[Image above] Credit: ACerS
NANOMATERIALS
Engineering defects could transform the future of nanomaterials
Materials scientists at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities found a way to create and control tiny “flaws” inside ultrathin materials. These internal features, known as extended defects, span the entire material but occupy a very small volume, which makes them a good way to modify the material’s properties.
Tiny antennas to bring electrical power to unpowerable nanoparticles
University of Cambridge researchers developed a new method to electrically power insulating nanoparticles by attaching organic molecules that act as tiny antennas. This new class of ultrapure, near-infrared LEDs could be used for medical diagnostics, optical communications, and sensing.
ENERGY
Potential of new materials for absorbing 99.5% of light on solar towers
Researchers at the University of the Basque Country analyzed the capacity of ultrablack copper cobaltate nanoneedles to effectively absorb solar energy. The materials currently used on solar towers, black silicons, absorb 95% of the light. The nanoneedles absorb 99% of the light, and those coated with zinc oxide absorb even more, 99.5%.
Research on intelligent analysis method for dynamic response of onshore wind turbines
Chongqing University researchers developed an innovative nonlinear dynamic modeling and intelligent analysis framework for onshore wind turbines. A key advancement is the explicit incorporation of the tower’s torsional degree of freedom, an aspect often simplified in conventional models but critical for accurate load assessment in the upper sections.
ENVIRONMENT
Vellinge reinvents flood protection with nature-based innovation
The municipality of Vellinge in southern Sweden is leading the way with a groundbreaking flood protection initiative. The system combines five kilometers of sand dunes for flood and erosion protection, seven kilometers of wall-like construction designed to visually blend with the surrounding environment, and a 14-kilometer nature-enhanced dike supported by wave dissipation over beach meadows and heaths.
Unraveling the mysteries of ancient solar storms and earthquakes
With funding from the Big Idea Challenge, researchers at the University of Arizona are going to study solar hazards and seismic geological hazards using mass spectrometry technology to analyze radiocarbon in tree-ring samples in finer detail than was possible before.
MANUFACTURING
3D printing researchers develop fast-curing, environmentally friendly concrete substitute
Oregon State University researchers developed a quick-setting, environmentally friendly alternative to concrete that could be used to rapidly 3D print homes. The clay-based material cures as it is being extruded from the printer, thanks to its acrylamide-based binding agent, and has a buildable strength of 3 megapascals immediately after printing.
Archaeologists identify ancient glass making techniques
Chinese and Thai archaeologists determined that the black-and-white glass beads designed to imitate banded agate, unearthed at the 2,000-year-old Phromthin Tai site in central Thailand, were produced using a combination of the winding and drawing techniques. The finding overturns the long-held assumption that these beads were made with the folding method.
OTHER STORIES
A lone particle held by lasers may reveal the hidden spark that starts lightning
Using a precisely aligned pair of laser beams, researchers at Institute of Science and Technology Austria held a single aerosol particle in place and monitored how it charges up. This technique could help explain how lightning gets its initial spark.
Entangled spins give diamonds a quantum advantage
Researchers at the University of California, Santa Barbara demonstrated how not just individual qubits but 2D ensembles of many defects can be arranged and entangled within diamond. These entangled spin systems can surpass classical sensing limits through quantum squeezing.