[Image above] Credit: ACerS
NANOMATERIALS
Record-breaking ‘light-bending’ material for blue and ultraviolet light
Researchers from TU Delft and Radboud University discovered that the 2D ferroelectric material CuInP₂S₆ can be used to control the pathway and properties of blue and ultraviolet light like no other material can.
ENERGY
New molecular layer helps perovskite–silicon solar cells last longer under heat
National University of Singapore researchers designed a heat-resistant thin molecular layer to connect the perovskite and silicon layers in tandem solar cells. The new layer holds the layers together more firmly and allows the cells to maintain almost 100% performance after 1,200 hours of continuous operation at 65°C.
Clear new material could make windows super efficient
Physicists at the University of Colorado Boulder developed a new window insulation material. Their creation, called mesoporous optically clear heat insulator (MOCHI), functions somewhat like a high-tech form of Bubble Wrap. It uses microscopic, air-filled channels to stop heat in its tracks while remaining nearly crystal clear.
Revolutionizing protonic ceramic cells with lower production temperatures
Researchers at Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology pioneered a microwave-driven vapor-phase diffusion method that lowers the production temperature of protonic ceramic electrochemical cells by more than 500°C.
Nanoscale structure turns peat into a powerful candidate for sustainable fuel cells
Researchers at the University of Tartu and Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin investigated five iron–nitrogen–carbon catalysts produced under different conditions, each using Estonian peat as the precursor material. The investigation pinpointed 13 structural parameters that could be connected with catalytic effectiveness.
Solid-state EV battery retains 78% capacity after 200 cycles using stretch trick
Researchers at Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology applied uniaxial stretching to a fluorinated polymer electrolyte, allowing them to achieve approximately 78% capacity retention after 200 charge–discharge cycles in a solid-state battery. The material also extinguished flames in just four seconds during combustion tests.
MANUFACTURING
Darkest fabric ever made inspired by a bird-of-paradise’s feathers
Researchers replicated the bird-of-paradise’s light-trapping feather structure on ordinary wool using a two-step process involving a melanin-based dye and plasma etching. The new material reflects only 0.13% of visible light, making it the darkest fabric ever made.
Electrodes created using light
Researchers at Linköping University and Lund University showed that visible light can be used to create electrodes from conductive plastics without hazardous chemicals. The technique allows electrodes to be created on different surfaces such as glass, textiles, and even skin.
OTHER STORIES
Transparent ceramic could boost internet speeds and cut energy use
Researchers led by Queen Mary University of London and The Pennsylvania State University used the theory of zentropy to explain why a class of transparent ceramics behaved so differently from what existing ferroelectric models predicted.
Reconfigurable metamaterial can control sound waves
University of Connecticut researchers developed a reconfigurable metamaterial that can control sound waves while encoding real-time tuning with almost infinite possible shapes. The metamaterial is made up of asymmetrical pillars with one or more concave faces, arranged in an 11×11 grid with motors controlling the orientation of each pillar.
New quantum antenna reveals a hidden terahertz world
Researchers at the University of Warsaw unveiled a breakthrough method for detecting and precisely calibrating terahertz frequency combs using a quantum antenna made from Rydberg atoms. They achieved the first measurement of a single terahertz comb tooth, something previously impossible due to the limits of electronics and optical tools.
Anomalous electronic state opens a pathway to room-temperature superconductivity
An international research team made the first observation of a special electronic state known as a “nodal metal,” which provides more insight into electronic behavior at different temperatures. This nodal metal indicated that in a copper oxide system, superconductivity is stabilized by the “proximity effect” between the two outer and one inner copper oxide planes.
Light’s long-ignored magnetic field may directly drive the Faraday effect
Researchers at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem found that the magnetic component of light plays a direct part in the Faraday effect, overturning a 180-year belief that only light’s electric field was involved.