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[Images above] Credit: NIST


NANOMATERIALS

Scientists watch 2D material defects evolve in real time

By monitoring in real time how defects called dislocations evolve in a 2D form of silicon, researchers at the Japan Advanced Institute of Science and Technology uncovered a way of “healing” these defects that could yield fresh insights into how to accommodate similar irregularities in other nanomaterials.

Groundbreaking visualization of atomic movements

Researchers developed a novel method for imaging vibrations and movements of atoms in catalysts. The new method makes it possible to identify and locate the individual atoms in the nanoparticle, even if they are vibrating and moving.

How ions get their electrons back

For a long time, people have been investigating what happens when highly charged ions hit solid materials. Researchers at Vienna University of Technology used stacked graphene layers to show that these ions obey remarkably simple laws.

Researchers find a way to control localized light

Researchers from ITMO University, National University of Colombia, and University of Siena developed a metasurface with a unique structure and properties. The metasurface makes it possible to generate surface waves that can be transfered from point to point while maintaining initial polarization, therefore improving information communication.


ENERGY

High-rate magnesium rechargeable batteries move one step closer to realization

Tohoku University researchers developed liquid-sulfur/sulfide composite cathodes enabling high-rate magnesium batteries. The liquid-sulfur/sulfide composite materials can be spontaneously fabricated by electrochemically oxidizing metal sulfides, such as iron sulfide, in an ionic liquid electrolyte.


ENVIRONMENT

Scientists develop alternative cement with low carbon footprint

Researchers at the Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg in Germany and the Federal University of Pará in Brazil made use of waste material from bauxite mining as a raw material to create a new cement, which was found to be just as stable as the traditional Portland cement.

‘Ten years ago this was science fiction’: the rise of weed-killing robots

The Guardian reports on the use of robot weeders to reduce pesticide use and be part of a more sustainable food system.


MANUFACTURING

Home-grown semiconductors for faster, smaller electronics

Researchers at University of New South Wales created transistors in which an ultrathin metal gate is grown as part of the semiconductor crystal, preventing problems associated with oxidation of the semiconductor surface.

Machine learning links material composition and performance in catalysts

University of Michigan researchers used machine learning to predict how the compositions of metal alloys and metal oxides affect their electronic structures. The electronic structure is key to understanding how the material will perform as a catalyst of chemical reactions.


OTHER STORIES

On the road to faster and more efficient data storage

An international team of researchers showed that domain walls play an active role in the dynamic properties of the antiferromagnet nickel oxide. The experiments revealed that magnetic waves with different frequencies could be induced, amplified, and even coupled with each other across different domains—but only in the presence of domain walls.

Microbes inside concrete can warn us about rotting infrastructure

University of Delaware researchers determined that bacteria can warn us about concrete cancer. Different bacteria flourish in “healthy” concrete compared to deteriorating material. One bacteria in particular, Bryobacter, seemed to be associated with concrete cancer.

The world’s largest computer chip

In the race to accelerate artificial intelligence, the Silicon Valley company Cerebras has landed on an unusual strategy: go big. An article by The New Yorker details Cerebras’ development of a computer chip the size of a dinner plate.

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