[Images above] Credit: NIST
NANOMATERIALS
New system to record 2D crystal synthesis in real time
Rice University researchers developed a custom-built miniaturized chemical vapor deposition system capable of observing and recording the growth of 2D molybdenum disulfide crystals in real time. The system combines advanced image processing and machine learning algorithms.
Breakthrough in ultraviolet spectroscopy
Researchers at Max Planck Institute of Quantum Optics developed a new technique for deciphering the properties of light and matter that can simultaneously detect and precisely quantify many substances with high chemical selectivity. Their technique interrogates atoms and molecules in the ultraviolet spectral region at very feeble light levels.
ENERGY
City leverages wastewater to heat homes amid frigid winter months
For more than 10 years, Vancouver’s False Creek neighborhood has captured the heat from sewage water to warm homes. For every unit of electricity put in to run the heat pump, more than three units of thermal energy or heat are gotten out of it.
Plasma oscillations propel breakthroughs in fusion energy
Researchers from the University of Rochester and the University of California, San Diego discovered a new class of plasma oscillations. This finding may improve the performance of the miniature particle accelerators and reactors used to create fusion energy.
ENVIRONMENT
Self-heating concrete one step closer to clearing sidewalks without salting
Drexel University researchers demonstrated the viability of their self-heating concrete in a natural environment. It melted snow using only the environmental daytime thermal energy and no help from salt, shoveling, or heating systems.
MANUFACTURING
Soft support can make unexpectedly stable glass
Researchers from The Pennsylvania State University and Brookhaven National Laboratory found that using a soft, more flexible substrate during vapor deposition allows for the creation of more rigid and denser glasses.
How a recycling technique for rare earth magnets may transform the green economy
A Physics World article looks at the work of University of Birmingham spin-off firm HyProMag, which developed a technique for recycling rare earth magnets. The technique uses hydrogen as a processing gas to separate magnets from waste streams as a magnet alloy powder.
OTHER STORIES
Powerful new tool ushers in new era of quantum materials research
A recent review paper shows how time- and angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy emerged as a powerful tool over the last two decades, allowing researchers to explore the equilibrium and dynamical properties of quantum materials via light–matter interactions.
Giving particle detectors a boost
Argonne National Laboratory researchers developed a “current multiplier” device that can turn up a particle’s electrical signal high enough to where it temporarily turns off the superconductivity of the material, essentially creating a kind of on-off switch.
Preventing magnet meltdowns before they can start
Quenches, or the sudden, destructive events wherein part of a high-temperature superconductor magnet loses superconductivity, are a major barrier to such magnets’ deployment. Researchers at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory developed an approach to prevent quenches.
Scientists reveal first naturally grown unconventional superconductor
Ames National Laboratory researchers revealed the first unconventional superconductor with a chemical composition naturally found in the Earth’s crust. Named miassite, this mineral joins a rare league of only four natural substances capable of exhibiting superconductivity under laboratory conditions.
Exploring the frontier of quantum materials through terahertz emission spectroscopy
Researchers at the University of Electronic Science and Technology of China published a review article on terahertz radiation in quantum materials. The work offers a comprehensive exploration of the time-dependent photocurrents, shedding light on the up-to-date understanding of the physical processes involved.
Saudi woman beats Dubai to construct world’s first 3D-printed mosque
Wajnat Abdulwaheed, a businesswoman in Saudi Arabia, paid tribute to her deceased husband by completing the construction of the world’s first-ever 3D-printed mosque in the Al-Jawhara suburb of the port city of Jeddah. In doing so, Abdulwaheed beat the ambitions of Dubai, which has plans to build a 3D-printed mosque by 2025.