[Images above] Credit: NIST
NANOMATERIALS
Graphene and tungsten diselenide combination can boost superconductivity
Researchers from California Institute of Technology and Japan’s National Institute for Materials Science showed that when tungsten diselenide is added to graphene, graphene’s electrical properties can be enhanced.
Scientists thread rows of metal atoms into nanofiber bundles
Tokyo Metropolitan University researchers successfully threaded atoms of indium metal in between individual fibers in bundles of transition metal chalcogenide nanofibers. Through simulations and resistivity measurements, individual bundles were shown to have metallic properties, paving the way for application as flexible wires in nanocircuitry.
Flat, pancake-sized metalens images lunar surface in an engineering first
Researchers led by The Pennsylvania State University created the first ultrathin, compact metalens telescope capable of imaging far-away objects, including the moon. They adapted a fabrication method known as deep ultraviolet photolithography with their own novel procedure called rotating wafer and stitching.
A twisting microscope that could unlock the secrets of 2D materials
To better visualize how electrons are moving in materials, a team developed an instrument called the Quantum Twisting Microscope. It puts two 2D layers of atoms into close contact, allowing them to interact, which can give useful information about their properties.
ENERGY
Salt could play key role in energy transition
Researchers at The University of Texas at Austin described how large underground salt deposits could serve as hydrogen holding tanks, conduct heat to geothermal plants, and influence CO2 storage.
How a record-breaking copper catalyst converts CO2 into liquid fuels
Researchers at Berkeley Lab made real-time movies of copper nanoparticles as they evolve to convert carbon dioxide and water into renewable fuels and chemicals.
In ultrathin layers, researchers find a path to better materials
A new approach from a team of National Renewable Energy Laboratory researchers and colleagues at Khalifa University, Bowling Green State University, and First Solar unmasked the details of the cadmium chloride interface treatment on solar cells.
Controlling electric double layer dynamics for next-generation all-solid-state batteries
Researchers in Japan devised a way to quantitatively evaluate the electric double layer effect at the solid/solid electrolyte interface. It involves inserting a nanometer-thick lithium niobate or lithium phosphate interlayer between the hydrogen-terminated diamond transistor and lithium solid electrolyte, allowing investigation of the electrical response.
ENVIRONMENT
A more sustainable way to generate phosphorus
Massachusetts Institute of Technology chemists found a way to cut the carbon footprint of producing white phosphorus by finding an alternative way to weaken the strong phosphorus–oxygen bonds found in phosphates.
Audi shows just how many car parts can be recycled through its ‘close the loop’ project
Audi joined forces with 15 research, recycling, and supplier partners on its “MaterialLoop” project, focusing on saving valuable materials and reusing them for production. Findings from the project suggest more than 85% of the steel and more than 60% of the aluminum from Audi’s end-of-life vehicles can be reused and recycled for future cars.
MANUFACTURING
The smallest 3D printer in the world is no bigger than a match
YouTuber “My N Mi” designed a 3D printer that measures 1.8 x 3 x 4 cm and weighs only 17 grams. Thanks to a small motor that moves the printing plate and an LCD screen that polymerizes the resin, the mini 3D printer can design small detailed objects.
New method for fabricating large perovskites
Researchers led by The Pennsylvania State University created a new process to fabricate large perovskite devices based on a sintering method called the electrical and mechanical field-assisted sintering technique.
Simple, inexpensive approach to fabricating carbon nanotube wiring on plastic films
Researchers from Tokyo University of Science in Japan developed an inexpensive method for fabricating conductive wiring on plastic films. It involves coating a polypropylene film with a multiwalled carbon nanotube film about 10 μm thick and then exposing it to a mW ultraviolet laser.
OTHER STORIES
Researchers rapidly age materials to learn which will survive longest in marine energy tech
Researchers collected much-needed data on the benefits and pitfalls of about 300 different specimens built from materials commonly used in marine energy devices. These include steel and fiberglass composites (which are constructed with glass fibers combined with plastics that can harden permanently) and the adhesives that bind them together.
Study unveils an antiferromagnetic metal phase in an electron-doped rare-earth nickelate
Researchers at Harvard University, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Arizona State University, and other institutes in the United States observed an antiferromagnetic metal phase in electron-doped NdNiO3, a material known to be a noncollinear antiferromagnet.
Piecing together Scotland’s religious past with shards of glass
Researchers from Heriot-Watt University and the University of Stirling are trying to piece together part of Scotland’s religious past by examining the physical and chemical properties of medieval stained glass.
Reimagined jet ski brings EVs to the beach
Florida-based Pelagion’s battery-powered HydroBlade delivers the fun without the noise and noxious fumes of traditional jet skis. A pair of permanent-magnet radial-flux motors drive dual propellers at a peak 16 kilowatts.
2023 NSF Engineering CAREER Proposal Workshop
The 2023 NSF Engineering CAREER Proposal Workshop is a three-day virtual workshop in May 2023 that will prepare early career faculty to formulate more competitive CAREER proposals for submission to the NSF Directorate for Engineering. The registration deadline is March 17 at 5 p.m. Eastern.
