[Image above] Credit: ACerS
NANOMATERIALS
Nanoscale engineering stabilizes resonators across wide temperature swings(opens in new tab)
By engineering the elastic response of layered ferroelectric oxides at the nanoscale, researchers at the University of Michigan and the University of Florida explored whether a CMOS-compatible resonator could maintain stable performance as temperatures shift across an exceptionally wide range.
Researchers reported a ferroelectric phase in a gallium oxide film only about six angstroms thick. The reported switching voltage for the film is approximately 0.8 V, which is a level aligned with the operating requirements of modern chip technologies.
National Graphene Institute researchers showed that naturally occurring channels within a common clay mineral can respond to pressure, voltage, and pH, offering possibilities for controlling the movement of ions through extremely small, confined spaces.
ENERGY
Quantum sensors improve nuclear monitoring(opens in new tab)
Researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology measured the confounding X-ray emissions from plutonium, uranium, and neptunium with unprecedented accuracy using ultrasensitive quantum sensors. This achievement allows scientists to filter out the X-ray background noise so they can more precisely evaluate the accumulation of nuclear materials.
Underwater solar cells that function 10 meters below the ocean’s surface(opens in new tab)
Researchers in China found that solar cells could generate 324 mWh of energy (enough to charge lithium-ion batteries) when submerged for two hours and could operate continuously at the 10-meter depth for about 5.5 years.
Tiny nanolaser could cut computer energy use in half(opens in new tab)
Resaerchers at Technical University of Denmark created an ultrasmall nanolaser that could allow microchips to transmit information with light instead of electricity, potentially making computers faster while cutting energy use roughly in half.
MANUFACTURING
Brilliant white material without a drop of pigment(opens in new tab)
Researchers at Kyoto University, Tokyo Metropolitan University, and Donghua University created a foam-based material that produces intense whiteness and water repellency without titanium dioxide pigments or PFAS chemicals. The material uses tiny pores to scatter light while its rough surface repels water.
End-of-life PV silicon turned into high-value silicon nitride(opens in new tab)
Researchers from Korea Institute of Energy Research and Chungnam National University developed a method to upcycle silicon recovered from end-of-life photovoltaic modules into silicon nitride. They are working with Wonkwang S&T to develop mobile PV recycling technology that can process end-of-life modules closer to where they are generated.
OTHER STORIES
Physicists take Hall effect in a new direction(opens in new tab)
Carnegie Mellon University researchers showed that the Hall effect can work when the magnetic field is in-plane. This finding contrasts the conventional belief that the Hall effect only works when the magnetic field is applied perpendicular to the plane of the film.
Lightweight dual-model AI agent for materials research(opens in new tab)
Chinese researchers unveiled a lightweight dual-model collaborative artificial intelligence agent for materials research. The agent, named MatBrain, improves comprehensive prediction accuracy in materials science by 66% over large models while cutting hardware deployment costs by 95%.
Magnetic method tells authentic artifacts from fakes(opens in new tab)
Researchers at the University of California, San Diego’s Scripps Institution of Oceanography found a way to distinguish the magnetism that clay materials acquire over time from the magnetism those materials acquired the day they were made. The method can be used to determine the authenticity of clay artifacts in museums all over the world.
Giant 6,000-year-old pottery kiln in Romania sets a prehistoric size record(opens in new tab)
Archaeologists excavating a Chalcolithic settlement in north-eastern Romania uncovered an unusually large pottery kiln built around the end of the fifth millennium BCE. This kiln may mark an important step toward specialized ceramic production in prehistoric Europe.