Images above] Credit: NIST
NANOMATERIALS
Revolutionizing quantum technologies with photons made from quantum dots
Physicists from Finland and Germany proposed using gallium antimonide quantum dots to generate single photons in an energy range more suited to telecommunications. They irradiated the quantum dots with an infrared laser to produce the photons.
Autonomous lab discovers best-in-class quantum dot in hours
Researchers developed an autonomous system called SmartDope that can identify how to synthesize “best-in-class” materials for specific applications in hours or days. It was developed to address a longstanding challenge regarding enhancing properties of perovskite quantum dots via doping.
The ‘synthescope’ vision for future nanomaterial synthesis
A new perspective article proposes enhancements to scanning transmission electron microscopes that could enable researchers to synthesize materials atom-by-atom while observing the process in real time.
Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania unveiled a new approach that directly engineers atomic structures of material by stacking 2D arrays in spiral formations to tap into novel light–matter interactions.
ENERGY
Japanese scientists reinvent fuel cells with graphene breakthrough
University of Tsukuba researchers developed a new method that prevents the crossover of large fuel molecules and suppresses degradation of electrodes in advanced fuel cell technology using methanol or formic acid. The successful sieving of the fuel molecules is achieved via selective proton transfers due to steric hindrance on holey graphene sheets.
Researchers develop cheap and efficient ethanol catalyst from laser-melted nanoparticles
Researchers at the Institute of Nuclear Physics of the Polish Academy of Sciences created laser-melted nanoparticles of copper oxides that served as an efficient ethanol catalyst.
Artificial photosynthesis breakthrough leads to new energy-rich fuel source
Scientists successfully mimicked the natural process of photosynthesis to produce methane from carbon dioxide, water, and sunlight. They crafted a set of reaction cells akin to solar panels, each coated with an aluminum-doped strontium titanate photocatalyst to facilitate the reaction.
BIOMATERIALS
Glass powder that controls bleeding may also prevent infections
A professor at Missouri University of Science and Technology is exploring whether a glass powder that he developed to stop bleeding after gunshot wounds and other body trauma could also serve as an antibacterial and help stave off infections.
ENVIRONMENT
Polluted wastewater in the forecast? Try a solar umbrella
Researchers at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory demonstrated a way to double the rate of evaporation in evaporation ponds, which are used to manage wastewater. They built a device that takes energy from sunlight and converts it to the mid-infrared range, which water can absorb more strongly.
New cooling ceramic can enhance energy efficiency for the construction sector
Researchers at City University of Hong Kong developed a cooling ceramic based on alumina with a hierarchically porous structure. The ceramic demonstrated high-performance optical properties for energy-free and refrigerant-free cooling generation.
‘Cooling glass’ blasts building heat into space
University of Maryland researchers developed a “cooling” microporous glass coating that can turn down the heat indoors without electricity by drawing on the cold depths of space.
MANUFACTURING
Scaling up nano for sustainable manufacturing
Researchers led by Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory developed a multipurpose, high-performance coating material that self-assembles from 2D nanosheets. The new material, which is recyclable, could significantly extend the shelf life of consumer products.
OTHER STORIES
Physicists trap electrons in a 3D crystal for the first time
Massachusetts Institute of Technology researchers trapped electrons in a pure crystal, marking the first example of an electronic flat band in a 3D material. With chemical manipulation, they also showed the crystal could be transformed into a superconductor.
What exposure to radiation does to glass on the moon over billions of years
Researchers in China tested samples of lunar regolith brought to Earth by China’s Chang’e-5 lunar lander. They discovered that billions of years of exposure to radiation has made glass on the moon harder.