[Images above] Credit: NIST
NANOMATERIALS
Quantum tunneling in graphene advances the age of terahertz wireless communications
Researchers at Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology, Moscow Pedagogical State University, and University of Manchester created a highly sensitive terahertz detector based on the effect of quantum-mechanical tunneling in graphene. The device sensitivity is already superior to commercially available analogs based on semiconductors and superconductors.
Physicists create tunable superconductivity in twisted graphene ‘nanosandwich’
Massachusetts Institute of Technology researchers observed superconductivity in a sandwich of three graphene sheets, the middle layer of which is twisted at a new angle with respect to the outer layers. This new trilayer configuration exhibits superconductivity that is more robust than its bilayer counterpart.
Scientists use trilayer graphene to observe more robust superconductivity
Harvard University researchers stacked three sheets of graphene and then twisted each of them at the magic angle to produce a three-layered structure that is not only capable of superconductivity but does so more robustly and at higher temperatures than many of the double-stacked graphene.
Layered van der Waals material forms a new kind of magnetism
Researchers led by University of Cambridge controlled the conductivity and magnetism of iron thiophosphate, a 2D material which undergoes a transition from an insulator to a metal when compressed. When the material becomes metallic, it remains magnetic, which is contrary to previous results.
By sandwiching two slightly rotated layers of graphene between a ferromagnetic insulator, Aalto University researchers opened up a new platform for strongly interacting states using graphene’s unique quantum degree of freedom.
Researchers create ‘whirling’ nanostructures in antiferromagnets
Researchers from National University of Singapore, working with collaborators from University of Oxford, Diamond Light Source, and University of Wisconsin-Madison, used iron oxide to develop an ultrathin material with unique properties that could be useful in data storage.
ENERGY
New strategies for designing efficient electroluminescent materials
A collaborative team of materials scientists and theoretical chemists developed hybrid perovskite nanoparticles that are high-efficiency light emitters by using a comprehensive defect-suppression strategy.
Tiny 3D structures enhance solar cell efficiency
An international research team led by Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg developed a method for constructing special solar cells that could significantly increase their efficiency. Not only are the cells made up of thin layers, they also consist of specifically arranged nanoblocks.
Silicon anode structure generates new potential for lithium-ion batteries
Researchers at Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University identified a nanostructure that improves the anode in lithium-ion batteries. Instead of using graphite, they deposited silicon atoms on top of metallic nanoparticles to form an arched nanostructure, increasing the strength and structural integrity of the anode.
ENVIRONMENT
Face masks can be recycled into material for building roads
Researchers at RMIT University say disposable face masks could be recycled to make material used for building roads. The recycled face mask material would use up about 3 million masks to make just one kilometer of a two-lane road, preventing 93 tonnes of waste from going to landfill.
Researchers develop major water treatment boost
Researchers from Hamad Bin Khalifa University developed a new material for water treatment applications. Carbide-derived carbon has the unique ability to efficiently remove and recover phosphate from treated water, while also removing micropollutants such as pharmaceuticals and endocrine disrupting compounds.
MANUFACTURING
Scientists use 2PP 3D printer to create ultra-precise glass optics
Scientists from University of Freiburg and 3D printer manufacturer Nanoscribe used a two-photon-polymerization system to fabricate glass silica microstructures with a resolution of just a few tenths of a micrometer.
Scientists create armor for fragile quantum technology
An international team of scientists invented the equivalent of body armor for extremely fragile quantum systems. They applied the armor by gently squashing droplets of liquid metal gallium onto the materials, coating them with gallium oxide.
Dynamic 3D printing process features a light-driven twist
Northwestern University engineers developed a new 3D printing method that uses light to improve 3D printing speed and precision while also, in combination with a high-precision robot arm, providing the freedom to move, rotate, or dilate each layer as the structure is being built.
Engineers develop programming technology to transform 2D materials into 3D shapes
University of Texas at Arlington researchers developed a technique that programs 2D materials to transform into complex 3D shapes. They did so by using a digital light 4D printing method they developed in 2018.
ASTM International publishes special issue journal on additive manufacturing during COVID
“Smart and sustainable manufacturing in the post-COVID-19 manufacturing era” comprises 21 peer-reviewed technical notes looking at how the COVID-19 pandemic affected various areas of advanced manufacturing, including use of biotechnology platforms for vaccine production, integration of artificial intelligence, and effect of additive manufacturing on supply chains.
OTHER STUDIES
New piezoelectric material remains effective to high temperatures
Researchers from The Pennsylvania State University and QorTek developed a piezoelectric device that remains effective at elevated temperatures. Specifically, the piezoelectric material showed a near-constant efficient performance at temps up to 482°F and remained effective as an energy harvester or sensor at temps well-above 572°F.
Solving complex physics problems at lightning speed
An international team of researchers designed a new method to calculate the properties of atomic nuclei incredibly quickly. The emulation method is based on eigenvector continuation. Instead of directly solving the time-consuming and complex many-body problem over and over, the mathematical shortcut uses a transformation into a special subspace.
Dramatically lowering costs of semiconductor electron sources
Researchers at Rice University and Los Alamos National Laboratory described the first process for making electron sources from halide perovskite thin films that efficiently convert light into free electrons. They created photocathodes with both inorganic and organic components and showed they could tune electron emission over both the visible and ultraviolet spectrum.
Diamond retains its usual structure at great pressure
Thanks to the highest-pressure X-ray diffraction experiments ever reported, researchers have revealed that the structure of diamond remains unchanged at 2 terapascals—more than five times the pressure at Earth’s core.
Highly deformable piezoelectric nanotruss for tactile electronics
Researchers at Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology demonstrated the potential for the development of highly deformable ceramic piezoelectric materials by improving the elastic limit using a 3D hollow nanostructure of zinc oxide.
Say goodbye to the dots and dashes to enhance optical storage media
Purdue University researchers created technology aimed at replacing Morse code with colored “digital characters” to modernize optical storage. Rather than using the traditional dots and dashes, they encoded information in the angular position of tiny antennas.