The idea of harvesting solar energy in outer space and beaming it back to Earth is a science-fiction concept that in recent decades gained real-world legs. Now, the California Institute of Technology announced that an experiment through its ongoing Space Solar Power Project beamed solar energy collected in space back to Earth for the first time.
Read MoreFirst X-ray of a single atom, protein for sorting rare earth elements, and other materials stories that may be of interest for June 7, 2023.
Read MoreWith the rapid growth of the global mining sector, it is crucial that miners adopt improved regulations and lower-impact methods to reduce the sector’s environmental and social footprint. Ceramics play an important role in environmental remediation, and today’s CTT highlights two studies that use ceramics to treat acid mine drainage.
Read MoreSignificant progress in creating optics with nonuniform (gradient) refractive indices has been made over the past two decades. In 2020, researchers at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign proposed a unique way to use direct laser writing to achieve even greater control over the refractive index. A new open-access paper details refinements to their so-called SCRIBE method.
Read MoreStretching metals at the atomic level, fastest industry standard optical fiber, and other materials stories that may be of interest for May 31, 2023.
Read MoreVerifying the purity of ultrahigh-purity materials can be a challenge. Researchers in Italy and Norway developed a new analytical protocol based on laser ablation paired with inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry to determine the purity of silicon carbide.
Read MoreGroup-III-nitride semiconductors have considerable potential for electronic and optoelectronic applications, but unintended defects tend to form in their structure during fabrication, which may affect the electrical properties. Two researchers at the University of British Columbia detailed the striking contrast between the effects of threading dislocation lines in gallium nitride versus indium nitride.
Read MoreAfter a series of delays, the United Kingdom finally announced its strategy, as well as a new Japanese partnership, for supporting the semiconductor industry. Details of these plans—as well as industry response so far—are given in today’s CTT.
Read MoreCleaner hydrogen energy, lithography-free photonic chips, and other materials stories that may be of interest for May 24, 2023.
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