[Images above] Credit: NIST
NANOMATERIALS
The beauty of imperfections: Linking atomic defects to 2D materials’ electronic properties
Two studies led by scientists at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory revealed surprising details on how some atomic defects emerge in transition metal dichalcogenides, and how those defects shape the 2D material’s electronic properties.
Breaking (and restoring) graphene’s symmetry in a twistable electronics device
Columbia University researchers built devices consisting of monolayer graphene encapsulated between two crystals of boron nitride and, by adjusting the relative twist angle between the layers, they were able to create multiple moiré patterns.
Researchers develop new framework for nanoantenna light absorption
University of Illinois at Urbana−Champaign researchers developed nanoantennas that pack the energy captured from light sources, such as LEDs, into particles with nanometer-scale diameters, making it possible to detect individual biomolecules, catalyze chemical reactions, and generate photons with desirable properties for quantum computing.
Research shows old newspapers can be used to grow carbon nanotubes
A research collaboration between Rice University and Swansea University found that old newspapers can be used as a low cost, eco-friendly material on which to grow single walled carbon nanotubes on a large scale.
ENERGY
A whole new KIT of solar cell materials
Scientists at Karlsruhe Institute of Technology received €4.5 million from the Carl Zeiss Foundation to begin a project developing an entirely new solar cell concept they say will combine the printability of organic PV, long-term stability of crystalline solar cells, and ferroelectricity of lead-halide perovskites.
Graphene decorated with molybdenum clusters splits water
By anchoring molybdenum clusters onto a sheet of graphene, researchers from The Polytechnic University of Valencia and University of Rennes created a material that photocatalyzes the splitting of water into hydrogen and oxygen.
Big plans to save the planet depend on nanoscopic materials improving energy storage
An international team of researchers lays out how research in the field of nanomaterials for energy storage over the last two decades enabled the big step that will be necessary to make use of sustainable energy sources.
Efficient bottom-up synthesis of new perovskite material for the production of ammonia
Tokyo Institute of Technology researchers found a way to synthesize an oxygen-substituted perovskite that promotes the production of ammonia, which has key applications in fertilizer production and hydrogen energy.
Ammonia synthesis made easy with 2D catalyst
Rice University researchers turned a 2D crystal of molybdenum disulfide into a catalyst by removing atoms of sulfur from the latticelike structure and replacing the exposed molybdenum with cobalt. This manipulation allowed the material to mimic the natural organic process bacteria use to turn atmospheric dinitrogen into ammonia in organisms.
MANUFACTURING
Industrial scale production of layer materials via intermediate-assisted grinding
Tsinghua University researchers proposed an exfoliation technology that uses intermediate materials to increase a mixture’s coefficient of friction and then effectively apply sliding frictional forces to the layer material. They say this is the first time 2D materials other than graphene were produced with a yield of more than 50% and production rate over 0.1g h-1.
OTHER STORIES
‘Self-cleaning’ concrete could keep buildings looking new
Researchers created a concrete with hydrophobic silicon polymer-coated pores that repelled dust particles and liquids, including milk, beer, soy sauce, coffee and dyed water, and could be immersed in the liquids and removed without leaving any stains behind.
Carbonics, Inc., partnered with the University of Southern California to develop a carbon nanotube technology that, for the first time, achieved speeds exceeding 100GHz in radio frequency applications.
New antenna tech to equip ceramic coatings with heat radiation control
Researchers at Purdue University engineered boron nitride nanotubes that behave as thermal antennas, offering control over the spectrum and direction of high-temperature heat radiation. The work is part of a larger search in the field for a wide range of materials that can withstand higher temperatures.