[Images above] Credit: NIST
NANOMATERIALS
Nanorippled graphene can become a powerful catalyst
Researchers led by the National Graphene Institute found that nanorippled graphene can accelerate hydrogen splitting as well as the best metallic-based catalysts.
Potential for profits gives Rice lab’s plastic waste project promise
Rice University researchers used their flash Joule heating technique to turn plastic into valuable carbon nanotubes and hybrid nanomaterials. A life cycle analysis of the production process revealed that flash Joule heating was considerably more energy-efficient and environmentally friendly than existing nanotube production processes.
Large-area synthesis and transfer of multilayer hBN for fabricating 2D electronics
Researchers at Kyushu University, the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, and Osaka University introduced a new strategy based on chemical vapor deposition and electrochemical delamination for synthesizing and transferring multilayer hexagonal boron nitride.
Carbon nanotube films as ultrasensitive photodetectors: progress and challenges
Peking University researchers outlined the current technology and challenges associated with developing semiconducting single-walled carbon nanotube films into shortwave infrared photodetectors to spur additional research and applications of the technology.
ENERGY
NETL releases study on hydrogen storage potential in existing underground gas facilities
National Energy Technology Laboratory researchers, in collaboration with Pacific Northwest National Laboratory and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, demonstrated that existing U.S. underground gas storage facilities can viably store hydrogen–methane blends, reducing the need to build new hydrogen infrastructure.
High-performance semiconductor material could help slash heat emissions
Researchers at West Virginia University engineered a metal-doped oxide ceramic with the potential to make thermoelectric generators efficient enough to capture a significant portion of the waste heat that industrial systems like power plants emit.
ENVIRONMENT
New zirconia-based catalyst can make plastics upcycling more sustainable
Researchers from the DOE Institute for Cooperative Upcycling of Plastic developed a new catalyst based on zirconia that breaks down polyolefin plastics into new, useful products. The catalyst consists of ultrasmall zirconia nanoparticles embedded between two plates of mesoporous silica.
Researchers develop biodegradable, biorecyclable glass
Researchers from the Institute of Process Engineering of the Chinese Academy of Sciences developed a family of ecofriendly glass fabricated from biologically derived amino acids or peptides. The proposed glass is biodegradable and biorecyclable.
Alfred University leads development of robust concrete fortified with recycled waste glass
Alfred University, in partnership with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation and U.S.-based company Silica-X, is studying ways to develop a concrete fortified with waste glass particles which would stand up to the rigors of a marine environment better than traditional cement material.
Meet the marine biologist-turned-entrepreneur restoring coral reefs using 3D-printed clay
Vriko Yu launched a startup on the back of her Ph.D. studies in biological sciences. Now she is the CEO of Archireef, a climate tech venture that is working to restore fragile marine ecosystems using 3D printing technology and terracotta.
MANUFACTURING
Review of numerical simulations for materials-oriented ultraprecision diamond cutting
Researchers from Harbin Institute of Technology, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Guizhou University, and Ruhr-University Bochum wrote a brief review on the application of numerical simulations to address the impact of properties and microstructures on diamond cutting mechanisms of different types of workpiece materials.
OTHER STORIES
Engineers built a new kind of concrete 2x stronger than the conventional formulation
University of Manchester researchers developed a new concrete formulation called “StarCrete” that is twice as strong as traditional concrete. It uses potato starch as a binder for simulated Mars dust. The resulting concrete-like material reaches a compressive strength of 72 MPa, more than twice as strong as the 32 MPa seen in ordinary concrete.
Explaining mechanism behind high anisotropic evaporation rate of zinc oxide polar surface
Researchers from Korea, Germany, and France explained the high rate of anisotropic evaporation of the zinc oxide polar surface using atomic-scale observations and computational simulations. The results showed that a polarity-driven surface disorder is responsible for driving the fast evaporation and growth of ZnO along the [0001] direction.
Neolithic ceramics reveal dairy processing from milk of multiple species
Researchers found evidence that early farmers in Late Neolithic Poland reduced the lactose content in milk by making it into cheese or other dairy products like yogurt, and used dairy products from a number of different animals, such as cows, sheep, or goats.
Iceland’s most surprising tourist attraction? Power plants
Geothermal and hydroelectric power plants, which supply Iceland with energy, fuel many stops on travelers’ itineraries—and have themselves evolved into visitor destinations.