[Image above] Credit: NIST
NANOMATERIALS
Graphene on silicon carbide can store energy
By introducing defects into the perfect surface of graphene on silicon carbide, researchers have increased the capacity of the material to store electrical charge. This result increases our knowledge of how this ultrathin material can be used.
A new tool for discovering nanoporous materials
EPFL scientists have developed an innovative mathematical method that allows a computer to quantify similarity of pore structures. The method makes it possible to search databases with hundreds of thousands of nanoporous materials to discover new materials with the right pore structure.
Let there be light: Controlled creation of quantum emitter arrays in dichalcogenides
Researchers in the Graphene Flagship working at the University of Cambridge have created large scale arrays of quantum emitters in different transition metal dichalcogenide materials. This new approach leads to large quantities of on-demand, single photon emitters.
New method improves stability of perovskite quantum dots
EPFL scientists have built a new type of inorganic nanocomposite that makes perovskite quantum dot exceptionally stable against air exposure, sunlight, heat, and water. The new approach uses atomic layer deposition to encapsulate perovskite quantum dots with an amorphous alumina matrix, which acts as a gas and ion diffusion barrier.
3-D graphene: Experiment at BESSY II shows that optical properties are tunable
An international research team has for the first time investigated the optical properties of 3-D nanoporous graphene at the BESSY II electron storage ring. The experiments show that plasmonic excitations in this material can be precisely controlled by pore size and by introducing atomic impurities.
Graphene and quantum dots develop CMOS-integrated camera that can see the invisible
The first graphene-based camera has now been developed. It is capable of imaging visible and infrared light at the same time. The camera will be useful for many applications such as night vision, food inspection, fire control, vision under extreme weather conditions, among others.
ENERGY
Feather-light metal cathodes for stable lithium-oxygen batteries
Researchers report a new type of cathode that could make lithium-oxygen batteries a practical option—an ultralight all-metal cathode. The design incorporated three forms of nickel including a nanoporous nickel interior and a gold-nickel alloy surface directly attached to nickel foam.
Nanoalloys ten times as effective as pure platinum in fuel cells
A new type of nanocatalyst can result in the long-awaited commercial breakthrough for fuel cell cars. Research results show that it is possible to significantly reduce the need for platinum, a precious and rare metal, by creating a nanoalloy using a new production technique. The technology is also well suited for mass production.
Printed, flexible, and rechargeable battery can power wearable sensors
Nanoengineers at the University of California San Diego have developed the first printed battery that is flexible, stretchable and rechargeable. The zinc batteries could be used to power everything from wearable sensors to solar cells and other kinds of electronics.
Unexpected property may raise material’s prospects as solar cell
A team led by NIST and University of Nebraska researchers has found the first solid evidence for ferroelasticity of organic/inorganic perovskites, which may provide a new way to improve their long-term stability as solar cells.
Harnessing energy from glass walls
Using perovskites, a Korean research team has developed a semi-transparent solar cell that is highly efficient and functions very effectively as a thermal mirror. The team developed a ‘top transparent electrode’ based on a multilayer stack consisting of a metal film sandwiched between a high refractive index layer and an interfacial buffer layer.
Solar cells more efficient thanks to new material standing on edge
Researchers from Lund University in Sweden and Fudan University in China have successfully designed a new structural organization using the promising solar cell material perovskite. The study shows that solar cells increase in efficiency thanks to the material’s ability to self-organize by standing on edge.
OTHER RESEARCH
Atomistic insights into ferroelectric materials
At first glance, biomedical imaging devices, cell phones, and radio telescopes may not seem to have much in common, but they are all examples of technologies that can benefit from certain types of relaxor ferroelectrics—ceramics that change their shape under the application of an electric field.
Engineers craft microscopic heater-thermometer from fiber optic device
Researchers at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln have developed a laser-heated, silicon-tipped fiber-optic device that can approach 2,000ºF, going from room temperature to 300º in fractions of a second.
Controlling light in dichalcogenides with electric fields
Researchers from North Carolina State University have discovered a technique for controlling light with electric fields. They developed a technique that allows them to change the refractive index for visible light in transition metal dichalcogenide monolayers by 60%—two orders of magnitude better than previous results.
Special X-ray technique allows scientists to see 3-D deformations
Researchers have used an X-ray scattering technique called Bragg coherent diffraction imaging to reconstruct in 3-D the size and shape of grain defects. These defects create imperfections in the lattice of atoms inside a grain that can give rise to interesting material properties and effects.
Wafer-thin magnetic materials developed for future quantum technologies
For the first time, researchers at at the Swiss Nanoscience Institute at the University of Basel and the Paul Scherrer Institute have produced a wafer-thin ferrimagnet, in which molecules with different magnetic centers arrange themselves on a gold surface to form a checkerboard pattern.
A new spin on electronics: Study discovers a ‘miracle material’ for field of spintronics
A University of Utah-led team is first to show that organic-inorganic hybrid perovskites are a promising material class for spintronics. The researchers discovered that the electrons’ spin can be easily controlled and can also maintain the spin direction long enough to transport information, a property known as spin lifetime.