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NANOMATERIALS

Electric avenue: New approach could transform semiconductor tech

Recent research from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln may help future engineers of digital components get two (or more) for the space of one. The team demonstrated a reversible method for altering the electronic properties of a nanoscopic material.

Electrocatalyst nanostructures key to improved fuel cells, electrolyzers

Purdue University scientists’ simulations have unraveled a mystery that may solve a significant problem associated with fuel cells and electrolyzers. A team has identified the structure for an electrocatalyst made of nickel nanoislands deposited on platinum that is both active and stable.

Seeing the invisible with a graphene-CMOS integrated device

To continue the path of progress in the electronics industry, new technology must be developed. Now, Graphene Flagship researchers have shown that it is possible to integrate graphene into a complementary metal-oxide semiconductors integrated circuit.

Scientists discover a 2-D magnet

For the first time, scientists have discovered magnetism in the 2-D world of monolayers. The international team of scientists proved that chromium tri-iodide has magnetic properties in its monolayer form.

ENERGY

Cold conversion of food waste into renewable energy and fertilizer has ‘enormous potential’

Researchers from Concordia University in collaboration with Bio-Terre Systems Inc. recently demonstrated the viability of using anaerobic digestion in a low-temperature environment to convert solid food waste into renewable energy and organic fertilizer.

Splitting carbon dioxide using low-cost catalyst materials

EPFL scientists have developed an earth-abundant catalyst based on copper-oxide nanowires modified with tin oxide. A solar-driven system set up using this catalyst was able to split CO2 with an efficiency of 13.4%.

New ultrathin material for splitting water could make hydrogen production cheaper

Chemists have invented a new, cheap catalyst for splitting water with an electrical current to efficiently produce clean hydrogen fuel. The technology is based on the creation of ultrathin slices of porous metal-organic complex materials coated onto a foam electrode.

Seeing the forest and the trees to find parasitic reactions in batteries

Researchers at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory and Texas A&M University found a way to see the details of atomic and topographical changes as a battery operates. They saw that parasitic electrolyte decomposition reactions led to a layer that smothers the electrode in energy-dense-but short-lived-lithium-sulfur batteries.

Novel electrode materials have pathways for electrons and ions during charge cycles

Scientists built a new design and chemistry for electrodes. The design involves advanced, nanostructured electrodes containing molybdenum disulfide and carbon nanofibers, which have internal atomic-scale pathways for fast ion and electron transport.

ENVIRONMENT

Metal-ion catalysts and hydrogen peroxide could green up plastics production

Researchers at the University of Illinois are developing more environmentally friendly catalysts for the production of plastics. The key to their technique comes from recognizing the unique physical and chemical properties of certain metals and how they react with hydrogen peroxide.

Revolutionary new materials for troubled carbon times: Super filters the world can afford

Researchers from Kyoto University, Imperial College, and City University of Hong Kong reveal how they are using the age-old method of blending alloys to develop revolutionary new materials that will address how to capture and store carbon dioxide.

A more sustainable way to refine metals

A team of chemists in Canada has developed a way to process metals without using toxic solvents and reagents. The system could greatly shrink the environmental impact of producing metals from raw materials or from post-consumer electronics.

BIOMEDICINE

Battery-less pacemaker: Researchers test microwave-powered device

A wireless, battery-less pacemaker that can be implanted directly into a patient’s heart is being introduced by researchers from Rice University and their colleagues at the Texas Heart Institute. The pacemaker harvests energy wirelessly from radio frequency radiation transmitted by an external battery pack.

New MOF fabric coating could thwart chemical weapons, save lives

Scientists report that they have developed a way to adhere a lightweight metal-organic framework (MOF) coating onto fabrics that is capable of neutralizing a subclass of chemical weapons that are delivered through the skin.

OTHER RESEARCH

Engineer unveils new spin on future of transistors with novel design

An engineer at the University of Texas at Dallas has designed a novel computing system made solely from carbon that might one day replace the silicon transistors that power today’s electronic devices.

Strengthening trench profiles essential in powering GaN devices

Researchers in the United States and Singapore have been pursuing the optimization of electric fields in trench-based gallium nitride (GaN) power electronic devices containing vertical architectures.

Surprising stripes in a ‘bad metal’ offer clues to high-temperature superconductivity

Scientists have broken new ground in high-temperature superconductivity by probing so-called “bad metals” that conduct electricity poorly. The researchers found that “stripes” of electronic charge persist across surprisingly high temperatures, shape conductivity, and have direction-dependent properties.

Putting the pedal to the metal in the hunt for alloys

A team of scientists at Oak Ridge National Lab is designing high-temperature-capable alloys. Using complex, multi-element simulations, the team discovered that some elements can limit the detrimental effects that high temperature can have on alloy structure and properties.

Building ‘OLEDs’ from the ground up for better electronics

Researchers recently introduced a new way to efficiently create patterns of OLEDs by adopting a bottom-up approach for patterning emissive polymers. Starting with a substrate of indium tin oxide, the researchers used light-activated chemistry to pinpoint specific locations on the surface for polymer growth.

Low-cost material lighting produces white luminescence comparable to sunlight

Researchers at the University of Turku have developed a synthetic material based on the natural hackmanite mineral that produces broad spectrum white light in lamps. The low-cost material emits luminescence closer to sunlight than currently used lanthanides.

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