[Images above] Credit: NIST
NANOMATERIALS
Resolving the puzzles of graphene superconductivity
Researchers from the Institute of Science and Technology Austria and the Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel, developed a theoretical framework to explain the experimental observation of superconductivity in three-layered graphene.
With fuzzy nanoparticles, researchers reveal a way to design tougher ballistic materials
Researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology and Columbia University produced films composed of silica nanoparticles covered with polymer chains (resembling fuzzy orbs) and made them targets in miniature impact tests that showed off the material’s enhanced toughness.
ENERGY
A tool to speed development of new solar cells
Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Google Brain developed a system that makes it possible not just to evaluate one proposed solar cell design at a time but to provide information about which changes will provide the desired improvements. This simulator is now available as an open-source tool that can be used immediately.
Researchers at the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University and the University of Cambridge identified three different kinds of defect clusters in state-of-the-art perovskite thin films, which likely form during the perovskite’s fabrication and may impede efficiency.
OTHER STORIES
Stretchy, washable battery brings wearable devices closer to reality
University of British Columbia researchers created a battery that is both flexible and washable by grinding up zinc and manganese dioxide into small pieces and then embedding them in a polymer. The battery comprises several ultrathin layers of these polymers wrapped inside a casing of the same polymer.
i-Melt: a deep neural network that can predict glass quality based on melt composition
Researchers from University of Paris, Australian National University, Carnegie Institution for Science, and Durham University developed a physics- and chemistry-informed deep neural network called i-Melt that can predict glass qualities based on melt composition.
New research aids rare earths exploration
New research from the University of St Andrews will help rare earth explorers identify where rare earth metals are located. The study was launched to determine why some volcanoes are excellent sources of rare earth metals, while others are not.
ISO TC 229 begins survey on advanced and emergent materials
The ISO Technical Committee, TC 229 on Nanotechnologies is seeking feedback on the use of terms related to advanced materials as part of its newly launched study group. Take a look at the overview here, and participate in the survey here.