news 2024

Researchers at Leipzig University and Ulm University have developed a new method to isolate HIV from samples more easily, potentially making it easier to detect infection with the virus. They focus on peptide nanofibrils (PNFs) on magnetic microparticles, a promising tool and hybrid material for targeted binding and separation of viral particles.

Materials engineers have spent decades trying to make stronger metals by making their constituent crystals - their grains - smaller. And we mean small: to the nanoscale. That's because the smaller the grain, generally the stronger, tougher and lightweight the metal can be, while less energy is consumed and emitted when it's used in structural applications.

By capturing a rare glimpse into three-dimensional crack formation in brittle solids, researchers have found that complex cracks require more energy to advance than simple ones; a discovery that could improve materials testing and development. The last time you dropped a favorite mug or sat on your glasses, you may have been too preoccupied to take much notice of the intricate pattern of cracks that appeared in the broken object.

Experimental and theoretical physicists at the Würzburg Institute for Topological Insulators have identified an unusual quantum Hall effect in a mercury telluride device as the signature of the parity anomaly . Topological insulators are materials that can conduct electricity, but only on their surface or edges.

Using only a single electron microscope image, researchers at TU Graz can determine the type and exact position of so-called guest atoms in high-tech materials. They also come closer to solving the mystery of the blue colour of aquamarine. In addition to their main components, the properties of crystalline and nanoporous materials often depend crucially on guest atoms or ions that are embedded in the tiny pores of their lattice structure.

In a joint project between MedUni Vienna and TU Wien, the world's first 3D-printed "brain phantom" has been developed, which is modelled on the structure of brain fibres and can be imaged using a special variant of magnetic resonance imaging (dMRI). As a scientific team led by MedUni Vienna and TU Wien has now shown in a study, these brain models can be used to advance research into neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and multiple sclerosis.

MIT researchers show that using the right metals could alleviate the corrosion problem in these promising new reactor designs. Most discussions of how to avert climate change focus on solar and wind generation as key to the transition to a future carbon-free power system. But Michael Short, the Class of '42 Associate Professor of Nuclear Science and Engineering at MIT and associate director of the MIT Plasma Science and Fusion Center (PSFC), is impatient with such talk.

Study: Large-Scale Modular and Uniformly Thick Origami-Inspired Adaptable and Load-Carrying Structures (DOI: 10.1038/s41467'024 -46667-0) For the first time, load-bearing structures like bridges and shelters can be made with origami modules-versatile components that can fold compactly and adapt into different shapes-University of Michigan engineers have demonstrated.

An international research team, with the participation of the University of Valencia, has managed to multiply the luminescence efficiency of upconversion nanomaterials, a light absorption and emissio

Research team discovers universal mechanism that leads to adhesion hysteresis in soft materials Adhesive tape or sticky notes are easy to attach to a surface, but are difficult to remove. This phenomenon, known as adhesion hysteresis, can be fundamentally observed in soft, elastic materials: Adhesive contact is formed more easily than it is broken.

Paper printed on one side starts to curl with a delay of up to a few days. Researchers at TU Graz have discovered that this is due to solvents in the ink that over time migrate towards the unprinted side of the paper. Although mankind has been using paper for at least 2000 years, it still presents us with one or two mysteries.

Is it possible to convert CO2 back to fuels or other useful chemicals? Absolutely - but not in a very targeted way just yet. Empa researcher Alessandro Senocrate is looking at defects in materials that will help us achieve this goal. Can we undo the burning of oil, gas and coal? With a renewable source of electricity, some water and a suitable catalyst, the excess CO2 in the atmosphere could become a resource, for example for the production of synthetic fuels, so-called synfuels.

Breakthrough in materials research: A team from the Würzburg-Dresden Cluster of Excellence ct.qmat has developed an innovative protective film for 2D quantum materials that could play a key role in shaping the future of electronics. As silicon-based computer chips approach their physical limitations in the quest for faster and smaller designs, the search for alternative materials that remain functional at atomic scales is one of science's biggest challenges.

Researchers have recovered the precious metal from electronic waste. Their highly sustainable new method is based on a protein fibril sponge, which the scientists derive from whey, a food industry byproduct. Transforming base materials into gold was one of the elusive goals of the alchemists of yore.

The work will help researchers tune surface properties of perovskites, a promising alternative and supplement to silicon, for more efficient photovoltaics. Perovskites, a broad class of compounds with a particular kind of crystal structure, have long been seen as a promising alternative or supplement to today's silicon or cadmium telluride solar panels.

Early hunter-gatherers from the Middle Stone Age in southern Africa were selecting the most suitable material available for stone tools and spearheads more than 60,000 years ago, according to a study by Dr. Patrick Schmidt from the University of Tübingen's Early Prehistory and Quaternary Ecology section.

The material delays the formation of ice crystals and reduces the adhesion of ice layers. Thanks to an innovative production method, the coating is very robust and adheres to numerous surfaces. Ice-repellent coatings have been around for some time, but until now they have been very sensitive and detach quite quickly from the surfaces they are meant to protect.

An exotic electronic state observed by MIT physicists could enable more robust forms of quantum computing. The electron is the basic unit of electricity, as it carries a single negative charge. This is what we're taught in high school physics, and it is overwhelmingly the case in most materials in nature.

Researchers from Oxford University's Department of Physics have developed a method to integrate hurricane-like magnetic whirls with silicon, which could enable a new generation of green and super-fast computing platforms. Image credit: Anna Bliokh, Getty Images. Researchers from Oxford University's Department of Physics have made a breakthrough in creating and designing magnetic whirls in membranes that can be seamlessly integrated with silicon.

Delft researchers are developing batteries that can charge faster, offer more stable storage and are made of sustainable materials that are widely available. In doing so, they offer a cheaper alternative to lithium-ion batteries that consist of rare materials and have a high CO2-footprint. A paper was recently published in Nature Energy by Marnix Wagemaker and Alexandros Vasileiadis in collaboration with researchers from the Chinese Academy of Sciences, on fast-charging Na-ion batteries and improvements made to the negative electrode.