[Image above] Credit: ACerS
NANOMATERIALS
Tiny wrinkles bend physics to change how electricity moves through graphene(opens in new tab)
Researchers led by The Pennsylvania State University showed that small bends in graphene’s structure can change its electrical properties. The sharpness of the wrinkle turned out to be much more important than its overall size.
KAIST technology advances into high-performance graphene fiber research(opens in new tab)
KAIST researchers published a commentary highlighting recent advances in high-performance graphene fibers based on graphene oxide liquid crystals and how to address remaining limitations.
ENERGY
Real-time AI monitoring for an advanced nuclear reactor component(opens in new tab)
Argonne National Laboratory researchers are using artificial intelligence to spot hidden clogs in a nuclear reactor’s heat exchanger. This technology could help molten-salt-cooled reactors run smoothly and reduce expensive interruptions.
ENVIRONMENT
HDOT launches hybrid reef project to protect Hawai‘i’s coastal highways(opens in new tab)
To help protect Hawaiʻi’s coastal highways from erosion and rising seas, the Hawaiʻi Department of Transportation launched the Kalaeloa Hybrid Reef Project. Developed by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency and the University of Hawaiʻi, the hybrid reef system integrates engineered reef structures with living coral to reduce wave energy and strengthen shorelines.
MANUFACTURING
Using sound waves to turn iron and water directly into magnetic nanoparticles(opens in new tab)
Researchers at Tohoku University found a way to compress the process of metal reacting with water to form oxide, taking mere hours and using nothing more than ultrasound. At 43 kHz over 24 hours, the estimated conversion of iron to spinel-type iron oxide reached 36.1% at 30°C, 68.5% at 40°C, and 63.7% at 60°C.
OTHER STORIES
A new close-up view of electrons inside semiconductors(opens in new tab)
Researchers led by Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory developed a powerful new methodology that combines direct imaging of electrons and defects in 2D semiconductors with theory-driven simulations that predict electron behavior and explain why it occurs.
Chemists overturn 40-year assumption about a key class of superconductor(opens in new tab)
University of Warwick researchers showed that cuprate, a material treated for 40 years as a uniform, textbook superconductor, is in fact a patchwork of different crystal structures throughout its bulk.
Scientists find that ‘perfect’ systems may be surprisingly fragile(opens in new tab)
Northwestern University researchers created a mathematical framework designed to determine when variation can make a network more stable. Their results suggest that many physical, engineered, and biological systems can become more resilient when their components, or the connections between them, are not identical.
A film thinner than a human hair blocks electromagnetic waves and hides heat(opens in new tab)
Researchers at Korea Institute of Materials Science and Korea Institute of Science and Technology develop an ultrathin composite film that combines electromagnetic interference shielding, infrared stealth, and high mechanical strength. They achieved these properties by combining carbon nanotube fibers and MXene in a brick-and-mortar structure.