[Images above] Credit: NIST
NANOMATERIALS
Improving the electrical and mechanical properties of carbon-nanotube-based fibers
Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology researchers developed a technique to build carbon-nanotube-based fibers by creating chemical crosslinks. They dispersed brominated hydrocarbon molecules within the nanotube matrix, and when heat is applied, the bromine groups detach then covalently bond to adjacent nanotubes.
Graphene-based metasurface capable of independent amplitude, phase control of light
Researchers at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology and the University of Wisconsin-Madison theoretically suggested a graphene-based active metasurface capable of independent amplitude and phase control of mid-infrared light.
Researchers develop new method to isolate atomic sheets and create new materials
Columbia University researchers invented a new method—using ultraflat gold films—to disassemble van der Waals single crystals layer by layer into monolayers with near-unity yield and with dimensions limited only by bulk crystal sizes.
New way to control the phase of light using 2D materials
Columbia University researchers found by placing monolayer transition metal dichalcogenides on top of passive silicon waveguides, they could control the phase of light without changing its amplitude, at extremely low electrical power dissipation.
ENERGY
Fast-charging, long-running, bendy energy storage breakthrough
Researchers used an innovative graphene electrode material with pores that can be changed in size to store charge more efficiently. This tuning maximizes the energy density of the supercapacitor to a record 88.1 Wh/L (Watt-hour per liter), which is the highest ever reported energy density for carbon-based supercapacitors.
Scientists develop safer lead-based perovskite solar cell
Researchers at Northern Illinois University and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory developed a technique to sequester the lead used to make perovskite solar cells and minimize potential toxic leakage.
Researchers develop high-capacity EV battery materials that double driving range
Korea Institute of Science and Technology researchers developed silicon anode materials that can increase battery capacity four-fold in comparison to graphite anode materials and enable rapid charging to more than 80% capacity in only five minutes.
A drop of water lights up 100 small LED bulbs
Researchers led by City University of Hong Kong developed a new form of droplet-based electricity generator that features a field-effect transistor-like structure allowing for high energy-conversion efficiency.
BIOMATERIALS
Researchers create organ tissue with bioactive glass, stem cells, 3D printer
Missouri S&T researchers are creating organ tissue samples using bioactive glass, stem cells, and a 3D printer. The project could advance pharmaceutical testing and lead to a better understanding of how diseases affect human cells.
Developing cancer treatments with nanotechnology
In this week’s episode of “Stories from the National Nanotechnology Initiative,” ACerS member Sudipta Seal of the of University of Central Florida discusses his work using nanotechnology to develop cancer treatments.
ENVIRONMENT
‘Wood’ you like to recycle concrete?
University of Tokyo researchers developed a new procedure for recycling concrete with the addition of discarded wood. They found the correct proportion of inputs can yield a new building material with a bending strength superior to that of the original concrete.
MANUFACTURING
Stronger, cheaper silicon carbide fiber tows
Innovators at NASA’s Glenn Research Center developed a rapid processing method that produces stronger, tailored silicon carbide tows and even heals damaged or otherwise low-quality fibers. The technique uses a microwave sintering furnace to reduce power requirements, processing temperatures, processing times, and costs.
OTHER STORIES
An early warning system for damage in composite materials
A team at the National Institute of Standards and Technology developed a tool to monitor changes in widely fiber reinforced polymers, which can be found in everything from aerospace and infrastructure to wind turbines.
University of Freiburg researchers found out that surfaces made of different materials, which show distinct mechanisms of plastic deformation, always develop surface roughness with identical statistical properties.
Study uncovers new electronic state of matter
Researchers led by University of Pittsburgh showed that when electrons can be made to attract one another, they can form bunches of two, three, four, and five electrons that behave like new types of particles.
Black phosphorus tunnel field-effect transistor as an alternative ultra-low power switch
Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology researchers developed a thickness-controlled black phosphorus tunnel field-effect transistor that shows 10-times lower switching power consumption as well as 10,000-times lower standby power consumption than conventional complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor transistors.
Watching magnetic nano ‘tornadoes’ in 3D
Researchers from Universities of Cambridge and Glasgow in the UK and ETH Zurich and the Paul Scherrer Institute in Switzerland developed a three-dimensional imaging technique to observe complex behaviors in magnets, including fast-moving waves and “tornadoes” thousands of times thinner than a human hair.