[Images above] Credit: NIST
NANOMATERIALS
Graphene lenses focus light into spirals and doughnuts
RMIT University researchers developed a new type of lens made from 200-nm-thick graphene that can focus light into complex patterns. The design process relies on graphene’s ability to alter both the amplitude and phase of light passing through it.
Surprising discovery shows electron beam radiation can repair nanostructures
Researchers at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities found that the electron beam radiation they previously thought degraded crystals can actually repair cracks in these nanostructures. The next step is to introduce new factors, such as changing the electron beam conditions or changing the crystal’s temperature.
ENERGY
Flexible crystalline silicon solar modules with PET front cover
Researchers at Japan’s National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology fabricated lightweight, curved crystalline silicon solar modules with a front cover made of polyethylene terephthalate instead of glass.
Novel solar module encapsulant based on glass fiber-reinforced composite
Researchers in Spain used a glass fiber-reinforced composite material with an epoxy matrix containing cleavable ether groups as an encapsulant material for photovoltaic panels. The new material still has issues with performance stability, but it ensures lower electrical losses.
Revolutionizing energy storage: Metal nanoclusters for stable lithium-sulfur batteries
Researchers led by Tokyo University of Science developed a graphene separator embedded with platinum-doped gold nanoclusters, which enhances lithium-ion transport and facilitates redox reactions in lithium-sulfur batteries.
Stronger lithium batteries may need ‘weaker’ solvation structure
Researchers at Hong Kong Polytechnic University examined recent papers on weakly solvating electrolytes and concluded that basic design principles and future research directions were lacking. They recommended that future work should focus on simplifying the synthesis procedures, improving yields, and reducing costs of electrolyte components.
Paving a way to green hydrogen production
Texas A&M University researchers are using MXenes as a catalyst supporting ruthenium-atom for hydrogen evolution reaction catalysis for green hydrogen production.
BIOMATERIALS
Preventing medical implant infections with nitric-oxide-generating MOF coatings
By incorporating two different metal-organic frameworks into an implant coating, researchers created a smart material capable of both rapid nitric oxide release and low-level sustained production.
ENVIRONMENT
Titanium oxide photocatalyst removes toxic dyes from wastewater
Drexel University researchers found that a one-dimensional, lepidocrocite structured titanium oxide photocatalyst material can break down two common dye pollutants—rhodamine 6G and crystal violet—under the visible light spectrum.
New material efficiently extracts uranium from seawater
An Australian-based team of researchers made a powder out of a layered double hydroxide that can efficiently extract uranium from seawater.
MANUFACTURING
Printing a new approach to fusion power plant materials
Massachusetts Institute of Technology Ph.D. student Alexander O’Brien is working to deliver the next generation of fusion devices through research on additive manufacturing of metal–ceramic composites.
Сoconut shells can make concrete more durable
Don State Technical University researchers found that concrete’s compressive strength can be increased by 4.1% and its flexural strength by 3.4% by adding a small amount of coconut shell (only 5%).
OTHER STORIES
Unlocking brain-like memory with photoferroelectric synapses
An international team of researchers created a novel “photoferroelectric synapse” device that mimics the biological connections between neurons that allow the nervous system to acquire and store knowledge. It consists of a thin film made from a lead-based perovskite material combined with an organic ferroelectric polymer called P(VDF-TrFE).
AI just got 100-fold more energy efficient
Northwestern University engineers developed a new nanoelectronic device that can perform accurate machine-learning classification tasks while using 100-fold less energy than current technologies. The device features miniaturized transistors made from 2D molybdenum disulfide and 1D carbon nanotubes.
Widely tunable terahertz lasers boost photo-induced superconductivity in K3C60
Researchers at the Max Planck Institute for the Structure and Dynamics of Matter discovered a far more efficient way to create a previously observed metastable, superconducting-like state in K3C60 using laser light.
NASA’s recovered asteroid samples show evidence of carbon and water-bearing clay
Rocks and soil collected from the asteroid Bennu and brought back to Earth last month by NASA’s OSIRIS-REx probe are rich in carbon and contain water-bearing clay minerals that date back to the birth of the solar system.
Lasers and lenses could be used to make roads on the moon
Researchers showed that lasers can melt simulated lunar regolith into a solid slab. These slabs could be combined into a surface like a road or launchpad. To accomplish this process on the moon, astronauts could use a lens to concentrate sunlight into a tight beam on the regolith.