[Images above] Credit: NIST
NANOMATERIALS
An easier way to create ‘flexible diamonds’
Researchers led by Carnegie Institution for Science developed an original technique that predicts and guides the ordered creation of strong, yet flexible, diamond nanothreads. Their technique grew from the hypothesis that adding nitrogen to the ring in place of carbon might help guide the reaction down a predictable pathway.
Researchers uses twist to engineer 2D semiconductors with built-in memory functions
A team of researchers at The University of Manchester’s National Graphene Institute and the National Physical Laboratory demonstrated that slightly twisted 2D transition metal dichalcogenides display room-temperature ferroelectricity.
Scientists have long tried to use graphene, which is composed of carbon, as a kind of sieve. But this material doesn’t have any pores. Now, researchers from Bielefeld, Bochum, and Yale succeeded in producing a layer of 2D silicon dioxide, a material that has natural pores and can therefore be used like a sieve for molecules and ions.
ENERGY
New study reveals small-scale renewable energy sources could cause power failures
Mathematicians from the University of Nottingham used data from smart meters to track how grid composition changes over time and found resilience varies over the course of a day and that a high uptake of solar panels can leave the grid more susceptible to failure.
BIOMATERIALS
Artificial material mimics tooth enamel but is tougher
Beihang University researchers created dense, artificial tooth enamel. They synthesized hydroxyapatite nanowires roughly 10 µm in length, which they coated with a layer of amorphous zinc peroxide. The movements of the coated nanowires were then restricted by intertwining them with polyvinyl alcohol, after which the entire mixture was frozen.
OTHER STORIES
Weird world of high-pressure chemistry made simple by new electronegativity scale
A Skoltech professor and his Chinese colleagues determined the electronegativity for all elements under varying pressures. They found that at sufficiently high pressures, every substance becomes a metal, the inert gasses are no longer inert and do form compounds, and many elements become electrides, among other findings.
Making diversity, equity, inclusion integral part of physics education
Researchers from Carleton College and the University of Colorado Boulder looked to improve diversity, equity, and inclusion curriculum in physics classes by replacing a question on a weekly homework assignment with a reflection essay on a topic important to physicists, and including DEI activities and discussions during a two-day unit on representation. They report that, on the whole, students respond positively to covering this material in a physics class.