[Image above] Credit: ACerS
NANOMATERIALS
Physicists develop new method to visualize magnetic nanostructures with high resolution
Researchers at Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg and Max Planck Institute of Microstructure Physics developed a new method for imaging magnetic nanostructures that achieves a resolution of around 70 nanometers by harnessing the anomalous Nernst effect and a metallic nanoscale tip.
A new language for nanopore design
Indian Institute of Science researchers developed a new language that encodes the structure and shape of nanopores as a series of characters. The new language developed can be used to train machine learning models that predict nanopore characteristics across various materials.
ENERGY
New coating increases stability of perovskite solar cells
Northwestern University researchers developed a coating based on amidinium that improves the stability of perovskite solar cells and resulted in an impressive 26.3% conversion efficiency. The coated solar cell also retained 90% of its initial efficiency after 1,100 hours of testing under harsh conditions.
AI can ‘hear’ when a lithium battery is about to catch fire
Researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology trained artificial intelligence to detect the unique click-hiss sound that occurs when lithium-ion batteries are about to catch fire.
ENVIRONMENT
Exploring the impact of offshore wind on whale deaths
Scientists presented work examining the circumstances surrounding the whale deaths off the coast of New Jersey in the winter of 2022–23. The Marine Mammal Commission stated there is no evidence linking the whales’ deaths to wind energy development; many of them died from collisions with ships. But researchers are concerned that the increased presence of survey ships may have exacerbated the situation.
Study tracks PFAS, microplastics through landfills and wastewater treatment plants
Researchers at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign found that most of the microplastics and “forever” PFAS substances cycle through landfills and wastewater treatment plants and end up back in the environment.
MANUFACTURING
Plasma dynamic synthesis of high-entropy ceramics
Researchers from Skoltech, Tomsk Polytechnic University, and other academic organizations in Russia and China used the method of plasma dynamic synthesis to obtain high-entropy carbides and carbonitrides in the form of nanopowders.
Bioinspired approach to creating 3D glass microvascular networks using plants and fungi
Kyushu University researchers developed a new bioinspired approach to building complex 3D microfluidic networks by using plant roots and fungal hyphae as molds. They grew plants and fungi in nanoparticles of silica, then baked out the plants and solidified the glass.
OTHER STORIES
Superior thermal and oxygen barrier properties of high-entropy ferroelastic rare earth tantalate
Researchers from Kunming University of Science and Technology reported rare earth tantalate materials with superior thermal and oxygen barrier properties. They designed these materials via a high-entropy strategy.
Novel approach for the design of high-entropy fluorite oxides with low thermal conductivity
Researchers proposed a new design approach for high-entropy fluorite oxides with low thermal conductivity that emphasizes the careful consideration of the content of high-valence cations in the composition.
Third São Carlos School on Glasses and Glass-ceramics offering 40 student grants
The São Carlos Center for Research, Technology, and Education in Vitreous Materials is organizing the third São Carlos School on Glasses and Glass-ceramics from March 10–15, 2025, in São Carlos, Brazil. The school has no registration fee and offers a limited number of 40 student grants. The deadline to apply is Dec. 20, 2024.
