[Image above] Credit: ACerS
NANOMATERIALS
Heavy water expands energy potential of carbon nanotube yarns
Researchers at The University of Texas at Dallas developed a new electrolyte system that significantly boosts the energy-harvesting performance of twistrons, which are carbon nanotube yarns that generate electricity when repeatedly stretched. The key was replacing conventional water with heavy water in the neutral electrolyte solution that bathes the twistrons.
New state of matter at room temperature using light and nanostructures
Researchers at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute created a new state of matter—known as a supersolid—by engineering how light and matter interact inside a nanoscale device. They built the device by combining a high-quality perovskite crystal with a precisely patterned nanostructure that traps and shapes light.
Two stacked 2D materials act like a 3D crystal
Researchers led by Monash University showed that even simple van der Waals heterostructures can mimic the electronic behaviour of bulk solids. Furthermore, simply pairing two different transition metal dichalcogenides flakes is enough for the 3D electronic structure of the new hybrid system to take form.
ENERGY
Materials informatics aid photocatalyst design for hydrogen production
Researchers from Institute of Science Tokyo and Mitsubishi Materials Corporation used machine learning interatomic potential calculations to identify suitable dopants for the novel photocatalytic material orthorhombic tri-tin tetraoxide. They found aluminum-doped samples achieved 16 times greater hydrogen production than the undoped material.
Self-cleaning coating could boost solar panel efficiency and reduce maintenance
A transparent, water-repellent coating developed by researchers in Scotland, China, and India could make solar panels self-cleaning and improve their power output. The dual-layer coating repels water, dust, and dirt without reducing the amount of light reaching the photovoltaic cells.
OTHER STORIES
Chemical discovery sparks a chain reaction
Researchers led by Flinders University confirmed the discovery of a new chemical reaction. Sulfur–sulfur bonds are found in peptides, proteins, drug molecules, and polymers such as vulcanised rubber. The new “trisulfide metathesis reaction” spontaneously makes and breaks the sulfur–sulfur bonds without reagents or external stimuli.
Novel sensing technology 20 times more responsive, even in liquids
Researchers at The Pennsylvania State University designed a new type of field-effect transistor based on graphene that can facilitate responsive and versatile sensing, even in liquid-rich environments such as the human body.