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Physics - Materials Science - 22.05.2023

ToCoTronics Extended
The Collaborative Research Centre ToCoTronics in condensed matter physics will be extended for four more years. The German Research Foundation is funding it with 12 million euros. Topological materials are intensively investigated in the world. This boom started at Julius-Maximilians-Universität (JMU) Würzburg, where the physics professor Laurens Molenkamp realized the first topological insulator in 2007.

Innovation - Materials Science - 19.05.2023

A University spin-out fuelling the battery revolution in the UK
For the first time in the UK, scientists have been able to recover commercial grade lithium carbonate and graphite from black mass; a solid black powder containing a complex mixture of metals and impurities recovered from recycling end-of-life lithium-ion batteries. The UK-first is a major step forward for sustainability in battery technology.

Materials Science - Health - 19.05.2023

Specially coated titanium reduces risk of clots on prostheses
Around 25,000 artificial heart valves are implanted  in Germany per year because the original heart valve is damaged, for example, by an infection. The mechanical heart valves are made of titanium dioxide, among other materials, and last for many years. However, because blood tends to clot on contact with these material surfaces, there is a risk of blood clots forming on the surface of mechanical heart valves.

Materials Science - 19.05.2023

3D printing to strengthen a key material in aerospace, energy-generation applications
The approach could improve the performance of many other materials as well. The materials key to many important applications in aerospace and energy generation must be able to withstand extreme conditions such as high temperatures and tensile stresses without failing. Now a team of MIT-led engineers reports a simple, inexpensive way to strengthen one of the key materials used today in such applications.

Materials Science - Chemistry - 12.05.2023

New glass from the computer
Glass is a very special material: it can be produced in almost unlimited variety from compounds of almost all elements of the periodic table. The only prerequisite is that the components can be melted together and that the melt is then cooled quickly enough. In the process, the liquid mixture solidifies and forms a glass.

Physics - Materials Science - 10.05.2023

Sustainable solar cell material shown to be highly promising for medical imaging
Using X-rays to see inside the human body has revolutionised non-invasive medical diagnostics. However, the dose of X-rays required for imaging is far higher than background levels, due to the poor performance of the detector materials currently available. This can cause harm to patients, and in some cases even cancer.

Physics - Materials Science - 09.05.2023

Closer to next-generation electronics
EPFL engineers have found a way to control the interactions between excitons - quasiparticles that may one day transport data and replace the electrons in electronic devices. The engineers' method involves applying an electric field to a two-dimensional (2D) semiconducting material. Electronic devices have become an essential feature of just about all aspects of modern society.

Environment - Materials Science - 04.05.2023

A breakthrough that makes solar panels better than ever
Solar energy is the cheapest and most accessible form of energy. Now, it will be more efficient than ever. Scientists from a Chinese solar technology company have developed a new type of solar cell that could be a game-changer in the world's transition towards renewable energy. Advanced modelling, performed by researchers at TU Delft, played a pivotal role deep understanding and engineering of the innovation.

Electroengineering - Materials Science - 03.05.2023

Engineers tap into good vibrations to power the Internet of Things
May 3, 2023 New material converts vibrations into electricity  In a world hungry for clean energy, engineers have created a new material that converts the simple mechanical vibrations all around us into electricity to power sensors in everything from pacemakers to spacecraft. The first of its kind and the product of a decade of work by researchers at the University of Waterloo and the University of Toronto, the novel generating system is compact, reliable, low-cost and very, very green.

Physics - Materials Science - 28.04.2023

More power from waste heat
When fossil fuels, but also biofuels, are burned, large amounts of the energy are lost as waste heat. Thermoelectric materials could convert this heat into electricity, but they are not yet efficient enough for technical application. A team from the Max Planck Institut für Eisenforschung has now increased the efficiency of a thermoelectric material by elucidating the influence of the microstructure on the material and optimizing the material's properties by adding titanium.

Materials Science - Life Sciences - 28.04.2023

Deep-learning system explores materials’ interiors from the outside
A new method could provide detailed information about internal structures, voids, and cracks, based solely on data about exterior conditions. Maybe you can't tell a book from its cover, but according to researchers at MIT you may now be able to do the equivalent for materials of all sorts, from an airplane part to a medical implant.

Health - Materials Science - 26.04.2023

New antimicrobial coatings for bacteria-free surfaces
Preventing the transmission of microbial infections is a global issue. This is especially true in environments where bacteria are easily transmitted through contact with contaminated surfaces. A research team led by the University of Freiburg has developed an antimicrobial coating that reduces the bacterial population by a factor of up to 10,000 within minutes .

Materials Science - Physics - 26.04.2023

Nano-architectured materials that respond to light in real time
Biological systems respond to external stimuli such as light, heat, magnetism. Scientists are looking to develop new materials that mimic these abilities for myriad uses in nanoscience, engineering and medicine. Our growing knowledge of the biological world at the tiny scale is opening a new universe for scientists to explore the creation of completely new, responsive materials, with applications in diverse fields from drug delivery to materials science.

Environment - Materials Science - 25.04.2023

Circuit boards from renewable raw materials
Can ecologically sustainable circuit boards for the electronics industry be produced from cellulose fibers? Empa researcher Thomas Geiger looked into this question. He is now part of a multinational EU project called Hypelignum". Its goal: biodegradable electronics. For many years, Thomas Geiger has been conducting research in the field of cellulose fibrils - fine fibers that can be produced from wood pulp or agricultural waste, for example.

Innovation - Materials Science - 25.04.2023

Researchers 3D print a miniature vacuum pump
The device would be a key component of a portable mass spectrometer that could help monitor pollutants, perform medical diagnoses in remote areas, or test Martian soil. Mass spectrometers are extremely precise chemical analyzers that have many applications, from evaluating the safety of drinking water to detecting toxins in a patient's blood.

Materials Science - Microtechnics - 24.04.2023

New programmable smart fabric responds to temperature and electricity
April 24, 2023 Unique smart fabric is the first to change both colour and shape in response to two different stimuli A new smart material developed by researchers at the University of Waterloo is activated by both heat and electricity, making it the first ever to respond to two different stimuli. The unique design paves the way for a wide variety of potential applications, including clothing that warms up while you walk from the car to the office in winter and vehicle bumpers that return to their original shape after a collision.

Chemistry - Materials Science - 24.04.2023

Cryo-imaging lifts the lid on fuel cell catalyst layers
Thanks to a novel combination of cryogenic transmission electron tomography and deep learning, researchers have provided a first look at the nanostructure of platinum catalyst layers, revealing how they could be optimized for fuel cell efficiency. Proton-exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFC), which are being developed for use in electric vehicles, rely on nanoparticles called catalysts to trigger electricity-producing reactions between hydrogen and oxygen.

Life Sciences - Materials Science - 24.04.2023

Nanowire networks learn and remember like a human brain
An international team led by scientists at the University of Sydney has demonstrated nanowire networks can exhibit both shortand long-term memory like the human brain. The research has been published in the journal Science Advances , led by Dr Alon Loeffler, who received his PhD in the School of Physics , with collaborators in Japan.

Chemistry - Materials Science - 24.04.2023

Progress in alternative battery technology
It is not easy to make batteries cheap, efficient, durable, safe and environmentally friendly at the same time. Researchers at ETH Zurich have now succeeded in uniting all of these characteristics in zinc metal batteries. The world needs cheap and powerful batteries that can store sustainably produced electricity from wind or sunlight so that we can use it whenever we need it, even when it's dark outside or there's no wind blowing.

Materials Science - Physics - 19.04.2023

Intelligent membranes with memories make next-generation smart filters
Researchers from the National Graphene Institute (NGI) have made 'intelligent' membranes whose 'memory' can be used in areas like smart separation technology, wound management, drug delivery, sensors and memory devices. "The history of membrane development spans more than 100 years and has led to a revolution in industrial separation processes," says Professor Rahul Raveendran Nair , Carlsberg/Royal Academy of Engineering Research Chair and study team leader.