[Images above] Credit: NIST
NANOMATERIALS
Chance twists ordered carbon nanotubes into ‘tornado films’
Rice University researchers developed two ways of making wafer-scale synthetic chiral carbon nanotube assemblies starting from achiral mixtures. The resulting “tornado” and “twisted-and-stacked” thin films can control ellipticity—a property of polarized light—to a level and in a range of the spectrum that was previously largely beyond reach.
Ultrafast lasers map electrons ‘going ballistic’ in graphene
University of Kansas researchers used a tightly focused laser spot to liberate some electrons from graphene and map out where they moved based on reflectance of the sample. They are working to refine this method to guide electrons more efficiently to the desired graphene layer.
Spinning up control: Propeller shape helps direct nanoparticles
Using a 3D printer, researchers at The Pennsylvania State University created nanoparticles shaped like propellers to better control their movements and increase their functionality.
Optimizing gold nanoparticles in tellurite glass
Researchers developed a novel method to form gold nanoparticles in tellurite glasses, which provides a way to create and modify the plasmonic characteristics of the glass.
Uncovering fulminating gold’s colorful smoke
University of Bristol researchers experimentally confirmed that gold nanoparticles are the reason fulminating gold produces a purple smoke when it detonates. They now plan to use the same experimental approach to study the smoke produced by other metal fulminates, such as platinum, silver, lead, and mercury.
ENERGY
New flow battery to be tested at 1970s gas station rehabbed for EV charging
A new flow battery system developed by the German startup CMBlu Energy AG, under the proprietary name SolidFlow, is being put to the test at the Smart Energy Plaza, a former gas station located at Argonne National Laboratory.
‘Energy droughts’ in wind and solar can last nearly a week
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory researchers found that in some parts of the United States, energy droughts, or times when the sun does not shine and wind does not blow, can last nearly a week.
Newly developed material gulps down hydrogen, spits it out, protects fusion reactor walls
University of Wisconsin–Madison engineers used a spray coating technology to deposit a coating of tantalum on stainless steel. The coating performed very well in the extreme conditions relevant to a fusion reactor. Notably, the material was exceptionally good at trapping hydrogen particles, which is beneficial for compact fusion devices.
BIOMATERIALS
Piezoceramics shorten root canal treatments
Researchers at Fraunhofer Institute for Ceramic Technologies and Systems IKTS developed a piezoceramic stack actuator that allows root canal treatment to be performed more quickly by preventing the file from jamming.
Glassy shell of microscopic algae inspires tiny ultrasound detectors for medical imaging
Researchers from Skolkovo Institute of Science and Technology discovered the resonance frequencies of diatom frustules, the silicon dioxide shells on microalgae. Knowing the resonance frequencies is crucial for exploiting the shell’s design to create nature-inspired electronic and optical devices, such as tiny ultrasound detectors for medical imaging.
ENVIRONMENT
California wildfires are unleashing dangerous metals from soil
Extreme heat from California’s climate-driven wildfires is transforming a metal common in soil into an airborne carcinogen that can be inhaled by firefighters and people living downwind of conflagrations, according to a study by Stanford University researchers.
MANUFACTURING
US researchers become first to 3D-print steam turbine blades
Researchers at Oak Ridge National Laboratory became the first to 3D-print large rotating steam turbine blades for generating energy in power plants. Led by partner Siemens Technology, the project demonstrates that wire arc additive manufacturing is viable for the scalable production of critical components exceeding 25 pounds.
OTHER STORIES
Ultrahard material to rival diamond discovered
Researchers from the University of Edinburgh, the University of Bayreuth, and the University of Linköping subjected various forms of carbon nitrogen precursors to high pressures and temperatures and discovered three carbon nitride compounds with the necessary building blocks for super-hardness.
Scientists demonstrate new combination of materials for quantum science
Researchers combined two nanosized structures made of diamond and lithium niobate onto a single chip. An extraordinary 92% of light made the jump from diamond to lithium niobate, which demonstrates the material’s potential as a component in quantum devices.
New approach overcomes long-standing limitations in optics
A multi-institutional research team including Osaka University overcame what were thought to be fundamental limitations of how to enhance the efficiency of Mie scattering by misaligning the incident laser. A misalignment of only 100 nanometers could induce the maximized Mie resonant scattering that was previously obscured.
Study reveals laser technique’s role in monitoring concrete corrosion
Xi’an Jiaotong University researchers used laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy to detect and monitor chloride ingress in concrete structures, which is a leading cause of rebar corrosion.
Hurricane-proof homes made from Lego-like bricks
Renco USA used a proprietary combination of recycled glass fibers, recycled plastic, resin, and stone to create Lego brick-like blocks for house construction. The company just completed its first housing complex in Palm Springs, Florida, which will allow them to test if the blocks can withstand hurricane-level forces.
Archaeologists find 2,200-year-old tiles that tell the story of Hanukkah
Recently discovered ceramic roof tiles in an archaeological site known as the City of David provided fresh perspective on a number of historical events—everything from Greek Seleucid rule of ancient Jerusalem and the Maccabean Revolt to the story of Hanukkah.