[Image above] Credit: ACerS
NANOMATERIALS
New nano-based filter for infrared light
Researchers developed thermo-optically tunable mid-infrared bandpass filters made of ultrathin silicon-on-sapphire metasurfaces. The finished prototype behaved as modeled, displaying a linear wavelength shift of 80 nanometers across the standard operating temperatures from 25°C to 420°C.
ENERGY
New catalyst for cheaper green hydrogen production
Researchers at Hanyang University ERICA Campus developed boron-doped cobalt phosphide nanosheet-based electrocatalysts using metal-organic frameworks. These electrocatalysts could help enable large-scale hydrogen production.
Turning rust into renewable energy
A field of shipping container-sized modules are set to be installed in coming months next to a Mendocino County electrical substation as part of a demonstration of a new type of battery technology intended to supply power to the grid with less chance of fires. The modules use iron-air technology and can discharge over four days.
New research could lead to design of self-healing reactors
A study about 10 years in the making has shed new insight into how oxides can regularly sustain themselves, using the oxygen inherent in their own structures.
Scientific breakthrough brings CO2 ‘breathing’ batteries closer to reality
University of Surrey researchers made a breakthrough in the development of lithium–CO2 “breathing” batteries, which release power while capturing carbon dioxide by using a low-cost catalyst called caesium phosphomolybdate.
All-perovskite tandem solar cells achieve 29.5% efficiency thanks to interfacial engineering
An international team of researchers used a novel interfacial treatment to improve the performance of perovskite solar cells across a range of narrow and wide bandgap single junction, tandem, and mini-module samples.
MXene-polymer composite enables eco-friendly printed device for energy harvesting
Boise State University researchers developed an environmentally friendly triboelectric nanogenerator that is fully printed and capable of harvesting biomechanical and environmental energy while also functioning as a real-time motion sensor. The innovation leverages a composite of the polymer PVBVA and MXene nanosheets.
BIOMATERIALS
Nanopore sensing platform paves way for solid-state, label-free DNA sequencing technologies
Researchers at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign produced a novel nanopore sensing platform for single-biomolecule detection. Their findings pave the way for solid-state, label-free DNA sequencing technologies.
ENVIRONMENT
Boron-based catalyst breaks down ‘forever chemicals’
Goethe University Frankfurt researchers developed a catalyst that can cleave carbon–fluorine bonds within seconds and at room temperature. The heart of the catalyst consists of two boron atoms, which have been embedded in a carbon framework in a manner that makes them resistant to air and moisture.
New hydrogel treatments turn water waste into fertilizer
Researchers at Washington University in St. Louis developed novel composite nanotechnology that removes and recovers nutrients from wastewater, subsequently upcycling them as agricultural fertilizers or as biorefinery feedstocks. These composites are embedded with nanoscale struvite and calcium phosphate mineral seeds.
Mechanochemical approach for low-temperature CO2 capture and conversion
Researchers at Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology created a mechanochemical process capable of converting carbon dioxide into methane efficiently at just 65°C. The process uses a ball mill filled with catalysts and raw materials. As the mill rotates, collisions and friction activate the catalyst surfaces, enabling CO2 to be captured and react with hydrogen.
Creating cement precursors from carbon dioxide
University of Michigan researchers developed a method to capture carbon dioxide and turn it into metal oxalates, which can be used as precursors for cement production. Next steps will be to further study how to scale up the portion of the process that produces the solid product.
MANUFACTURING
Breakthrough in precision glass machining for the semiconductor industry
Researchers at the University of Tokyo, in collaboration with AGC Inc., developed a novel technique that enables the ultrafast and ultraprecision processing of transparent materials such as glass. This processing can be achieved using lasers with power outputs four orders of magnitude lower than those of conventional femtosecond lasers.
Low-temperature additive manufacturing of glass
MIT Lincoln Laboratory researchers demonstrated a viable low-temperature direct ink writing technique for glass structures. The process is done at room temperature, and then the item is cured in a mineral oil bath heated to just 250°C to ensure structural stability. Following heat treatment, the structure is rinsed in an organic solvent to remove residual minerals.
Simple solution yields ultrathin tin sulfide sheets for next-generation electronics
Researchers from Tohoku University, National Institutes for Quantum Science and Technology, and Cambridge University showed that monolayer tin sulfide can be selectively grown on ordinary silicon wafers by varying the sulfur vapor concentration relative to tin using high-purity elemental precursors in a chemical vapor deposition setup.
New method to study catalysts could lead to better batteries
By assessing the structural similarity of different atomic structures, University of Rochester researchers found that they could get an accurate picture of the chemical processes involved and draw the relevant conclusions by analyzing just 2% or fewer of the unique configurations of surface interactions. They developed an algorithm reflecting this insight.
Nanofibers yield stronger, tougher carbon fiber composites
Oak Ridge National Laboratory researchers developed an electrospinning technique to enhance binding in carbon fiber and other fiber-reinforced polymer composites. A carbon fiber precursor, polyacrylonitrile, is electrospun and landed on a spinning metal drum overwrapped with carbon fiber fabric.
Researchers simulate earthquakes to stress test a 3D-printed concrete house
University of Bristol researchers used the U.K.’s largest shaking table to mimic conditions of a medium-magnitude earthquake to assess the potential damage to a 3D-printed building.
OTHER STORIES
Successful synthesis of neutral N6 opens door for future energy storage
Justus Liebig University researchers synthesized neutral hexanitrogen (N6)—the first neutral allotrope of nitrogen since the discovery of naturally occurring dinitrogen (N2) in the 18th century.
Exploring how wafer-thin perovskites’ optical properties shift with temperature changes
University of Utah researchers demonstrated a connection between phase transitions and the emissive properties of perovskites. This connection offers controllable changes to the light’s wavelength, which is a crucial part of designing tunable LEDs and other electronic devices.
Perovskite-based image sensor enables better color reproduction
Researchers at ETH Zurich and Empa developed a new image sensor made of perovskite. This semiconductor material enables better colour reproduction and fewer image artefacts with less light.
First quantum–mechanical model of quasicrystals reveals why they exist
A rare intermediate between crystal and glass can be the most stable arrangement for some combinations of atoms, according to University of Michigan researchers. The findings come from the first quantum–mechanical quasicrystal simulations.
Researchers develop optimal error correction algorithm
Researchers developed a new algorithm, called PLANAR, that achieved a 25% reduction in logical error rates when applied to Google Quantum AI’s experimental data. This discovery revealed that a quarter of what the tech giant attributed to an “error floor” was actually caused by their decoding method rather than genuine hardware limitations.
Breakthrough transformation of light into a supersolid
An international group of researchers made light behave like a supersolid for the very first time. Their system relies on the formation of bosonic quasiparticles called polaritons, created by coupling photons with excitons through strong electromagnetic interactions.