[Images above] Credit: NIST
NANOMATERIALS
A nanothin layer of gold could prevent fogged-up glasses
Researchers at ETH Zurich developed an ultrathin, gold-based transparent coating that can convert sunlight into heat. It can be applied to glass and other surfaces to prevent them from fogging.
A shield for 2D materials that adds vibrations to reduce vibration problems
Monash University researchers demonstrated a new, counterintuitive way to protect atomically-thin electronics—adding vibrations, to reduce vibrations. They used a thin droplet of liquid gallium to paint graphene devices with a protective coating of gallium oxide that can cover millimeter-wide scales.
Scientists pit AI algorithms against each other to optimize graphene nanotube synthesis
An international research team led by Skolkovo Institute of Science and Technology identified the best artificial intelligence algorithm for determining synthesis conditions that favor formation of carbon nanotubes with properties tailored to specific applications, such as in drug delivery, environmental monitoring, lasers, and hydrogen power tech.
ENERGY
Rice flashes new life into lithium-ion anodes
Rice University researchers reconfigured the flash Joule heating process to quickly regenerate graphite anode materials found in lithium-ion batteries, removing impurities so they can be used again and again.
Northrop Grumman makes steps toward transmitting solar energy from space to Earth
Northrop Grumman’s Space Solar Power Incremental Demonstrations and Research Project team successfully demonstrated the transmission of directed radio frequency energy to a ground-based rectifying antenna. This demonstration is a critical milestone in the development of space solar power beaming.
Designing better battery electrolytes
Argonne National Laboratory researchers laid out a vision for electrolyte design in future generations of batteries. The near-term goal is to design electrolytes with the right chemical and electrochemical properties to enable the optimal formation of interphases at both the battery’s positive and negative electrodes.
ENVIRONMENT
Study shows full decarbonization of U.S. aviation sector is within grasp
Researchers led by Arizona State University found that planting the grass miscanthus on 23.2 million hectares of existing marginal agricultural lands across the United States would provide enough biomass feedstock to meet the liquid fuel demands of the U.S. aviation sector, an amount expected to reach 30 billion gallons per year by 2040.
Strong metaphorical messages can help tackle toxic e-waste
University of Portsmouth researchers found that telling consumers that not recycling their batteries “risked polluting the equivalent of 140 Olympic swimming pools every year” were more likely to participate in an electronic waste recycling scheme.
OTHER STORIES
Sludge-filled capsules could allow concrete sewage pipes to self-heal
University of South Australia researchers created microcapsules filled with a mixture of calcium hydroxide powder and alum sludge. They plan to add the capsules to wet concrete so if the concrete later cracks, the acid-sensitive shells of the capsules will rupture and release their contents, mixing to form a solid gel that fills the crack.
Crystalline materials: Making the unimaginable possible
Researchers at Argonne National Laboratory, Northwestern University, and University of Chicago developed a new method for discovering and making new crystalline materials with two or more elements. Their method involves a solution made of two components. One is a highly effective solvent, while the other is there for tuning the reaction.
