[Image above] Credit: ACerS
NANOMATERIALS
Researchers overcome bottleneck in single photon detection with twisted 2D materials
While studying layered 2D materials, researchers at ICFO–The Institute of Photonic Sciences observed an anomaly that turned out to be single-photon sensitivity with extraordinary properties which were previously inaccessible: the ability to detect long-wavelength photons (up to the mid-infrared) at relatively high temperatures.
New quality control method for graphene oxide
Researchers at King’s College London designed an “interactional fingerprinting” method that creates a unique identity of individual graphene oxide samples. By mimicking humans’ sense of taste and smell, the method can create a qualitative snapshot of the material without relying on inaccessible gold-standard measurement machinery manned by teams of specialists.
ENERGY
Breakthrough in solar circularity using recycled glass
SOLARCYCLE and Arizona State University researchers achieved a breakthrough in solar circularity with the successful development of a proof-of-concept solar panel made with 50% recycled glass from end-of-life solar panels.
Black metal could give a heavy boost to solar power generation
University of Rochester researchers used unique spectral engineering and thermal management methods to create a solar thermoelectric generator device that generates 15 times more power than previous devices.
BIOMATERIALS
pH-responsive graphene-based nanocarriers: Cancer drug delivery breakthrough
Researchers from Okayama University and the University of Strasbourg investigated how pH-responsive engineered nanomaterials convert their properties into dynamic interactions with proteins and cells in vivo. They found a graphene oxide-based material successfully balances safety in the bloodstream and optimal positive charge in the acidic tumor environment.
Amorphous carbon membrane creates precision proton beams for cancer therapy
An international research collaboration led by the National University of Singapore developed a new method for generating high-energy proton beams that could be used for treating cancer. The technique involves accelerating hydrogen ions and then using a novel 2D carbon membrane to split the high-energy ion beam into beams of protons.
ENVIRONMENT
Energy-efficient memory sensor for wet, salty environments
Researchers at the University of California, Berkeley demonstrated how vanadium dioxide can also be used to help electronic sensors more efficiently interface with wet, salty systems. To create their sensor, they attached a thin layer of vanadium dioxide to a small piece of indium.
New study reveals gaps in research on environmental antibiotic resistance
Antibiotic resistance in the environment is a growing and largely overlooked crisis receiving inconsistent attention, that may very well have dire consequences for human health, according to a new study led by the University of Surrey.
MANUFACTURING
Sputtering could drive the adoption of high-performance ScAlN-based transistors
Researchers at Tokyo University of Science found a way to grow high-quality scandium aluminum nitride films on gallium nitride heterostructures using sputtering at lower temperatures.
An intelligent catalyst for sustainable chemistry
Researchers at Politecnico di Milano developed an innovative single-atom catalyst capable of selectively adapting its catalytic function depending on the chemical environment. The palladium-based catalyst is encapsulated in a specially designed organic structure.
Freestanding hafnium zirconium oxide membranes for 2D transistors
Researchers at National Chung Hsing, Kansai University, National Cheng Kung University, and other institutes introduced a new strategy to reliably use freestanding membranes made of hafnium zirconium oxide as high-κ gate dielectrics in 2D field-effect transistors.
OTHER STORIES
Group converts laser light into electrical power at 54% efficiency
In a joint research effort, scientists from the University of Ottawa, the National Research Council Canada, and Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems developed photonic power converters that convert 1,446 nm laser light into electrical power with “an unprecedented” 53.6% efficiency and an output voltage above 2 volts.
Novel microwave dielectric ceramics enable high-performance 5G/6G communication devices
Researchers from Guilin University of Technology in China developed a novel garnet-type ceramic, Y₃MgAl₃GeO₁₂. This ceramic exhibits impressive microwave properties that make it a strong candidate for high-frequency applications: a permittivity of 9.86, a quality factor of 89,000 GHz, and a temperature coefficient of resonant frequency of -40 ppm/°C.
Dome-shaped aerogel architecture offers superior toughness and flexibility
Researchers reported 194 dome-celled aerogels with a wide range of chemical compositions. Their unique geometry provides excellent load-bearing capacity and mechanical stability, enabling greater storage of elastic strain energy compared to conventional structures.
4,000-year-old ancient Egyptian handprint discovered
A 4,000-year-old handprint has been discovered on an ancient Egyptian tomb. The print was found on the base of a clay “soul house”—a model dwelling often used in burials—by researchers at Cambridge University’s Fitzwilliam Museum.
Phoenicians recycled broken pottery to create special hydraulic plaster
Archaeologists working at the site of Tell el-Burak in southern Lebanon recently uncovered a winemaking facility dating to between 725 and 600 BCE. Analysis of the basin’s surface indicated that it was coated in a special plaster that was mixed with crushed fragments of pottery, likely broken amphoras.