[Images above] Credit: NIST
NANOMATERIALS
‘Fullertubes’ join the family of carbon crystals
A Quanta Magazine article details the nascent work on a new type of carbon nanomaterial called fullertubes, which has a structure that falls somewhere between spherical fullerenes and cylindrical nanotubes.
How to fire projectiles through materials without breaking anything
Vienna University of Technology researchers discovered why sometimes microexplosions occur while other times ultrathin layers of material remain almost intact when charged particles are shot through them. These differences can be explained by the fact it is not a projectile’s momentum that is mainly responsible for holes but its electric charge.
MANUFACTURING
Laser drills elongated and crack-free microholes in glass
Researchers at the University of Bordeaux, France, explored a new glass microdrilling method using a femtosecond laser in GHz-burst mode. This method allows for drilling taper-free, elongated holes with smooth inner walls without any cracks in the glass.
Researchers show a new way to induce useful defects using invisible material properties
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign researchers experimentally demonstrated that nonlinearity within a one-dimensional Dirac material can result in a self-induced domain boundary for the Dirac mass. Nonlinear properties like this could form the foundation of new electronic systems that do not rely on the conventional semiconductor approach.
OTHER STORIES
Brittle concrete walls: Empa researchers find the cause
For years cracks have appeared in thousands of houses in County Donegal, Ireland, causing damage and compensation estimated at up to €3 billion. Now, researchers at the Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology identified the culprit: the mineral pyrrhotite.
Researchers examine concrete recycling for Ukraine post-war construction
Concrete recycling could be key to post-war construction in Ukraine, according to a research team from Ukrainian, Swiss, and French universities. They believe pre-wetting crushed concrete would be the best option for overcoming quality deficiencies in recycled coarse aggregate in the quantities required.
Researchers use diamonds and boron nitride for electrical power
Arizona State University researchers are working to create transistors made from diamond and boron nitride. Both diamond and boron nitride have a high breakdown field and high thermal conductivity.
This tiny Dutch vehicle for people with disabilities is taking off
The Netherlands is known internationally for its bicycle culture. Now it is also home to another, more broadly accessible form of transportation: the Canta, a compact four-wheeled, two-seat microcar that has become the primary form of micromobility for people with disabilities.