[Images above] Credit: NIST
NANOMATERIALS
Gentle laser processing of perovskites at the nanoscale
Given perovskite’s thermal resistance, an international team of researchers were able to construct an array of nanophotonic designs using short laser pulses to evaporate the material’s organic element at a relatively low temperature, creating functional and high quality nanoelements while minimizing degradation.
Researchers discover new structure for promising class of materials
Florida State University researchers published a new study that explains how they created a hollow nanostructure for metal halide perovskites that would allow the material to emit a highly efficient blue light.
ENERGY
Diamonds shine in energy storage solution
Queensland University of Technology researchers proposed the design of a new carbon nanostructure made from diamond nanothreads that could be a potential microscale power supply for mechanical energy storage, wearable technologies, and biomedical applications.
New hybrid material improves the performance of silicon in Li-ion batteries
University of Eastern Finland researchers developed a new hybrid material of mesoporous silicon microparticles and carbon nanotubes that can improve the performance of silicon in Li-ion batteries.
A clear semiconductor based on tin could improve solar power generation
University of Tokyo researchers made a tin oxide thin film that allows visible light and near-infrared light to pass, and it achieved the highest mobility among thin films of tin dioxide ever reported.
A high-capacity battery material developed from salmon DNA
A Korean research team used the DNA of a salmon in combination with carbon nanotubes to stabilize the surface of over-lithiated layered oxides, resulting in the development of a new, stable Li-ion battery cathode material.
Scientists uncover major cause of resistance in solid electrolytes
Argonne National Laboratory researchers used electron holography to investigate grain boundaries in a solid electrolyte at an unprecedentedly small scale. The resulting insights provide new avenues for tuning chemical properties in the material to improve performance.
Advancing high temperature electrolysis: Splitting water to store energy as hydrogen
Researchers at Idaho National Laboratory improved protonic ceramic electrochemical cells by developing a new material for the oxygen electrode and combining it with a previously developed 3D meshlike architecture for the electrode. The two improvements allowed for self-sustainable, reversible operation at 400–600°C.
ENVIRONMENT
Multilayered colored paint designed to cool buildings by reflecting the sun
U.S. materials scientists say their array of colored multilayered paints can dramatically cool sun-blasted surfaces by up to 28ºF (15.6ºC), making this doubled-layered paint a possible eco-friendly alternative to air conditioners.
MANUFACTURING
Investigating the impact resistance of concrete for disaster prevention
Researchers investigated the impact response of porosity-free concrete, the hardest concrete tested to date. They found increasing steel fiber content from 1% to 2% reduced damage due to the impact by 30%–50%. They also could predict sample behavior with approximately 80% accuracy by comparing calculated values with measured ones.
OTHER STORIES
Du named editor of Journal of American Ceramic Society
University of North Texas professor Jincheng Du was appointed as an editor for the Journal of American Ceramic Society. Du’s research focuses on developing novel functional glass materials for biomedical, energy, and environmental applications to meet world challenges by using advanced computer simulations and characterization techniques.
Can high-power microwaves reduce the launch cost of space-bound rockets?
University of Tsukuba researchers calculated the efficiencies of four important features of microwave-beam-powered propulsion systems for rockets. These findings are critical to minimizing or possibly reducing the cost of rocket propulsion systems.
Photonic microwave generation using on-chip optical frequency combs
Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne researchers demonstrated integrated soliton microcombs with repetition rates as low as 10 GHz, which was achieved by significantly lowering the optical losses of integrated photonic waveguides based on silicon nitride.
New design could make fiber communications more energy efficient
Researchers involved in a U.S. Army Research Laboratory project developed a new design of optical devices that radiate light in a single direction. This single-sided radiation channel for light can be used in a wide array of optoelectronic applications to reduce energy loss in optical fiber networks and data centers.
A new class of layered perovskite with high oxygen-ion conductivity
Tokyo Institute of Technology researchers discovered a Dion-Jacobson phase layered perovskite that shows unusually high oxide-ion conductivity, based on a new screening method and a new design concept.
1,000-year-old colored glass beads discovered in West Africa
A newly discovered treasure trove of more than 10,000 colorful glass beads, as well as evidence of glassmaking tools, suggests that an ancient city in southwestern Nigeria was one of the first places in West Africa to master the complex art of glassmaking.