[Images above] Credit: NIST
NANOMATERIALS
Cutting nanoparticles down to size
Researchers from University of Birmingham and University of Bath demonstrated a technique that will allow better control of nanoparticle size and shape. They start with a base nanoparticle, made of a polymer, and add a second polymer in solution. The exact size and shape of the nanoparticle is determined by how much of the second polymer is added.
Molten carbonate electrolysis can produce a range of carbon nanomaterials from CO2
Researchers from Huazhong University of Science and Technology in China and George Washington University in the U.S. report that a range of important carbon nanomaterials can be produced at high yield by molten carbonate electrolysis.
ENERGY
Armored with plastic ‘hair’/silica shell, perovskite nanocrystals show enhanced durability
Researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology encased perovskite inside a double-layer protection system made from plastic and silica. They immersed the sample in deionized water and found the photoluminescent properties never diminished during a 30-minute test, compared to unencapsulated perovskites, which vanished in a matter of seconds.
Frozen car batteries won’t blow up in transit
Currently, transporting damaged and defective car batteries is an expensive process because they need an explosion proof box that costs thousands of dollars. Now, researchers found cryogenic freezing does not reduce lithium ion battery’s energy capacity nor affect cycle or service life, and could allow for safer transportation.
BIOMATERIALS
Toward high quality zinc oxide quantum dots for biomedical applications
Scientists from Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw University of Technology, and Interdisciplinary Research Institute of Grenoble characterized organic-inorganic interfaces of zinc oxide quantum dots prepared by traditional sol-gel process and new one-pot self-supporting organometallic procedure to show latter procedure produces high quality dots.
OTHER STORIES
Sustainable pipes that last for a century
Researchers at The University of Texas at Arlington were awarded a $653,000 contract by the Texas Department of Transportation to test longer-lasting concrete pipes embedded with polypropylene fibers for strength and durability.
Toward more efficient computing, with magnetic waves
Massachusetts Institute of Technology researchers devised a novel circuit design that enables precise control of computing using magnetic waves, with no electricity needed. They next hope to build a working wave circuit that can execute basic computations.
Author
Lisa McDonald
CTT Categories
- Weekly Column: “Other materials”
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