[Image above] Credit: ACerS
NANOMATERIALS
Significant increase in electrical conductivity of carbon nanotube fibers
Spanish researchers demonstrated a scalable manufacturing process for carbon nanotube fibers with electrical conductivity comparable to that of copper and aluminium. The key was doping the fibers with tetrachloroaluminate.
Casimir forces in twisted anisotropic gratings: A path to self-tuning nanophotonic systems
Researchers from Skoltech and Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology investigated how the Casimir effect can be used to precisely control the angular orientation of nanostructures. They found that once two chiral gratings are brought sufficiently close together, they “know” which orientation to adopt and do so autonomously under the action of the Casimir torque.
The hidden atomic gap that could break next-generation computer chips
Vienna University of Technology researchers discovered that many promising 2D materials lose their advantages because an invisible atomic-scale gap forms when they are combined with insulating layers. That tiny gap weakens electronic performance and could prevent further miniaturization.
ENERGY
New ultra stainless steel for green hydrogen production
Researchers at the University of Hong Kong developed a new “super steel” that can survive the harsh conditions needed to make green hydrogen from seawater. The material uses an unexpected double-protection mechanism that resists corrosion far better than conventional stainless steel.
ENVIRONMENT
In India, few are tracking birds colliding with glass in buildings
Bird deaths from collisions with glass structures are a global problem. But in India, conservationists are just beginning to learn the scale of the issue, reports Mongabay India’s Kartik Chandramouli.
Scientist put sensors on sharks to help improve climate forecasts
Researchers showed that temperature and depth data gathered by tagged sharks can enhance ocean forecast accuracy in the Atlantic.
MANUFACTURING
Maskless laser printing breakthrough for next-generation semiconductor packaging
An international group of researchers developed an “all-surface” 3D laser patterning technique to directly draw highly conductive carbon circuitry on transparent glass, overcoming conventional 2D lithography limits for advanced semiconductor packaging.
OTHER STORIES
Photon’s state teleported between distant quantum dots
An international team of researchers, including Paderborn University, successfully teleported the polarization state of a single photon from one quantum dot to another that was physically separated by a 270-meter open-air link.