[Image above] Credit: ACerS
NANOMATERIALS
Nanoscale materials ripple in the cold
Researchers at the University of Illinois Chicago, the University of Chicago, and Argonne National Laboratory found that at extremely cold temperatures, MXenes show a rippling behavior similar to shuffling a well-used deck of playing cards.
‘Squeezing’ method produces ultrathin 2D metals
Researchers from the Institute of Physics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences developed a technique called van der Waals squeezing that allows them to make metal layers with angstrom thickness. They used the technique to successfully produce 2D sheets of bismuth, tin, lead, indium, and gallium.
ENERGY
Solar cells made of moon dust could power future space exploration
Researchers created solar cells out of simulated moon dust and perovskites. When zapped with space-grade radiation, the moonglass cells outperformed Earth-made ones due to having a natural brown tint from impurities, which stabilizes the glass and prevents it from further darkening.
Lead-free chalcogenide perovskites for high-efficiency solar cells
Researchers from Mexico’s Autonomous University of Querétaro explored the potential of lead-free chalcogenide perovskites for use as solar cells. Simulations indicated that solar cells using CaZrSe3 and BaZrSe3 could exceed 30% power conversion efficiency.
BIOMATERIALS
Mass manufacture of nanoparticles to deliver cancer drugs directly to tumors
Massachusetts Institute of Technology researchers developed a manufacturing technique that allows them to quickly produce larger quantities of polymer-coated nanoparticles loaded with therapeutic drugs. The technique involves a microfluidic mixing device, which allows polymer layers to be sequentially added as the particles flow through a microchannel.
3D printing bones at the nano level achieved
University of Sydney researchers successfully developed a new printing technique that can mimic nanosized structures found in natural bone.
Artificial sweetener shows surprise power against antibiotic resistance
Saccharin, the artificial sweetener used in diet foods like yoghurts and sugar-free drinks, can kill multidrug-resistant bacteria. Researchers found that it both disrupts DNA replication and stops the bacteria from forming biofilms.
ENVIRONMENT
Old wind turbine blades repurposed as sustainable surfboards
Australian company Draft Surf has started crafting the decks of surfboards using strips of repurposed turbine blades. They are fitted with fiberglass fins for added stability and speed, and then the outer shell uses particulate material from the blades to increase strength.
Researchers recycle wind turbine blade materials to make improved plastics
Washington State University researchers cut discarded wind turbine blades into two-inch-sized blocks and soaked them in a bath of low-toxicity organic salt in pressurized, superheated water for about two hours. The components of the broken-down material could then be repurposed to make stronger plastics.
Pull carbon directly from the air using changes in humidity
Northwestern University engineers presented new, lower cost materials to facilitate moisture-swing to catch and then release carbon dioxide depending on the local air’s moisture content.
MANUFACTURING
Using robotic sand packing as a reusable formwork for casting building concrete
An architecture graduate student at The Pennsylvania State University used kinetic sand to develop a reusable formwork for casting of architectural concrete and cement forms.
OTHER STORIES
Copper-free high-temperature superconducting oxide
National University of Singapore researchers designed and synthesized a copper-free superconducting oxide capable of superconducting at approximately 40 Kelvin, or about -233°C, under ambient pressure.
Compounds of oxygen and carbon with explosive potential
Skoltech researchers theoretically investigated the wide range of molecules that oxygen and carbon atoms can form and identified dozens of molecules that could potentially hold more than 75% of the explosive energy of TNT.
Gaia: The best space telescope you never heard of just shut down
On Thursday, March 27, the European Space Agency sent its last messages to the Gaia Spacecraft. Gaia was retired for a simple reason: after more than 11 years in space, it ran out of the cold gas propellant it needed to keep scanning the sky. Gaia’s main mission was to produce a detailed, 3D map of our galaxy, the Milky Way.
