[Images above] Credit: NIST
NANOMATERIALS
Unveiling the singular symmetry in facet-engineered 2D materials growth
Researchers outlined a new synthesis approach that can synthesize large-area 2D materials with atomic thickness and exposed single-facet at the same time.
‘Waste’ product from recent NASA research transformed into innovative nanomaterials
University of Sussex researchers extracted water from Martian gypsum to get the byproduct anhydrite, which they processed into nanobelts that can be used in a range of applications, from clean hydrogen production to textiles.
Engineers at Columbia University and theoretical collaborators at Max Planck Institute for the Structure and Dynamics of Matter found that pairing laser light to crystal lattice vibrations can enhance the nonlinear optical properties of a layered 2D material.
ENERGY
Rain not enough to wash pollen from solar panels
Researchers led by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory found the proliferation of springtime pollen that coated solar panels at five utility-scale solar plants in North Carolina reduced performance of the technology at every site.
Researchers stop degradation of promising solar cell materials
Using X-ray scattering and spectroscopy, researchers at Georgia Institute of Technology found that the complex interplay of both water and oxygen with perovskites leads to instability; if only one of those factors is present, the perovskites’ energy-capturing crystal structure is preserved.
New research shows potential of solar cells based on cement radiative coolers
Politecnico di Torino researchers proposed the use of radiative coolers made of cementitious materials to reduce the operating temperature of solar panels.
Leveraging language models for fusion energy research
Researchers from Princeton University, Carnegie Mellon University, and Massachusetts Institute of Technology applied large language models to help fusion researchers quickly sift through staggering amounts of data to make more informed decisions on the fly.
Ultrathin lithium strips show promise as anode material for enhanced lithium-ion batteries
Researchers led by Central South University used the Australian Synchrotron to develop a strategy for scaling production of high-performance, thin, free-standing lithium anodes for lithium-ion batteries with enhanced cycling stability and electrochemical properties.
BIOMATERIALS
3D-printed flat-bone-mimetic bioceramic scaffolds for cranial restoration
Researchers at South China University of Technology developed two flat-bone-mimetic β-tricalcium phosphate bioceramic scaffolds by high-precision vat photopolymerization-based 3D printing. The scaffolds possessed higher compressive strength and bioactive properties compared to conventional scaffolds with cross-hatch structures.
ENVIRONMENT
A glass that sifts carbon dioxide
Researchers from Friedrich Schiller University Jena, in cooperation with the University of Leipzig and the University of Vienna, transformed crystalline metal-organic framework compounds into glass. In doing so, they managed to reduce the pore size of the material to the point where it becomes impermeable to certain gas molecules.
Japan trying to revive bamboo-reinforced concrete
A group in the Tohoku northeastern Japan region is trying to revive a prewar technology using bamboo to create reinforcement frameworks for concrete instead of steel materials.
MANUFACTURING
Better microelectronics from coal
Researchers from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, National Energy Technology Laboratory, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company developed a process that converts coal char into carbon dots that can be connected to form atomically thin membranes for use in transistors and memristors.
Little bacterium may make big impact on rare earth processing
Cornell University researchers engineered a strain of the bacterium Vibrio natriegens to increase its ability to biosorb (extract) rare earth elements.
GE combines rotating detonation, ramjet in hypersonic engine program
GE Aerospace lifted the curtain on its comprehensive hypersonics program at the company’s research center in Niskayuna, New York, demonstrating what is believed to be the world’s first hypersonic dual-mode ramjet rig test with rotating detonation combustion in a supersonic flow stream.
Photonic chip that ‘fits together like Lego’ opens door to local industry
University of Sydney researchers invented a compact silicon semiconductor chip that integrates electronics with photonic components. The chip is built using an emerging technology in silicon photonics that allows integration of diverse systems on semiconductors less than 5 mm wide.
OTHER STORIES
Machine learning boosts search for new materials
University of Rochester researchers developed a machine learning model to better leverage the massive amounts of data that X-ray diffraction experiments produce. Previous attempts were trained and evaluated primarily with synthetic data. This study incorporated real-world data from experiments with inorganic materials.
Meet ‘Coscientist,’ your AI lab partner
Researchers developed an artificial intelligence-driven system called Coscientist that succeeded in planning and carrying out real-world chemistry experiments.
Advanced computational tool for understanding quantum materials
Researchers at the University of Chicago, Argonne National Laboratory, and the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia developed a new computational tool to describe how the atoms within quantum materials behave when they absorb and emit light. The tool will be released as part of the open-source software package WEST.
Adding a small amount of solid carbon to copper boosts its conductivity
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory researchers added 18 parts per million of graphene to electrical-grade copper and found the temperature coefficient of resistance decreased by 11% without decreasing electrical conductivity at room temperature.
Scientists reveal superconductor with on-off switches
Physicists at the University of Washington and Argonne National Laboratory found a superconducting material that is uniquely sensitive to outside stimuli, enabling the superconducting properties to be enhanced or suppressed at will.