[Images above] Credit: NIST


NANOMATERIALS

Ambient light alters refraction in 2D material

Rice University researchers found when they shine light on a 2D layer of tantalum disulfide, the layered material rearranges the charge density waves of electrons that flow through, altering its refractive index.

Novel nanopillars precisely control the color and intensity of transmitted light

By shining white light on a glass slide stippled with millions of tiny titanium dioxide pillars, researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology and their collaborators reproduced with astonishing fidelity the luminous hues and subtle shadings of the painting “Girl With a Pearl Earring.”

Hybrid nanomaterials hold promise for improved ceramic composites

Researchers at the Air Force Research Laboratory are seeking to patent a novel process for manufacturing a type of material called preceramic polymer-grafted nanoparticles, or “hairy nanoparticles.” The nanoparticles that result from this special process will be used in the manufacture of aircraft parts made of ceramic composite material.


ENERGY

New anode material could lead to safer fast-charging batteries

Researchers at University of California, San Diego discovered a new anode material that enables lithium-ion batteries to be safely recharged within minutes for thousands of cycles. The new anode is made up of lithium, vanadium, and oxygen atoms arranged in a similar way as ordinary kitchen table salt but randomly.


BIOMATERIALS

New antiviral test results confirm SINTX’s silicon nitride inactivates SARS-CoV-2

SINTX Technologies, Inc., an original equipment manufacturer of silicon nitride ceramic for medical and nonmedical applications, announced new studies confirming that its material inactivates SARS-CoV-2, the causative agent of the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as the Influenza A virus that is responsible for the common cold.


MANUFACTURING

3D print a two-story house in one piece

Belgian company Kamp C recently 3D printed a two-story house in one piece using the largest 3D printer in Europe. The house is a demo for this style of 3D printing and is also a way to measure how the home, which was built using greener practices than typical constructions, holds up over time.


OTHER STORIES

How dangerous are burning electric cars?

Researchers at Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology, funded by the Swiss Federal Roads Office, investigated what happens if an electric car burns in a road tunnel or underground car park. They concluded a state-of-the-art tunnel ventilation system can cope with electric cars but professionals are needed to clean up chemicals.

Continuous and stable lasing achieved from low-cost perovskites at room temperature

An international team of researchers led by Kyushu University and Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, overcame lasing death in quasi-2D perovskites by taking into consideration energetic states called triplet excitons and demonstrated stable, continuous lasing at room temperature for over an hour.

Physicists achieve tunable spin wave excitation

Physicists from Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology, Russian Quantum Center, Saratov State University, and Michigan Technological University demonstrated new methods for controlling spin waves in nanostructured bismuth iron garnet films via short laser pulses.

Decorating windows for optimal sound transmission

Researchers from Chongqing University, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, and Shenzhen Fantwave Tech. Co. developed a layered glass material that allows for efficient sound transmission with no air ventilation. The window consists of a thick glass plate that the researchers drilled holes into and filled with a thin, flat glass disk.

Author

Lisa McDonald

CTT Categories

  • Weekly Column: “Other materials”