[Images above] Credit: NIST

 

NANOMATERIALS

New traffic rules in ‘Graphene City’

Penn State researchers built a four-way intersection in bilayer graphene using electron waveguides created by electron beam lithography, and the guides determined where the electrons will go. This type of control is common for light but not easily accomplished with electrons.

Model tackles nonlinear optics in 2D materials

A collaboration of researchers in China, Canada, Belgium, and the U.S. created a model for extracting nonlinear optical responses for all 2D materials. Their approach models the current density as a ‘current sheet’ described by a Dirac δ-function, then they derive a key equation for nonlinear optics using a structure factor that describes environmental effects.

 

ENERGY

Researchers use jiggly Jell-O to make powerful new hydrogen fuel catalyst

University of California, Berkeley researchers manufactured nanometer-thin sheets of metal carbide using a self-assembly process that relies on gelatin. They found that the performance is very close to the best catalyst made of platinum and carbon.

Novel approach to perovskite solar cells—cheaper production and high efficiency

A team of chemists from Kaunas University of Technology and physicists from Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin synthesised a molecule assembling itself into a monolayer, which can evenly cover any oxide surface. The first tests of the optimized materials led to over 21 percent efficient solar cells.

For a longer battery life: Pushing lithium ion batteries to the next performance level

Researchers developed a new nanostructured anode material for lithium ion batteries using graphene‐wrapped mesoporous copper nickel oxide, which allowed for reversible cycling stability over 3,000 reversible charge and discharge cycles.

 

BIOMATERIALS

Ingestible capsule can be controlled wirelessly

Researchers at MIT, Draper, and Brigham and Women’s Hospital designed an ingestible capsule that can reside in the stomach for at least a month, transmitting information and responding to instructions from a user’s smartphone. The current version of the device is powered by a small silver oxide battery.

 

ENVIRONMENT

Honda Research Institute and university researchers develop breakthrough battery chemistry

A collaboration between Honda Research Institute, California Institute of Technology, and NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory researchers developed a fluoride-based battery capable of operating at room temperature. Fluoride batteries create considerably less environmental impact than the extraction process for lithium and cobalt.

 

OTHER STORIES

HT–CMC10 call for contributions

The 10th International Conference on High Temperature Ceramic Matrix Composites will take place in Bordeaux, France from September 22–26, 2019. Visit www.ht-cmc10.org to submit your abstract until February 15, 2019.

Custom-made artificial mother-of-pearl

Researchers from ETH Zurich used first aluminum oxide and then titanium oxide plates to imitate mother-of-pearl structure. The mother-of-pearl-like materials can have tailor-made properties for respective applications, including construction, aircraft, and space.

Author

Lisa McDonald

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