchers at Nanjing University demonstrated that metallic tin could reduce Sn4+ back to Sn2+ when added to perovskite precursor solution. When Sn2+ oxidizes to Sn4+, it results in a less efficient solar cell; this research helps to avoid that.
ENVIRONMENT
IIT-H partners with Odisha tech institute to develop bio-brick
Researchers from Indian Institute of Technology, Hyderabad, and KIIT School of Architecture, Bhubaneswar (Odisha), developed bio-bricks from agricultural waste that serves a dual purpose: better waste management and promoting eco-friendly and sustainable building material.
It takes two—a two-atom catalyst, that is—to make oxygen from water
Researchers at Yale University, Imperial College London, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, and University of Cambridge shed light on the mechanism of water oxidation occurring at the metal oxide/water interface. They found if you change light intensity, you also change the mechanism of water splitting on hematite (rust).
Clay minerals call the shots with carbon
Researchers from ETH Zurich and Tongji University in Shanghai showed different kinds of clay minerals interact with organic matter to varying degrees, in a process that determines the cycling of organic carbon and also affects the extent to which each clay mineral acts as an agent for carbon sequestration.
MANUFACTURING
Ceramic industry should use carbon reducing cold sintering process says new research
A new techno-economic analysis, led by the University of Warwick, shows the energy intensive ceramic industry would gain both financial and environmental benefits if it moved to free the cold sintering process from languishing in labs to actual use in manufacturing.
Highest throughput 3D printer is the future of manufacturing
Northwestern University researchers developed a new, futuristic 3D printer that is so big and so fast it can print an object the size of an adult human in just a couple of hours. Called HARP (high-area rapid printing), uses a new, patent-pending version of stereolithography.
OTHER STORIES
Containing a nuclear accident with ground-up minerals
Researchers at Sandia National Laboratories discovered and patented a process for injecting carbonate minerals into the core of a nuclear reactor during an accident to contain and slow down the progression of a meltdown.
Scientists reveal mechanism of electron charge exchange in molecules
Researchers at the University of California, Irvine, developed a new scanning transmission electron microscopy method that enables visualization of the electric charge density of materials at sub-angstrom resolution.
Behind the looking glass of the world’s biggest telescope
The Giant Magellan Telescope will contain seven mirrors, each 27.6 feet across and arrayed like a daisy. They are being cast at the University of Arizona, and each requires 18 tons of glass and more than a year of polishing to attain its spoonlike shape. Take a look behind-the-scenes at the process to create these mirrors.