[Images above] Credit: NIST
NANOMATERIALS
Researchers engineer electrically tunable graphene devices to study rare physics
Researchers led by University of Manchester’s National Graphene Institute and The Pennsylvania State University developed a tunable graphene-based platform that allows for fine control over the interaction between light and matter in the terahertz spectrum to reveal rare phenomena known as exceptional points.
ENERGY
‘Freeze-thaw battery’ is adept at preserving its energy
Researchers created a battery designed for the electric grid that locks in energy for months without losing much storage capacity. The battery is first charged by heating it up to 180°C, allowing ions to flow through the liquid electrolyte, then the battery is cooled to room temperature, causing the electrolyte to turn solid and ions to stay nearly still.
Novel use of iron-laced carbon nanofibers yields high-performance energy storage
Researchers laced carbon nanofibers with iron and found the material demonstrated an enhanced electrochemical performance. This enhancement was attributed mainly to a synergistic effect of the atomic iron and the formation of an iron–nitrogen bond that exposed more active sites to which lithium could adhere.
ENVIRONMENT
New transistor could cut 5% from world’s digital energy budget
Researchers at University of Nebraska-Lincoln and University at Buffalo designed the first magneto-electric transistor. To maintain the spin orientation of electrons over relatively long distances, they placed chromium oxide under graphene.
MANUFACTURING
Researchers develop glass-in-glass fabrication approach for making miniature IR optics
Researchers developed a new fabrication process to combine infrared glass with another glass and form complex miniature shapes. First an arbitrarily shaped 3D cavity is created inside a fused silica glass substrate using femtosecond laser-assisted chemical etching. Then the cavity is filled with another material to create a composite structure.
Laser AM of Si/ZrO2 leads to tunable, crystalline-phase 3D nanostructures
Researchers developed a method using ultrafast laser lithography to create tunable, crystalline-phase 3D nanostructures. The proposed approach achieved below 60 nm for individual feature dimensions without any beam shaping or complex exposure techniques.
OTHER STORIES
Engineered crystals could help computers run on less power
Researchers at University of California, Berkeley achieved negative capacitance in an engineered crystal composed of a layered stack of hafnium oxide and zirconium oxide. By incorporating the material into model transistors, they demonstrated how the negative capacitance effect can lower the amount of voltage required to control transistors.
Scientists improve corrosion resistance of ceramics in nitric acid
Researchers investigated the corrosion resistance of alumina ceramics in aqueous nitric acid solutions and found the best circumstances for achieving least amount of ion elution and highest density of alumina ceramics were achieved at the start of the experiment.
Protein on carbon nanotube: molecular spotlight and memory cell rolled into one
Researchers developed a full-function bioelectronic photocell using one molecule of a fluorescent protein attached to a carbon nanotube. When exposed to light, the system can change its electronic properties and operate either as a spotlight or memory cell depending on how the protein is attached to the tube.
Shedding new light on controlling material properties
Researchers at Kyoto University and Kurume Institute of Technology discovered a scaling law that determines high-order harmonic generation in the solid-layered perovskite material, Ca2RuO4.
Multicomposite thrust chamber aims to boost rockets, reduce cost
The German Aerospace Center Institute of Structures and Design developed a novel design for launcher propulsion system thrust chambers that uses carbon and glass fiber-reinforced polymer composites as well as a new type of ceramic matrix composite.
ICG workshop for new researchers in glass science and applications
The next International Commission on Glass workshop for new researchers in glass science and applications will take place June 28–July 2, 2022, in Berlin, Germany, immediately before the ICG Congress. The workshop will follow the aims and format of the ICG Montpellier Summer Schools and is jointly hosted by BAM Berlin and ICG. Register here.
Japan Fine Ceramics Association publishes FC Roadmap 2050, English version
The Japan Fine Ceramics Association published “FC Roadmap 2050 (2021 Edition, English version),” which is a precise translation of the Japanese version published December 2021. The Roadmap consists of two parts: a core part on future ceramic technologies, and a supplement survey for opinions of researchers and engineers from over the world.