[Images above] Credit: NIST
NANOMATERIALS
3D printing with nanoparticles
Researchers from the Technical University of Hamburg and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, in collaboration with the Helmholtz-Zentrum Geesthacht and Bremen University, achieved the assembly of iron oxide nanoparticles into strong macrostructures via 3D printing.
How to manipulate light on the nanoscale over wide frequency ranges
Researchers led by University of Oviedo in Spain discovered an effective method based on intercalation for controlling the frequency of confined light at the nanoscale in the form of phonon polaritons.
ENERGY
Nanotube shirts for energy harvesting?
Researchers at the University of Texas at Dallas and Hanyang University found fibers created with carbon-based nanotubes create supercapacitors when coated with, or submerged in, an electrolyte such as salt water.
Coordination polymer glass provides solid support for hydrogen fuel cells
Scientists at Japan’s Institute for Integrated Cell-Material Sciences found a new coordination polymer glass membrane works just as well as its liquid counterparts, with added strength and flexibility, in fuel cells.
BIOMATERIALS
Graphene joins the fight against COVID-19
Researchers at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University developed a laser manufacturing process that deposits a few layers of graphene onto commercially-available nonwoven masks. The coating makes the masks superhydrophobic while graphene’s strong light-absorption properties makes it possible to sterilize them with exposure to sunlight.
ENVIRONMENT
Critical needs for improved plumbing
Engineers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology produced a list of high priority research needs for the design, maintenance, and operation of plumbing systems, including questions on how water flow and plumbing design affect water quality and what factors influence chemical reactions and bacterial growth in pipes.
MANUFACTURING
Taiwanese researchers formulate self-healing glass for 3D printing
Researchers from National Central University in Taiwan developed a UV and heat resistant, self-healing emulsion glass. The impressive arsenal of properties makes the liquid-like solid material perfect for a supporting medium, whereby UV and heat-curable inks can be “3D written” directly into it and cured independently of the surrounding liquid-like solid.
Modification of deflection formula for prestressed concrete hollow slab
Researchers in China modified the deflection formula for prestressed concrete hollow slab (closed section beam) based on the Timoshenko theory, a classical theory often used to calculate the deformation of beams.
Technology to remedy 3D printing’s ‘weak spot’
Researchers at Texas A&M University and the company Essentium, Inc. integrated plasma science and carbon nanotube technology into standard 3D printing, allowing them to weld adjacent printed layers more effectively and increase the overall reliability of the final part.
Expandable foam for 3D printing large objects
Researchers reported a new resin that expands upon heating, which could allow for 3D-printed objects to be bigger than the machines that make them.
OTHER STORIES
Electronic diodes beyond 5G performance
U.S. Naval Research Laboratory researchers developed a new gallium nitride-based electrical component called a resonant tunneling diode with performance beyond the anticipated speed of 5G. They developed a repeatable process to increase the diodes yield to approximately 90%; previous typical yields range around 20%.
Crystal structure of superhard molybdenum borides
Researchers carried out a prediction of stable molybdenum borides and their crystal structures and found the highest borides contain four to five boron atoms per each molybdenum atom. The estimated Vickers hardness of MoB5 is 37–39 GPa, which makes it a potential superhard material.
Memresistor material composition breakthrough
Researchers from the Jülich Aachen Research Alliance and the German technology group Heraeus described how the switching and neuromorphic behavior of memristive elements can be selectively controlled. According to their findings, the crucial factor is the purity of the switching oxide layer.
A rule to predict new superconducting metal hydrides
Researchers at the Skolkovo Institute of Science and Technology and the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology figured out a link between an element’s position in the Periodic Table and its potential to form a high-temperature superconducting hydride.
Break the link between a quantum material’s spin and orbital states
Researchers at SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory showed a pulse of laser light can dramatically change the spin state of a manganese oxide-based quantum material known as NSMO while leaving its orbital state intact.
Hollow-core fiber raises prospects for next-generation scientific instruments
Hollow-core fiber technology developed in the Optoelectronics Research Centre at the Zepler Institute for Photonics and Nanoelectronics exhibits up to 1,000 times better polarisation purity than state-of-the-art solid core fibers.