[Images above] Credit: NIST
NANOMATERIALS
2D nanomaterial sets record for expert-defying, counter-intuitive expansion
Researchers at the University of Western Ontario developed 2D nanosheets of tungsten semi-carbide that, when stretched in one direction, expand perpendicular to the applied force. Prior to this innovation, only one reported material could expand by 10% per unit length in this way. The new nanosheet can expand to 40%, a world record.
A single atom layer of gold: Researchers create goldene
Linköping University researchers managed to create sheets of gold only a single atom layer thick. The material, termed “goldene,” has properties that can make it suitable for use in applications such as carbon dioxide conversion, hydrogen production, and production of value-added chemicals.
ENERGY
Flexible pseudocapacitor operates in extreme temperatures, stores high energy
Researchers from several institutions in India and the Republic of Korea created a flexible pseudocapacitor that maintains exceptional performance across an unprecedented temperature range of -40°C to 60°C. At the heart of this innovation lies a novel electrode material: vanadium oxide electrodeposited onto laser-scribed graphene.
New energy conversion method can aid in clean energy and renewable fuel production
Researchers at the University of Massachusetts Amherst are developing a method for synthesizing mesoporous nitrogen-doped carbon materials coordinated with single-atom and atomic iron clusters. This approach combines rapid thermal annealing with a soft template made from a bottlebrush block copolymer.
Wind farms more land efficient than previously thought
When calculations are made for land usage of wind farms, the entire area is usually considered as land given over to wind development. However, the wind power infrastructure typically only uses 5% of the entire farmland—the rest is often used for other purposes, such as agriculture, according to a new study by McGill University researchers.
BIOMATERIALS
Glass-like knee grafts help address donor shortage
Brown University researchers described how to vitrify tissue samples for long-term storage via a fast cooling process. When it is time to use the tissues, they can be quickly warmed to body temperature and all the chemical reactions start again just as before.
ENVIRONMENT
Three advances in pavement technology for safer, more sustainable roadways
Recent advances could make future roadways safer and repairs more sustainable thanks to smart pothole monitoring, snail shells, and graphene.
Metal-organic framework coatings enable simple, reusable water contaminant testing
Researchers from the University of La Laguna devised a method to grow uniform metal-organic framework coatings directly onto the inner walls of ordinary glass sample vials. This innovation transforms the vial itself into a highly efficient tool for extracting target contaminants from water.
OTHER STORIES
From defects to order: Spontaneously emerging crystal arrangements in perovskite halides
Researchers discovered a new defect-ordered layered halide perovskite. The main novelty of this discovery is that the new compound forms what is known as a “homologous series,” meaning that systematic variations of the compound’s chemical formula result in systematic changes in its properties.
Bioinspired MXene-cellulose nanofiber actuator design mimics plant movement
Researchers from China and Singapore developed a bioinspired dynamic matrix of soft actuators that integrates sensing and actuation functions in a single material system. The actuator is composed of MXenes and cellulose nanofibers.
Machine learning algorithm reveals long-theorized glass phase in crystal
Scientists at Argonne National Laboratory, along with collaborators at Cornell University and Stanford University, found experimental evidence of a Bragg glass phase. They discerned the phase within large volumes of X-ray scattering data using a new machine learning data analysis tool called X-ray temperature clustering developed at Cornell.
Accelerating the discovery of new materials via the ion-exchange method
Tohoku University researchers have unveiled a new means of predicting how to synthesize new materials via the ion-exchange. Based on computer simulations, the method significantly reduces the time and energy required to explore for inorganic materials.
Discovery of pottery rewrites Aboriginal history
The discovery of the oldest pottery ever found in Australia on Lizard Island off the Queensland coast is challenging the idea that Aboriginal Australian communities were unaware of pottery manufacture before European settlement.