[Images above] Credit: NIST
NANOMATERIALS
New method for analyzing nanoporous materials
Graz University of Technology researchers developed a method to determine the 3D distribution of ions in crystal channels or nanopores based on a single electron microscope image. They developed their method while analyzing the gemstone aquamarine.
ENERGY
How tiny crystals are giving solar panels a glow-up
Texas A&M University researchers explored the development of coatings made from halide perovskite nanocrystals that can glow under light, essentially amplifying the amount of sunlight that reaches a solar panel.
ENVIRONMENT
Scientists remove microplastics from water with 94% efficiency
University of Waterloo researchers developed a new technology that can remove harmful microplastics from contaminated water with 94% efficiency. Using a process called thermal decomposition, they converted epoxy into activated carbon, a material capable of removing nanoplastics.
Researchers demonstrate breakthrough in recyclability of carbon nanotube sheets
Researchers at IMDEA Materials Institute demonstrated the recyclability of high-performance carbon nanotube sheets while maintaining their essential mechanical and electrical properties.
New findings shed light on finding valuable ‘green’ metals
Researchers led by Macquarie University shed new light on how concentrations of metals used in renewable energy technologies can be transported from deep within the Earth’s interior mantle by low temperature, carbon-rich melts.
MANUFACTURING
New model makes it easier to build sustainable structures of textile-reinforced concrete
Chalmers University of Technology researchers described a new modeling technique that can be used to determine how textile reinforcements interact with concrete.
Elusive 3D-printed nanoparticles could lead to new shapeshifting materials
Stanford University researchers used a 3D nanoprinting technique to produce Archimedean truncated tetrahedrons. These materials can shift between states in minutes simply by rearranging the particles into new geometric patterns.
OTHER STORIES
Novel glass composite offers superior thermal insulation
A new composite glass that combines the benefits of shear stiffening materials with nacre-inspired structures was developed by researchers led by the University of Science and Technology of China of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.
Engineers use recycled glass as sustainable fire-resistant cladding material
Researchers at RMIT University and materials technology company Livefield developed fire-resistant cladding using recycled glass particles. Livefield patented the technology and is exploring possibilities for large-scale manufacturing of the material.
New milestone in laser cooling: Research team cools silica glass by a record 67 Kelvin
For the first time, researchers from the Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Optics and Precision Engineering and the University of New Mexico succeeded in cooling silica glass by 67 Kelvin through optical laser cooling. For many years, the cooling of silica glass was considered impossible, but researchers first showed otherwise in 2019.
New experimental technique for probing the mechanisms of landslides and earthquakes
Massachusetts Institute of Technology researchers developed a method allowing for 3D experiments that can reveal how forces are transmitted through granular materials and how the shapes of the grains can dramatically change the outcomes.