[Image above] Credit: ACerS
NANOMATERIALS
Scientists discover one of the world’s thinnest semiconductor junctions
Researchers at the University of Chicago and The Pennsylvania State University found that manganese bismuth telluride naturally forms one of the world’s thinnest semiconductor junctions— just 3.3 nanometers thick.
New 2D material sticks the landing
Researchers from Rice and Northwestern Universities found that when boron atoms are diffused into a copper substrate, they form a 2D copper boride compound with a distinct atomic structure.
ENERGY
Finely-tuned TiO2 nanorod arrays enhance solar cell efficiency
Researchers at the Hefei Institutes of Physical Science of the Chinese Academy of Sciences developed a finely tuned method for growing titanium dioxide nanorod arrays with controllable spacing without changing individual rod size and demonstrated its application in solar cells.
New fuel cell could enable electric aviation
Massachusetts Institute of Technology researchers developed a new fuel cell concept. The fuel is liquid sodium metal, and the other side of the cell is air. In between, a solid ceramic serves as the electrolyte, allowing sodium ions to pass freely through, and a porous air-facing electrode helps the sodium to chemically react with oxygen and produce electricity.
MANUFACTURING
World’s tallest 3D-printed tower unveiled in Switzerland
Created by cultural foundation Nova Fundaziun Origen in collaboration with professors from ETH Zurich, the Tor Alva tower is a 30-meter-high, 3D-printed concrete tower modeled on a cake. It is intended to revive Mulegns, a village currently home to 11 people. After five years in Mulegns, the tower will be dismantled and rebuilt elsewhere.
New approach to control light in photonic circuits
Researchers at Washington University in St. Louis developed a simple, efficient way to enable one-way light transmission in photonic chips. The system uses carefully designed waveguides to control light transmission, eliminating the need for complex and bulky isolator components.
OTHER STORIES
Dozens of images hidden in a single screen
Researchers at Pohang University of Science and Technology developed a groundbreaking metasurface technology that can display up to 36 high-resolution images on a surface thinner than a human hair. The metasurface consists of nanometer-scale pillars of silicon nitride.
‘Intercrystals’ pave the way for greener electronics
Rutgers University-New Brunswick researchers created a new class of materials called intercrystals with unique electronic properties. They stacked two layers of graphene and then twisted them slightly atop a layer of hexagonal boron nitride.
Breakthrough in semiconductor technology set to supercharge 6G delivery
Researchers discovered a latch effect in multichannel gallium nitride transistors, which can lead to improved linearity and power in radiofrequency power amplifiers. Next steps for the work include further increasing the power density the devices can deliver.