[Images above] Credit: NIST
NANOMATERIALS
Semiconducting borophene paves the way for the lightest high-performance transistor
Researchers from the Indian Institute of Science discovered a hyper-coordinated 2D network of boron atoms called clustered-p1 borophene that show a bulk silicon-like band gap, yet lower and symmetric effective masses along the transport direction.
Novel graphene material for high-energy storage supercapacitors
Researchers at the European Passive Components Institute and Palacký University Olomouc looked to boost the capacitance and energy density of graphene-based electrode materials by mounting longer functional groups perpendicular to the graphene surface and doping with heteroatoms.
Researchers demo new type of carbon nanotube yarn that harvests mechanical energy
Nanotechnology researchers at The University of Texas at Dallas made novel carbon nanotube yarns that convert mechanical movement into electricity more effectively than other material-based energy harvesters.
ENERGY
Scientists illuminate barrier to next-generation battery that charges very quickly
Researchers at Stanford University and SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory found that even modest indentation, bending, or twisting of solid-state batteries can cause nanoscopic fissures in the materials to open and lithium to intrude into the solid electrolyte, causing it to short circuit.
Thin, lightweight layer provides radiation barrier for perovskites in space
Researchers led by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory showed through simulations and experiments that a micron-thick layer of silicon oxide would preserve the efficiency and increase the lifetime of perovskite solar cells in space.
New green storage system offers renewable energy on-demand
University of Central Florida researchers invented a cost-effective way to convert excess renewable energy to hydrogen and oxygen and store it long term. When electricity is needed, the hydrogen and oxygen are combined to form water, which heats and mixes with supercritical carbon dioxide, a low-cost working fluid used to run turbine systems.
ENVIRONMENT
Farewell to forever—destroying PFAS by grinding it up with a new additive
Researchers report a ball milling process that uses boron nitride as a noncorrosive additive to react with and destroy PFAS.
MANUFACTURING
Scientists tweak synthesis of high-entropy carbides for better efficiency
Researchers from Skolkovo Institute of Science and Technology and Tomsk Polytechnic University tuned the synthesis of a five-element carbide using fundamental theoretical principles, simulations, and machine learning. The predictions were confirmed by an experiment using vacuumless electric arc synthesis.
Tailored thickness of conducting nitrides and oxides enhance their photonic applications
Purdue University researchers tailored the film thickness of conducting nitrides and oxides, specifically plasmonic titanium nitride and aluminum-doped zinc oxide, which allowed them to control the materials’ optical properties, most notably their epsilon near zero behaviors.
OTHER STORIES
Theoretical study of oxygen reduction reaction mechanism in metal-free carbon materials
A study affiliated with Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology demonstrated how two kinds of defects, carbon vacancies and pyridinic-N dopants, in metal-free carbon materials enhance oxygen adsorption, a critical reaction step for activating the oxygen reduction reaction.
Highly transparent electrodes for deep-ultraviolet-light-emitting diode applications
Tokyo Metropolitan University researchers developed a new electrode material for deep-ultraviolet-light-emitting diode applications. They used a cutting-edge deposition technique to form thin films of tin oxide and germanium oxide with added tantalum.
Defect suppression enables continuous-wave deep-ultraviolet lasing at room temperature
Researchers led by Nagoya University succeeded in making the first room-temperature continuous-wave deep-ultraviolet laser diode by eliminating the crystal defects that occur at the laser stripe in AlGaN and deteriorate the paths through which current propagates.
Engineers invent vertical, full-color microscopic LEDs
Massachusetts Institute of Technology researchers developed sharper, defect-free displays. Instead of placing red, green, and blue light-emitting diodes side by side in a horizontal patchwork, they stacked the diodes to create vertical, multicolored pixels.
A quasiparticle that can transfer heat under electrical control
Researchers at The Ohio State University showed that quasiparticles moving in wave-like patterns among vibrating atoms carry enough heat to turn the zirconium titanate into a thermal switch when an electrical field is applied externally.
Researchers develop innovative tool for measuring electron dynamics in semiconductors
Researchers at University of California, Berkeley demonstrated a new type of optical nanoscopy that can measure electron dynamics in semiconductors. Their technique integrates near-field scanning optical microscopy and pump-probe optics to enable high resolution at both spatial and temporal scales.