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Materials Science - Innovation - 25.01.2022

New research centre to develop next-generation battery technologies
A newly-established Cambridge research centre will work to develop next-generation batteries and battery materials, one of the major technological hurdles in the transition to a zero-carbon economy. The WP-Cambridge Materials Innovation Centre (WP-CAMMIC) will be based at Cambridge's Department of Materials Science & Metallurgy (DMSM), supported by £7.2 million from the WP Investment Company (WPIC), a South Korean investment group.

Computer Science - Materials Science - 25.01.2022

Calculating the best shapes for things to come
Maximizing the performance and efficiency of structures-everything from bridges to computer components-can be achieved by design with a new algorithm developed by researchers at the University of Michigan and Northeastern University. It's an advancement likely to benefit a host of industries where costly and time-consuming trial-and-error testing is necessary to determine the optimal design.

Materials Science - Physics - 21.01.2022

Nanobubbles a pathway to better medical devices
Tiny gas bubbles could help reduce drag in small medical devices, university scientists have found. Drag can lead to clogging and damage biological samples, so this discovery could pave the way to more robust devices. Researchers from the University of Sydney Nano Institute and School of Chemistry have revealed that tiny gas bubbles - nanobubbles just 100 billionths of a metre high - form on surfaces in unexpected situations, providing a new way to reduce drag in small-scale devices.

Physics - Materials Science - 21.01.2022

Quantum dots boost perovskite solar cell efficiency and scalability
Scientists at EPFL have boosted the efficiency and scalability of perovskite solar cells by replacing their electron-transport layers with a thin layer of quantum dots. Perovskites are hybrid compounds made from metal halides and organic constituents. They show great potential in a range of applications, e.g. LED lights, lasers, and photodetectors, but their major contribution is in solar cells, where they are poised to overtake the market from their silicon counterparts.

Chemistry - Materials Science - 20.01.2022

Researchers investigate advantages of sulphur-containing cathodes
MEET Battery Research Center of the University of Münster starts a new research project in 2022: In the joint project -AReLiS-2-, lithium-sulfur batteries (LSB) and thus a potential successor to today's lithium ion batteries are being investigated. The focus of the research is on sulfur-containing cathodes as well as polymer, solid-state and hybrid electrolytes.

Physics - Materials Science - 20.01.2022

Impossible material made possible inside a graphene sandwich
Atoms bind together by sharing electrons. The way this happens depends on the atom types but also on conditions such as temperature and pressure. In two-dimensional (2D) materials, such as graphene, atoms join along a plane to form structures just one atom thick, which leads to fascinating properties determined by quantum mechanics.

Materials Science - Health - 17.01.2022

Why are zebra mussels so sticky? Study could lead to new industrial coatings, medical adhesives
A water tank full of coin-sized invertebrates may not be the first thing you'd expect to see in a materials science and engineering research lab. But Eli Sone , a professor in the department of materials science and engineering in the University of Toronto's Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering and the Institute of Biomedical Engineering, and his team have been studying both zebra and quagga mussels for years in the hope that they can help solve a diverse range of challenges.

Materials Science - Chemistry - 11.01.2022

Recycling Already Considered in the Development of New Battery Materials
Enormous ecological and economic potential consists in the circular value chain of batteries: The use of recycled materials not only reduces the costs of raw materials, but also enables energy savings in battery production.

Materials Science - Computer Science - 06.01.2022

Data-frugal Deep Learning Optimizes Microstructure Imaging
Deep learning is often recognized as the magic behind self-driving cars and facial recognition, but what about its ability to safeguard the quality of the materials that make up these advanced devices? Carnegie Mellon University Professor of Materials Science and Engineering Elizabeth Holm and materials science and engineering doctoral candidate Bo Lei have adopted computer vision methods for microstructural images that not only require a fraction of the data deep learning typically relies on, but can save materials researchers an abundance of time and money.

Materials Science - Physics - 23.12.2021

Templating approach stabilises ’ideal’ material for alternative solar cells
Researchers have developed a method to stabilise a promising material known as perovskite for cheap solar cells, without compromising its near-perfect performance. The researchers, from the University of Cambridge, used an organic molecule as a 'template' to guide perovskite films into the desired phase as they form.

Materials Science - Health - 23.12.2021

’Pop-up’ Electronic Sensors Could Detect When Individual Heart Cells Misbehave
Engineers at the University of California San Diego have developed a powerful new tool that monitors the electrical activity inside heart cells, using tiny "pop-up" sensors that poke into cells without damaging them. The device directly measures the movement and speed of electrical signals traveling within a single heart cell—a first—as well as between multiple heart cells.

Physics - Materials Science - 22.12.2021

New materials for quantum technologies
While conventional electronics relies on the transport of electrons, components that convey spin information alone may be many times more energy efficient. Physicists at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) and the Max Planck Institute for Solid State Research in Stuttgart have now made an important advance in the development of novel materials for such components.

Physics - Materials Science - 22.12.2021

Semiconductors reach the quantum world
Quantum effects in superconductors could give semiconductor technology a new twist. Researchers at the Paul Scherrer Institute PSI and Cornell University in New York State have identified a composite material that could integrate quantum devices into semiconductor technology, making electronic components significantly more powerful.

Materials Science - Environment - 21.12.2021

Spray-on coating could make solar panels snow-resistant
In an advance that could dramatically improve the productivity of solar panels in cold climates, a University of Michigan-led team has demonstrated an inexpensive, clear coating that reduced snow and ice accumulation on solar panels, enabling them to generate up to 85% more energy in early testing. The coating is made chiefly of PVC or PDMS plastic and silicon or vegetable-based oils.

Materials Science - 21.12.2021

How a floating fern withstands the rain
The tropical floating fern Salvinia molesta has developed sophisticated structures to allow water to roll off its leaves quickly - even during heavy rainfall. This relieves the pressure on the leaves floating on the water surface, but even more importantly, it keeps the stomata open for air exchange.

Materials Science - Innovation - 20.12.2021

Shellac for printed circuits
Intelligent packaging with sensors that monitor goods, such as vegetables, on long transport routes is a trend for the future. Yet printed and disposable electronics also cause problems: Metals in printing inks are expensive - and disposing of them in an environmentally sound manner is costly and exacerbates the problem of electronic waste.

Materials Science - Physics - 20.12.2021

’Wonder material’ phosphorene nanoribbons live up to hype in first demonstration
Phosphorene nanoribbons have been incorporated into new types of solar cells, dramatically improving the cells' efficiency, in a new study led by UCL and Imperial College London researchers. Phosphorene nanoribbons (PNRs) are ribbon-like strands of the 2D material phosphorous, which, similar to graphene, are made of single-atom-thick layers of atoms.

Materials Science - Physics - 20.12.2021

Nuclear ’shadow corrosion’ reproduced in the lab, paving way to longer fuel life
Now that it's understood, researchers are on their way to preventing this type of degradation in nuclear power plants Solutions to a 55-year-old problem in boiling water reactors-which represent a third of nuclear power reactors in the United States-are on the way now that the problem has been emulated with ion beams.

Materials Science - 15.12.2021

New approach to predicting battery failure could help maintain electricity for millions around the world
The new method of predicting battery failure is 15 - 20% more accurate than current approaches. Millions of people around the world lack access to electricity. Decentralised solar-battery systems are key for addressing this whilst avoiding carbon emissions and air pollution, but are hindered by relatively high costs and rural locations that inhibit timely preventative maintenance.

Innovation - Materials Science - 02.12.2021

Research Team Proposes New Approach for Next-Generation Memories with RRAM Energy-Storage Breakthrough
In-memory energy is a supplemental feature to in-memory computing, which is a key focus in CEA-Leti's roadmap. It can reduce energy use dramatically because RRAM-based batteries are highly scalable and dynamically allocable, and they can be placed next to memory blocks, which are near the processor. Locating the energy supply close to the processor is especially helpful when the processor requires peak power, which typically comes from an external source.