[Image above] Credit: ACerS
NANOMATERIALS
Carbon nanotubes to make infrared sensors more compact, economical, and precise
Skoltech researchers devised a way to detect infrared radiation across a wide range without cooling the detector. Their carbon nanotube-based detector operates as a pyroelectric phototransistor, where heat from absorbed light is converted into a control signal.
Graphene nanoribbons discovery could advance electronics for extreme environments
University of Arizona researchers integrated graphene nanoribbons into semiconductor devices and exposed them to gamma radiation. Their results suggest that the ribbons could serve as radiation sensors for fusion reactors and in deep space.
Mapping out the atomic-scale mechanisms that dictate SiC thin film growth
Stony Brook University researchers used high-fidelity computational modeling to map out the atomic-scale mechanisms that dictate how silicon carbide films grow.
ENERGY
Framework to make more climate-informed energy siting choices
Massachusetts Institute of Technology researchers developed a framework to make more climate-informed energy siting choices. The framework combines fine-scale meteorology with detailed simulations of energy infrastructure.
With machine learning, researchers embrace the atomic-scale complexity of batteries
In two recent publications, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory researchers examined how integrating molecular dynamics simulations with physics-informed machine learning can illuminate the relationships between structure and behavior in complex battery materials.
Crystal power: Magnetic field sensors for fusion research
Researchers at Sandia National Laboratories developed a sensor that uses rare earth garnets and laser light to measure the intense magnetic fields needed for fusion research.
Shade-stable perovskite–organic tandem solar cells
Researchers at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University developed perovskite–organic tandem solar cells that not only deliver high power-generation efficiency but also effectively resist the damage caused by negative voltage.
BIOMATERIALS
Magnetic hydrogel could help bones regrow
Scientists from AGH University of Science and Technology and Jagiellonian University found that a collagen-chitosan hydrogel, enriched with superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles, strongly absorbs water, is nontoxic to bone-forming cells, and responds to a static magnetic field. These properties mean the material could serve as a scaffold for bone tissue engineering.
MANUFACTURING
Researchers extend the limits of twistronics
North Carolina State University researchers demonstrated a technique allowing them to fabricate oxide twistronic materials at much larger sizes, while also controlling the twist angles between materials that dictate their structural and electronic properties.
3D-printed bridge points the way to greener construction
Massachusetts Institute of Technology researchers developed a framework that bakes a printer’s real fabrication limits directly into the optimization, so the design that comes out is one a machine can print with little or no manual redesign.
Ireland’s first cement-free, 3D-printed geopolymer
Trinity College Dublin researchers demonstrated how its geopolymer made with a bauxite refining residue could be mixed, pumped, extruded, and printed.
How micro-transfer printing can lead to advanced silicon photonics
In a recent study, researchers showed how micro-transfer printing is a promising approach for realizing heterogeneous integration in silicon photonics. This method allows multiple material systems to be integrated within a single architecture.
OTHER STORIES
Researchers identify class of ‘oddball’ meteorite that killed the dinosaurs
Researchers used advanced nickel isotope analysis of samples to narrow down the composition of the deadly Cretaceous-Palaeogene meteorite. Their analysis suggests that a rare carbonaceous chondrite meteorite of the Ornans class was the probable impactor that struck Earth 66 million years ago.
A tiny universe in a bottle reveals clues to the origins of life
Linda Losurdo, a Ph.D. candidate at the University of Sydney, combined nitrogen, carbon dioxide, and acetylene to simulate the energetic conditions found near stars and supernova remnants. She then exposed the gases to a powerful electrical charge, which created carbon-rich dust resembling material that floats through interstellar space.
Scientists calculate how to preserve ultrashort flashes for observing electrons
Researchers at Skoltech determined how to select the thickness and density of a plasma target so that a pulse passing through it retains its attosecond duration and high intensity. The results will help improve the design of plasma-based sources of ultraviolet and X-ray radiation.