[Image above] Credit: ACerS
NANOMATERIALS
Ferroelectricity emerges at the nanoscale
Berkeley National Laboratory researchers discovered that an ultrathin version of titanium oxide displays ferroelectricity. The fact that this dielectric material can go through a ferroelectric phase transition when thinned to atomic scales opens exciting opportunities for phase transition physics, according to the researchers.
ENERGY
Strides made toward a better low-temperature fuel cell
Researchers led by Washington University in St. Louis developed a new nanostructured carbon featuring porous, hollow carbon spheres with ordered radial nanochannels and ample porosity and surface area. The unique carbon can assemble highly dense and well-dispersed platinum-cobalt intermetallic nanoparticles, thereby enhancing activity and stability.
New module turns sunlight into hydrogen fuel with 31.3% efficiency
Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems researchers created a solar module that couples concentrating photovoltaic cells with proton exchange membrane electrolyzer cells. Their module can convert up to 31.3% of sunlight into hydrogen.
ENVIRONMENT
Cooling ceramic wall combats urban heat
Graz University of Technology researchers created 3D-printed cubes made from highly porous ceramics. Water is absorbed into the porous ceramic by capillary forces and distributed evenly throughout its complex geometry, thus creating a large evaporation surface.
MANUFACTURING
Air-stable, ultrathin superconductors for more scalable quantum devices
Researchers developed a method to generate a large, uniform area of ultrathin superconducting material that remains stable in air. They “grew” niobium diselenide underneath graphene, which simultaneously protects the superconductor from oxidation while guiding it to grow in a smooth layer over a large wafer-scale area.
Rhombohedral graphene grown at scale, opening a path to graphene-based quantum chips
Researchers led by Peking University developed a way to grow rhombohedral-stacked graphene with high purity and at sizes far beyond what was previously achievable, addressing a longstanding obstacle to using the material in quantum computing hardware.
Durability management and planning for concrete in the Hong Kong–Zhuhai–Macau bridge
As the world’s longest sea-crossing project, the Hong Kong–Zhuhai–Macau bridge is designed for a service life of 120 years. To safeguard the structural integrity of this large-scale concrete infrastructure, a dedicated research team has developed an innovative, data-informed framework for intelligent durability management and life-cycle planning.
OTHER STORIES
Physicists create first room-temperature quantum material
Louisiana State University developed the first room-temperature quantum material capable of distinguishing and transporting different quantum states of light. To create it, they deposited a thin film of gold onto a glass chip. Using focused ion beams, they carved hundreds of microscopic slits into the gold, each acting like an artificial atom.
Physicists watch a material’s electrons assemble, and reassemble, into coexisting phases
Massachusetts Institute of Technology physicists shed light on how two different phases of electron behavior can emerge and coexist in the same quantum material. The findings can help explain how some materials host superconductivity, magnetism, and other electronic phases.