[Images above] Credit: NIST
NANOMATERIALS
Arrangement of atoms measured in silicene
Physicists from the University of Basel precisely determined the corrugated structure of silicene using a low-temperature atomic force microscopy with a carbon monoxide tip. The structure’s unevenness, known as buckling, influences silicene’s electronic properties.
Researchers break the geometric limitations of moiré pattern in graphene heterostructures
Researchers at The University of Manchester broke the restriction a moiré pattern places on layered 2D materials by combining moiré patterns into composite ‘super-moiré’ in graphene both aligning to substrate and encapsulation hexagonal boron nitride.
ENERGY
Scientists create thin films with tantalizing electronic properties
Researchers led by University at Buffalo created thin films made from barium zirconium sulfide and confirmed the materials combine exceptionally strong light absorption with good charge transport—two qualities that make them ideal for applications such as photovoltaics and light-emitting diodes.
Tomato skin and graphene to generate electricity with body heat
University of Malaga researchers spread tomato skin and graphene nanoparticles on cotton fabric to create a shirt that generates electricity through the Seebeck effect. The power is still very small, but the researchers aim to increase it.
ENVIRONMENT
Researchers extract battery materials from seawater
An IBM Research team discovered the chemistry for a new battery that does not use heavy metals or other unsustainable substances. The design combines a cobalt- and nickel-free cathode and liquid electrolyte extracted from seawater.
Development of ultrathin durable membrane for efficient oil and water separation
Researchers at Kobe University developed an ultrathin membrane with a fouling-resistant silica surface treatment for high performance separation of oil from water. The membrane showed great tolerance against a variety of acidic, alkaline, solvent, and salt solutions.
MANUFACTURING
Newly patented 3D construction printer makes 60-ft-long concrete slabs in less than minute
Armatron Systems, an Arizona-based 3D construction printing company, secured a patent for an on-site printer that officials say can create a slab as long as 60 feet in less than a minute. The 3D printer uses a slip-form mold extrusion system that limits bubbles/air in concrete and shortens curing process so concrete can support weight right after being laid.
Pune NGO develops ‘cheaper, more reliable’ meter to measure strength of concrete
The Pune Construction Engineering Research Foundation in India developed what it claims is the country’s first indigenous Concrete Maturity Meter that determines the strength of concrete used in construction. The method is based on the principle that concrete strength is directly related to its hydration (temperature) and age (time).
OTHER STORIES
Playing the angles with dramatic effect
An Argonne National Laboratory researcher and colleagues propose the most complete picture to date concerning metal-insulator transition in transition metal oxides, specifically perovskites. Their theory captures the relationship among tilt angle induced by vegetable ion size, temperature of metal-insulator transition, and degree of disorder in the structure.
Scientists discover first antiferromagnetic topological quantum material
Scientists at TU Dresden and colleagues developed the first crystal growing technique for the first intrinsically magnetic topological material—manganese-bismuth telluride—and characterized the physical properties of the crystals.
Unraveling how tungsten armor erodes in tokamak walls
Scientists developed a new model to describe how large, periodic bursts of plasma called edge localized modes erode parts of tokamak walls armored with tungsten. This data indicates that if small amounts of carbon impurities are present in the plasma, they can erode the tungsten just as much as the main deuterium fuel.
Powder, not gas: A safer, more effective way to create a star on Earth
Scientists at Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory found that putting a layer of boron powder in tokamaks could prevent tungsten from leaching out of tokamak walls into plasma, where it cools the plasma particles and make fusion reactions less efficient.
FEFU scientists participate in development of ceramic materials that are IR-transparent
Scientists from Far Eastern Federal University and colleagues from Institute of Chemistry (Russian Academy of Sciences), Institute for Single Crystals (Ukraine), and Shanghai Institute of Ceramics developed Y2O3–MgO nanocomposite ceramics capable of transmitting over 70% of IR-range with wavelength up to 6,000 nm.
How did the Rebels beat the Empire in Star Wars? Concrete, not lightsabers, saved the day
In an article published in The Conversation, civil engineering professors argue the fate of the galaxy was decided not by lightsabers but by concrete. Learn some interesting facts about concrete through the lens of Star Wars.