[Images above] Credit: NIST
NANOMATERIALS
Process for ‘two-faced’ nanomaterials may aid energy, information tech
A team led by Oak Ridge National Laboratory used a simple process to implant atoms precisely into the top layers of ultrathin crystals, yielding two-sided structures with different chemical compositions. The key to success was bombarding crystals with a precise amount of energy.
New boron-lanthanide nanostructure
Brown University and Tsinghua University researchers showed that clusters of 18 boron atoms and three atoms of lanthanide elements form a bizarre cage-like structure that has not been observed in chemistry before.
Dirac electrons come back to life in magic-angle graphene
Researchers from the Weizmann Institute of Science discovered quantum phases in twisted bilayer graphene descend from a previously unknown high-energy “parent state,” with an unusual breaking of symmetry.
Graphene smart textiles developed for heat adaptive clothing
University of Manchester researchers created a prototype garment to demonstrate dynamic thermal radiation control within a piece of clothing. The garment uses graphene layers to control thermal radiation from textile surfaces.
Chemists achieve breakthrough in the synthesis of graphene nanoribbons
Researchers led by Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, the University of Tennessee, and Oak Ridge National Laboratory succeeded in producing graphene nanoribbons directly on the surface of semiconductors. Until now, this was only possible on metal surfaces.
ENERGY
Engineers develop new fuel cells with twice the operating voltage as hydrogen
Researchers at Washington University in St. Louis developed high-power, direct borohydride fuel cells that operate at double the voltage of conventional hydrogen fuel cells. Their approach is broadly applicable to other classes of liquid/liquid fuel cells.
Researchers find benefits of solar photovoltaics outweigh costs
An analysis of utility-scale photovoltaic arrays by Massachusetts Institute of Technology researchers found market, health, and climate benefits outweighed the cost of photovoltaic systems by 2017.
ENVIRONMENT
Russian scientists develop a new concrete technology for construction in the Arctic
South Ural State University researchers found a way to increase the service life and strength of concrete by accounting for the stability of the hydrated phases of cement stone during cyclic freezing and thawing.
MANUFACTURING
Chemistry paves the way for improved electronic materials
Scientists at Linköping University in Sweden used atomic layer deposition to develop a new molecule called indium triazenide that can be used to create high-quality indium nitride. The researchers are now examining similar triazenide molecules with metals other than indium.
Researchers use 3D printing robots to accelerate concrete production
Nanyang Technological University researchers developed a single-robot industrial platform that uses additive manufacturing to create concrete structures. Adopting a print-while-moving approach, the team’s robotic arm can, all by itself, 3D print different sized single-piece structures and complete large-scale construction printing.
One-step 3D printing approach approximates design and performance of natural materials
Washington State University researchers introduced a new, one-step 3D printing approach that uses laser processing to transition in a gradual way from metal to ceramic and back to metal, producing a layered, ribbon-like structure that approaches natural materials.
Researchers harness 3D printing to open new doors for microfluidics
Montana State University researchers developed a new method of using 3D printing to make devices for microfluidics. They figured out how to bond the printing material to glass, thus allowing them to 3D print directly onto glass to form thin channels that contain liquid.
Researchers sharply reduce time needed for glass and ceramic 3D printing
Researchers at Yokohama National University developed a new stereolithography technique that allows fabrication of complex ceramic or glass structures in less than 5 hours. They did so by creating a new colloid recipe.
Using chaos as a tool, scientists discover new method of making 3D-heterostructures
Scientists at Ames Laboratory and Iowa State University developed a new approach for generating layered, difficult-to-combine, heterostructured solids. The technique, called mechanochemistry, involves smashing pristine materials to build new ones.
OTHER STORIES
ACS Earth and Space Chemistry special issue: “Materials of the Universe”
ACS Earth and Space Chemistry, published by the American Chemical Society, is launching a special issue devoted to “Materials of the Universe–The final chemical frontier.” The initial deadline for submission was June 30, but now it is extended to August 31, 2020. For more details on submission guidelines, click here.
Magnetic wood can shield against electromagnetic interference
Northeastern University researchers used basswood—a porous structured wood—as a lightweight 3D scaffold into which magnetic iron oxide nanoparticles were incorporated. The nanoparticles firmly attached to the surface of the wood cell walls and gave the wood electromagnetic shielding properties.
Geometry of intricately fabricated glass makes light trap itself
Researchers at The Pennsylvania State University showed laser light traveling through ornately microfabricated glass can interact with itself to form self-sustaining wave patterns called solitons.
Quantum material research facilitates discovery of better materials
By means of the state-of-art quantum many-body simulations, researchers in China achieved accurate model calculations for the rare-earth magnet TmMgGaO4 (TMGO). They found the material, under the correct temperature regime, could realize the long-sought-after 2D topological Kosterlitz-Thouless phase.
Laser allows solid-state refrigeration of a semiconductor material
University of Washington researchers used an infrared laser to cool a solid semiconductor by at least 20°C below room temperature. They say the method could form the heart of highly precise scientific instruments, using changes in oscillations of the resonator to accurately measure an object’s mass.
New design for ‘optical ruler’ could revolutionize clocks, telescopes, telecommunications
Researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology and the University of California at Santa Barbara created new chip-based laser frequency microcombs that could further advance time and frequency measurements.
Study of glass fragments in Cordoba provide glimpse of lead glassmaking origins in Spain
Researchers affiliated with several institutions in France and one in Spain learned more about the origins of lead glassmaking in Spain by studying glass fragments found at a dig site in Cordoba. They used high-resolution laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry along with lead isotope analysis to date fragments and isolate origins.