[Image above] Credit: ACerS
NANOMATERIALS
Discovery of ‘slow’ electrons in 2D material could lead to new memory device
Researchers at the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering discovered Fe5GeTe2 exhibits a charge-ordered state in which electrons move collectively and unusually slowly while remaining quantum coherent.
Graphene nanowrinkles can reshape electricity
Rice University researchers showed that tiny wrinkles in graphene can change the material’s electrical properties. This discovery provides evidence for flexoelectricity, a phenomenon in which a material generates an electric charge when it bends unevenly.
Scientists develop innovative hybrid material for hydrogen peroxide production
Researchers led by Argonne National Laboratory developed a 200-nm-thick layered stack that can efficiently produce hydrogen peroxide. The layers consist of the synthetic semiconducting material bismuth oxychloride and a light-absorbing biological material derived from salt-loving microorganisms called archaea.
ENERGY
AI plus chemistry can expand battery electrolyte design
Cornell University researchers developed IonNet, an artificial intelligence framework that predicts how well lithium ions move through solid materials using only their chemical composition.created a more stable interface between different layers of the solar cells.
Perovskite tandem solar cells achieve over 29% efficiency with simple salt tweak
Researchers led by Kaunas University of Technology created a more stable interface between the layers of perovskite tandem solar cells by altering the molecular group responsible for bonding with the metal oxide layer. Instead of its conventional acidic form, they turned it into an ionic salt, which allowed the cells to achieve a power conversion efficiency of more than 29%.
Researchers uncover hidden pore network within nuclear fuel
Researchers at Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Idaho National Laboratory led one of the most detailed 3D studies of irradiated U-10Zr to date. They found that porosity increased modestly from the center of the fuel toward the fuel edge, but pore density jumped by more than two orders of magnitude at the fuel’s edge by the cladding.
Designing fuzzy graphene-supported catalysts for efficient oxygen reduction
Researchers showed that 3D fuzzy graphene can tune Fe–N4 catalyst sites in iron phthalocyanine, enabling efficient oxygen reduction reactions.
ENVIRONMENT
How cement plants can remove CO2 from the atmosphere
Researchers at ETH Zürich and Heirloom Carbon Technologies showed that the climate impact of cement production could be significantly reduced by combining cement plants with direct air capture technology based on calcium looping.
MANUFACTURING
Thin fibers of glass shine a light on big potential
Clemson University researchers are working with collaborators to develop glass fibers that are only a fraction of the width of a human hair. The research is in the early stages, but in the long term, the fibers could help make lasers shorter and more compact.
Inspired by butterflies: Smart propulsion for robots of the future
Researchers at the University of Stuttgart and Max Planck Institute for Solid State Research developed ceramic microrolls that can be unrolled and rolled up in a controlled manner using a magnet. These smart materials enable the development of more efficient drive technologies for micro- and soft robotics.
Self-repairing coating could help improve aircraft engine durability
Concordia University researchers developed coatings made from cobalt and chromium oxides that mimic the chemistry of naturally occurring oxide layers known as glaze layers. Not only does this new coating improve wear and friction on engine simulated conditions, but it can self-repair cracks caused by metal expansion in extreme heat.
OTHER STORIES
Copper’s surprising melting behavior at extreme temperatures
Researchers at SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory captured an exquisitely detailed, step-by-step look at copper atoms as they underwent extreme thermal heating. The results revealed a key parameter that allowed copper’s crystal lattice to melt steadily, rather than collapse instantaneously as predicted by simulations.
Atomic stacking emerges as new design principle for 3D quantum materials
Researchers at the High Magnetic Field Laboratory of the Chinese Academy of Sciences demonstrated that coordinated interlayer sliding and intralayer atomic reconstruction can reorganize layered crystals into adaptive heterophase superlattices and generate distinct superconducting states without changing chemical composition or stoichiometry.
Neuromorphic neuron chip uses noise to process motion and speech
Researchers at Korea Advanced Institute of Science & Technology developed a new artificial neuron technology by utilizing noise generated in semiconductors. Because a single semiconductor neuron can handle slow signals such as human motion as well as fast signals such as speech, it could be used for low-power brain-mimicking devices.
Melting diamond could unlock triple fusion gain and the secrets of ice-giant planets
Researchers at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory documented how diamond melts under pressures three times greater than the conditions at the Earth’s core. Applying the findings to inertial confinement fusion could triple energy gain, and the new understanding of diamond’s high-pressure phases could reshape models of planetary interiors.