[Images above] Credit: NIST


NANOMATERIALS

New simulation reveals secrets of exotic form of electrons called polarons

Simulations on the Texas Advanced Computing Center’s Frontera supercomputer helped scientists map for the first time the conditions that characterize polarons in 2D materials, specifically crystal monolayers of hexagonal boron nitride on graphene.

‘Inkable’ nanomaterial promises big benefits for bendable electronics

An international team of scientists is developing an inkable nanomaterial made of zinc oxide that they say could one day become a spray-on electronic component for ultrathin, lightweight, and bendable displays and devices.


ENERGY

New invention: The oxygen-ion battery

Researchers at Vienna University of Technology developed a ceramic-based battery that relies on the exchange of oxygen ions rather than lithium ions. The batteries are produced without any rare elements and are not combustible. Plus, if oxygen is lost due to side reactions, the loss can be compensated for by oxygen from the ambient air.

New material to create green hydrogen

Researchers from the University of Twente developed a new high-entropy perovskite oxide that outperforms the individual compounds by one to two orders of magnitude regarding its oxygen evolution reaction activity.


ENVIRONMENT

Gold-based catalyst helps turn plastic waste into useful compounds

Researchers from Tokyo Metropolitan University found that gold nanoparticles supported on a zirconium oxide surface help turn waste materials like biomass and polyester into organosilane compounds, which are valuable chemicals used in a wide range of applications.

New water treatment zaps ‘forever chemicals’ for good

University of British Columbia engineers developed a new water treatment that removes “forever chemicals” from drinking water safely, efficiently—and for good. They are preparing to pilot the new tech at a number of locations in B.C. starting this month.

New additives could turn concrete into an effective carbon sink

Massachusetts Institute of Technology engineers found that by adding sodium bicarbonate (baking soda) to the very early formation of carbonates during concrete mixing and pouring, up to 15% of the total amount of carbon dioxide associated with cement production could be mineralized during these early stages.


MANUFACTURING

Groundbreaking project at Taubman College involving concrete 3D-printing method

Taubman College researchers developed a method for creating ultralightweight, waste-free concrete by combining topology optimization with 3D printing.

Scientists develop cheap and environmentally friendly method for synthesis of cerianite

Trinity College Dublin geoscientists developed a cheap and environmentally friendly method to synthesize cerianite (tetravalent cerium dioxide) from cerium carbonates. Their method produces cerianite with different sizes and shapes, from just a few nanometers up to 50 micrometers.

Researchers create self-sensing metamaterial concrete that produces power

University of Pittsburgh researchers designed metamaterial concrete for the development of smart civil infrastructure systems. The material can compress up to 15% under pressure and produce 330 μW of power.


OTHER STORIES

Researchers reveal the mechanism of oxygen transport kinetics in perovskite oxides

Pusan National University researchers directly visualized the mechanism of oxygen diffusion during topotactic phase transition in perovskite oxides by combining live, high-resolution atomic-scale imaging with density functional theory calculations.

‘Flat’ diamond will push flat TVs

Researchers from Skoltech, UiT The Arctic University of Norway, and the Institute of Solid State Chemistry and Mechanochemistry theoretically investigated the properties of ultrathin diamond films and determined which of them hold the most promise for field-emission displays.

Melting glasses: The glass-to-liquid transition

Researchers at Hong Kong University of Science and Technology assembled colloidal glasses via vapor deposition and melted them to observe the glass transition dynamics.

More water found on moon, locked in tiny glass beads

The moon’s surface contains a new source of water found embedded in microscopic glass beads, which might one day help future astronauts produce drinking water, breathable air, and even rocket fuel. The findings come from a Chinese rover that spent two weeks on the moon in 2020.

Author

Lisa McDonald

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  • Weekly Column: “Other materials”