[Images above] Credit: NIST
NANOMATERIALS
Moiré superlattice makes magic-angle laser
Researchers from Peking University in China fabricated an optical analogue of “magic-angle” graphene bilayers in a photonic nanocrystal. They used the structure to create a completely new type of highly-efficient nanolaser.
Ultrathin quantum dot LED that can be folded freely as paper
A joint research team at Seoul National University advanced an ultrathin quantum dot light-emitting diode they previously developed by making it foldable. They endowed foldability via a new fabrication process that can partially etch the epoxy film deposited on the QLED surface without damaging the underlying QLED.
ENERGY
A new solid-state battery surprises the researchers who created it
Engineers created a new type of battery that weaves two promising battery subfields into a single battery. The battery uses both a solid state electrolyte and an all-silicon anode, making it a silicon all-solid-state battery.
Carbon dioxide reactor makes ‘Martian fuel’
University of Cincinnati engineers are developing new ways to convert greenhouse gases to fuel using carbon catalysts. Because the Martian atmosphere is composed almost entirely of carbon dioxide, astronauts could save half the fuel they need for a return trip home by making what they need on the red planet once they arrive.
ENVIRONMENT
Limiting the impacts of technology materials for the low carbon transition
Researchers from the University of Exeter, Minviro, the British Geological Survey, and the Circular Economy Solutions Unit showed the benefits of using a life cycle assessment in the quest to enhance green mining techniques.
A new method for removing lead from drinking water
Massachusetts Institute of Technology engineers designed a way to treat water contaminated with heavy metals. A shockwave inside an electrically charged porous material carrying contaminated water leaves behind a zone where the metal ions are depleted, separating the feed stream into a brine and a fresh stream.
OTHER STORIES
Researchers led by Massachusetts Institute of Technology developed a way of rapidly switching the magnetic polarity of a ferrimagnet 180 degrees, using just a small applied voltage. The new system uses a film of material called gadolinium cobalt, part of a class of materials known as rare earth transition metal ferrimagnets.
Capturing light: New ergonomic photodetector for the trillion-sensor era
Incheon National University researchers developed a highly efficient system of photodetectors that can overcome the limitations of conventional light-to-frequency conversion circuits. The system includes photosensitive inverters with p-type single walled carbon nanotubes and n-type amorphous indium-gallium-zinc-oxide thin film transistors.
New AI tool accelerates discovery of truly new materials
Researchers at the University of Liverpool created a collaborative artificial intelligence tool that reduces the time and effort required to discover truly new materials. The new tool has already led to the discovery of four new materials, including a new family of solid state materials that conduct lithium.
All-nitride superconducting qubit made on a silicon substrate
Researchers in Japan developed an all-nitride superconducting qubit using epitaxial growth on a silicon substrate. The qubit uses niobium nitride with a superconducting transition temperature of –257°C as the electrode material, and aluminum nitride for the insulating layer of the Josephson junction.
Carbon fibers electrical measurements pave way for lightning strike protection
Researchers from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign report a direct measurement of the transverse electrical resistivity of a single carbon fiber. They combined a precise sample preparation with a technique called the van der Pauw method to accomplish this challenging measurement.
Blowing up medieval gunpowder recipes
Researchers recreated medieval gunpowder recipes and analyzed the energies released during combustion, revealing that the evolution of the perfect powder was a slow, trial-and-error process.