[Images above] Credit: NIST
NANOMATERIALS
Super flimsy graphene turned ultrastiff by optical forging
Researchers at the University of Jyväskylä in Finland demonstrated how an experimental technique called optical forging can make graphene ultrastiff, increasing its stiffness by several orders of magnitude.
Graphene enables ten times higher data storage in computer memories
Researchers led by several Graphene Flagship Partner institutions demonstrated that graphene can be used to produce ultrahigh-density hard disk drives, which can lead to the development of ultrahigh-density magnetic data storage: a big jump from the current one terabit per square inch to 10 terabits over the same area.
ENERGY
Study of promising photovoltaic material leads to discovery of a new state of matter
Using state-resolved pump/probe spectroscopy, McGill University researchers revealed that quantum confinement occurs within bulk perovskite crystals. Until now, quantum confinement had only been observed in particles a few nanometers in size.
Next-gen electric vehicle batteries: These are the questions we still need to answer
Two researchers at University of Michigan worked in close collaboration with leaders in the auto industry to lay out the main questions facing lithium-metal solid-state batteries.
Making batteries live longer with ultrathin lithium
Researchers from Korea adopted a novel approach in which they pre-planted lithium nitrate to the lithium metal powder itself during the electrode fabrication process, allowing them to fabricate ~150-mm-wide and 20-μm-thick electrodes, which showed a coulombic efficiency of 96%.
ENVIRONMENT
Food scraps get a bold new life
Researchers from the Institute of Industrial Science at The University of Tokyo developed a new method to reduce food waste by recycling discarded fruit and vegetable scraps into robust construction materials. With the exception of specimens derived from pumpkin, all of the materials exceeded their bending strength target.
Potential use for recycled plastic in concrete
Montana State University researchers found that plastic treated with certain bacteria could be added to concrete in significant quantities without compromising the structural material’s strength.
MANUFACTURING
Striatus, the first of its kind 3D concrete printed arched bridge
Zaha Hadid Architects has revealed a new project, named Striatus, the first of its kind 3D concrete printed arched bridge, following the principles of circular design. The Striatus bridge stands solely through compression without reinforcement.
OTHER STORIES
Hidden in African diamonds, a billion-plus years of deep-Earth history
A National Science Foundation-funded study solves two long-standing puzzles: the ages of individual fluid-bearing diamonds, and the chemistry of their parent material.
Unveiling what governs crystal growth
Researchers from Argonne National Laboratory, along with three universities, revealed new insights into the mechanism behind how gallium nitride crystals grow at the atomic scale using high-energy X-rays at the Advanced Photon Source.
Zhores supercomputer helps model new method of generating gamma-ray combs
Skolkovo Institute of Science and Technology researchers used the resources of the university’s Zhores supercomputer to study a new method of generating gamma-ray combs for nuclear and X-ray photonics and spectroscopy of new materials.