[Images above] Credit: NIST
NANOMATERIALS
Researchers grow precise arrays of nanoLEDs
A new platform developed by researchers at Massachusetts Institute of Technology allows halide perovskite nanocrystals to be grown with precise control over the location and size of each individual crystal, so nanoscale light-emitting diodes can be created.
ENERGY
Nuclear fusion is no longer 10 years away—although profitability might be
An IEEE Spectrum article dives into the work by startups Zap Energy and Helion Energy to develop new and smaller fusion reactors that rely on stringing together short pulses of fusion activity rather than trying to coax a continuous fusion reaction.
‘Revolutionary’ solar power cell innovations break key energy threshold
Researchers at the Helmholtz Center Berlin for Materials and Energy in Germany published information about how they achieved efficiencies of up to 32.5% for silicon-perovskite cells. Meanwhile, researchers at the Federal Institute of Technology in Switzerland demonstrated an efficiency of 31.25%.
ENVIRONMENT
Carbon fiber and composites recycling breakthrough
Researchers at the University of Sydney found that solvolysis—a method whereby materials can be broken down with an application of solvent under a specific pressure and temperature—could reclaim carbon fiber while delivering a high net profit.
A bright future in eco-friendly light devices—just add dendrimers, cellulose, and graphene
Researchers from Japan and Germany developed ecofriendly, light-emitting electrochemical cells using new molecules called dendrimers combined with biomass-derived electrolytes and graphene-based electrodes.
MANUFACTURING
Fast, automated, affordable test for cement durability
Engineers at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign developed a new test that can predict the durability of cement in seconds to minutes—rather than the hours it takes using current methods. The test measures the behavior of water droplets on cement surfaces using computer vision on a device that costs less than $200.
OTHER STORIES
New laser-based method could help scientists discover new puncture-resistant materials
National Institute of Standards and Technology researchers used a high-intensity laser to blast microscale projectiles into a small sample. They analyzed the energy exchange between the particle and sample at the microlevel and then used scaling methods to predict the material’s puncture resistance against larger projectiles, such as bullets.
Physicists generate the first snapshots of fermion pairs
Massachusetts Institute of Technology researchers captured the first images that directly show the pairing of fermions. They worked with fermions in the form of potassium-40 atoms, and under conditions that simulate the behavior of electrons in certain superconducting materials.
Machine learning takes materials modeling into new era
Researchers from Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf and Sandia National Laboratories pioneered a machine learning-based simulation method that supersedes traditional electronic structure simulation techniques. Their Materials Learning Algorithms (MALA) software stack enables access to previously unattainable length scales.
Parkes Telescope: gravitational waves discovery 18 years in the making
An international team of researchers released simultaneous results about hearing hints of gravitational wave “background” from the merging of supermassive black holes. They believe this background gravitational waves could provide information all the way back to the very few moments after the Big Bang.
Mars rover Perseverance sets new record for making oxygen on Red Planet
NASA’s Mars Oxygen In Situ Resource Utilization Experiment on the Perseverance Mars rover recently achieved a major milestone when pushed to a maximum production level—a factor of two higher than reached earlier.