[Images above] Credit: NIST
NANOMATERIALS
Paving the way for tunable graphene plasmonic THz amplifiers
Researchers led by Tohoku University successfully demonstrated a room-temperature coherent amplification of terahertz radiation in graphene, electrically driven by a dry cell battery. To interpret the results, the research team used a dissipative plasmonic crystal model, capturing the main trends and basic physics of the amplification phenomena.
Diamond-based microscope gives direct observation of 2D material magnetic properties
Australian researchers and their colleagues from Russia and China showed it is possible to study the magnetic properties of ultrathin materials directly using a widefield nitrogen-vacancy microscope, a tool they recently developed.
Quantum thermometer using nanodiamonds senses a ‘fever’ in tiny worms C. elegans
Researchers demonstrated a reliable and precise microscope-based thermometer that works in live, microscopic animals based on quantum technology. It works by detecting temperature-dependent properties of quantum spins in fluorescent nanodiamonds.
New method to design diamond lattices and other crystals from microscopic building blocks
Researchers simulated a technique for cajoling LEGO-like elements at the scale of a few billionths of a meter to self-assemble, with each LEGO piece identifying its proper mate and linking up in a precise sequence to complete the desired nanostructure.
ENERGY
Reexamining host materials for lithium-sulfur batteries
Researchers at Argonne National Laboratory and the National Research Foundation of Korea found that under varying cycling rates and loadings, even at high current densities, a polar, silica-based cathode showed much greater performance than a nonpolar, carbon-based cathode in lithium-sulfur batteries.
High-precision electrochemistry: The new gold standard in fuel cell catalyst development
By examining dissolution processes of platinum at the atomic and molecular level, researchers led by Argonne National Laboratory identified the degradation mechanism during the cathodic oxygen reduction reaction. The insights gained from this examination guided the design of a nanocatalyst that uses gold to eliminate platinum dissolution.
European research project aims to understand nuclear concrete degradation
A new research project supported by the European Union aims to clarify, enhance, and unify methods of structural integrity assessment of safety-critical concrete infrastructure in support of long-term operation of nuclear power plants.
Predicting the slow death of lithium-ion batteries
A model developed by scientists at Stanford University combines sensor data with computer modeling of the physical processes that degrade lithium-ion battery cells to predict the battery’s remaining storage capacity and charge level.
BIOMATERIALS
Antibacterial graphene face masks
A research team from City University of Hong Kong produced graphene masks with an antibacterial efficiency of 80%, which can be enhanced to almost 100% with exposure to sunlight for around 10 minutes.
OTHER STORIES
Researchers make tiny, yet complex fiber optic force sensor
University of Maribor researchers developed a tiny fiber optic force sensor made of silica glass that can measure extremely slight forces exerted by small objects. The sensor fabrication was made possible by a special etching process the researchers previously developed to create complicated all-fiber microstructures.
Scientists show how glass crystallizes in real-time
By working with a glass made of polymer particles suspended in water, scientists from the Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research and the Indian Institute of Science were able to observe the process of devitrification under a microscope in real-time.
3,200-megapixel camera of future Vera Rubin Observatory snaps first photos
The camera core for the future Vera C. Rubin Observatory snapped its first test photos, setting a new world record for the largest single shot by a giant digital camera. The photos are so large that showing just one of them full-size would require 378 4K ultrahigh-definition TVs.
‘The Last Artifact’ brings metrology to TV
The Last Artifact, a new one-hour film that PBS stations are planning to broadcast starting this month, tells the tale of measurement science and features researchers from metrology laboratories around the world, including several faces from the National Institute of Standards and Technology.