[Images above] Credit: NIST
NANOMATERIALS
Ultrafast and coupled: Atomic vibrations in boron nitride
An international collaboration of scientists from Berlin, Montpellier, Nantes, Paris, and Ithaca presents detailed experimental and theoretical results on ultrafast dynamics of coupled phonons in few-layer hexagonal boron nitride.
New metalens focuses light with ultradeep holes
Researchers at the Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences developed a metasurface that uses very deep, very narrow holes rather than very tall pillars to focus light to a single spot.
Nanoscale lattices flow from 3D printer
Rice University engineers created nanostructures of silica with a sophisticated 3D printer, demonstrating a method to make microscale electronic, mechanical, and photonic devices from the bottom up.
Carbon nanotube nanocomposite ink for additive manufacturing
Researchers from Michigan Technological University added carbon nanotubes to a nanoclay and epoxy nanocomposite ink to enhance mechanical properties.
ENERGY
Toward more energy efficient power converters
Nara Institute of Science and Technology researchers extended the mathematical approach of automatic differentiation from machine learning to the fitting of model parameters that describe behavior of metal oxide semiconductor field-effect transistors. They extracted parameters up to 3.5 times faster compared with previous methods.
Winds of change: Improvements for wind energy production
Researchers examined diurnal and seasonal patterns of wind speeds and their impact on the adequacy of energy production. The results helped them develop a seasonal adequacy assessment procedure.
Optimum pressure to improve the performance of lithium metal batteries
A team of materials scientists and chemists determined the proper stack pressure that lithium metal batteries need to be subjected to during battery operation in order to produce optimal performance.
BIOMATERIALS
Nanosilver no ‘silver bullet’ in long-term treatment of infections
New research from the University of Technology Sydney found that pathogens that form biofilms can evolve to survive nanosilver treatment. The study is the first to demonstrate that long-term nanosilver treatment can increase the risk of recurrent infections.
ENVIRONMENT
Putting honeybee hives on solar parks could boost the value of UK agriculture
Using crop distribution patterns in 2017, researchers from Lancaster University and the University of Reading found that deploying honeybees on solar parks could have raised the value of crop yields that year by £5.9 million.
Expansion of wind and solar power too slow to stop climate change
After analyzing the growth rates of wind and solar power in 60 countries, researchers at Chalmers University of Technology and Lund University in Sweden and Central European University in Vienna, Austria, concluded that virtually no country is moving sufficiently fast to avoid global warming of 1.5°C or even 2°C.
MANUFACTURING
How long can fiber reinforced polymer composites sustain concrete structures?
Researchers from Korea and the U.S. conducted a 13-year long experiment to determine if fiber reinforced polymer composites are a temporary patch or a durable solution to sustain concrete infrastructure. They found that environmental conditions had a significant impact on bond behavior.
OTHER STORIES
Zeolites’ isotopes defy nature
Northwestern University researchers analyzed ancient zeolite specimens collected from the edges of East Iceland to discover that zeolites separate calcium isotopes in a wholly unexpected way.
Enhancing piezoelectric properties under pressure
By combining a careful balance of thin-film strain, distortion, and thickness, University of New South Wales researchers stabilized a new intermediate phase in BiFeO3. They plan to combine the approach to oxide superlattices, as well as combining the low symmetry crystal structures with other established routes for improving piezoresponse.
Molecular mixing creates super stable glass
Researchers at Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden, created a new type of super-stable, durable glass by mixing many different molecules, up to eight at a time. They worked with a series of small, conjugated molecules comprising a perylene core with different pendant alkyl groups at one of the bay positions.
Quantum material stretches to boost superconductivity
An international team of researchers led by University of Minnesota found that deformations in strontium titanate can cause imperfections in its crystal structure that can actually improve the material’s superconducting and electrical properties.
How scientists designed the soft lunar landing of the Chang’e-5 module
Researchers from the Beijing Institute of Control Engineering provided backstage details of the technology that helped guide, navigate, and control the successful lunar landing of the Chang’e-5 lunar mission, the first lunar sample-return mission in over 40 years.
Fundamental quantum theorem holds for finite temperatures and not just absolute zero
A team of Russian physicists proved the quantum adiabatic theorem at a finite temperature and identified quantitative conditions for adiabatic dynamics. They discovered that in some systems, the adiabatic dynamics were even more stable at a finite temperature than at absolute zero.