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Materials Science - Chemistry - 19.09.2023

One-atom-thick ribbons could improve batteries, solar cells and sensors
Researchers at UCL have created one-atom-thick ribbons made of phosphorus alloyed with arsenic that could dramatically improve the efficiency of devices such as batteries, supercapacitors and solar cells. The research team discovered phosphorus nanoribbons in 2019. The "wonder material", predicted to revolutionise devices ranging from batteries to biomedical sensors, has since been used to increase lithium-ion battery lifetimes and solar cell efficiencies.

Materials Science - Physics - 13.09.2023

Pixel-by-pixel analysis yields insights into lithium-ion batteries
In a first, researchers have observed how lithium ions flow through a battery interface, which could help engineers optimize the material's design. By mining data from X-ray images, researchers at MIT, Stanford University, SLAC National Accelerator, and the Toyota Research Institute have made significant new discoveries about the reactivity of lithium iron phosphate, a material used in batteries for electric cars and in other rechargeable batteries.

Physics - Materials Science - 11.09.2023

Nano droplets go skiing at high temperatures
Currently, many (nano)structures are grown in layers, one above the other, but their ordering on the atomic scale is generally far from perfect.  The researchers aim for a better understanding of these processes that can eventually lead to smaller, faster and overall better nanotechnology and have, in a worldwide first observation, discovered pre-solidification in droplet mixture.

Materials Science - Computer Science - 01.09.2023

Global digital volume correlation of large volumes: a sub-volume adaptive meshing approach
Digital Volume Correlation (DVC) is a powerful image analysis technique used in the field of materials science and engineering to study the mechanical behaviour and deformation of complex 3D structures. By comparing voxel intensities in a pair of 3D digital images captured at different states of loading or deformation, DVC allows researchers to track and quantify displacements, strains, and other mechanical properties with high precision and non-invasively.

Physics - Materials Science - 01.09.2023

Peering into Nanofluidic Mysteries One Photon at a Time
EPFL and University of Manchester researchers unlock secrets of nanofluidics using a 2D material and light. A discovery in the field of nanofluidics could shake up our understanding of molecular behavior on the tiniest scales. Research teams at EPFL and the University of Manchester have revealed a previously hidden world by using the newly found fluorescent properties of a graphene-like 2D material, boron nitride.

Physics - Materials Science - 30.08.2023

Graphene: Perfection is futile
The carbon material graphene has excellent electronic properties. But are they also stable enough to be useful in practice? Calculations from TU Wien say: Yes. Nothing in the world is perfect. This is also true in materials research. In computer simulations, one often represents a system in a highly idealized way; for example, one calculates the properties that an absolutely perfect crystal would have.

Materials Science - Innovation - 29.08.2023

Rechargable revolution
The Empa spin-off BTRY wants to revolutionize rechargeable batteries: Their thin-film batteries are not only safer and longer-lasting than conventional lithium-ion batteries, they are also much more environmentally friendly to manufacture and can be charged and discharged in just one minute. For now, the battery is very small, but the founders have big plans for it.

Environment - Materials Science - 28.08.2023

Inspiration from spider webs and beetles to harvest fresh water from thin air
The proposed freshwater generation systems are inexpensive, energy-efficient, and environmentally friendly A team of researchers is designing novel systems to capture water vapour in the air and turn it into liquid. University of Waterloo professor Michael Tam and his PhD students Yi Wang and Weinan Zhao have developed sponges or membranes with a large surface area that continually capture moisture from their surrounding environment.

Materials Science - Chemistry - 22.08.2023

New epoxy resin resists flames and reduces waste
Researchers have developed an epoxy resin that can be repaired and recycled, in addition to being flame-retardant and mechanically strong. Potential applications range from coating for wooden flooring to composites in aerospace and railways. Epoxy resins are tough and versatile polymers. In combination with glass or carbon fibers, they are used, for example, to manufacture components for aircraft, cars, trains, ships and wind turbines.

Materials Science - Transport - 22.08.2023

Kirigami to make ultrastrong, lightweight structures
Produced with techniques borrowed from Japanese paper-cutting, the strong metal lattices are lighter than cork and have customizable mechanical properties. Cellular solids are materials composed of many cells that have been packed together, such as a honeycomb. The shape of those cells largely determines the material's mechanical properties, including its stiffness or strength.

Physics - Materials Science - 17.08.2023

Pairing of electrons in artificial atoms discovered
Researchers from the Department of Physics at Universität Hamburg, observed a quantum state that was theoretically predicted more than 50 years ago by Japanese theoreticians but so far eluded detection. By tailoring an artificial atom on the surface of a superconductor, the researchers succeeded in pairing the electrons of the so-called quantum dot, thereby inducing the smallest possible version of a superconductor.

Physics - Materials Science - 02.08.2023

Sensing and controlling microscopic spin density in materials
By fine-tuning the spin density in some materials, researchers may be able to develop new quantum sensors or quantum simulations. Electronic devices typically use the charge of electrons, but spin - their other degree of freedom - is starting to be exploited. Spin defects make crystalline materials highly useful for quantum-based devices such as ultrasensitive quantum sensors, quantum memory devices, or systems for simulating the physics of quantum effects.

Materials Science - Chemistry - 02.08.2023

True shape of lithium revealed for the first time in UCLA research
Fundamental discovery and new technique could lead to better, safer rechargeable batteries Science + Technology Fundamental discovery and new technique could lead to better, safer rechargeable batteries August 2, 2023 Key takeaways Compared to lithium-ion batteries, lithium-metal batteries carry more power, but can be more dangerous.

Physics - Materials Science - 02.08.2023

Hope for revolutionary high-temperature superconductor lives on
Calculations by TU Vienna show: Newly discovered material LK-99 actually has properties that could be advantageous for superconductivity . LK-99 is the name of the material that is being hotly debated around the world these days: A Korean research group published results at the end of July 2023 suggesting that it could be a superconductor that remains superconducting even at room temperature and normal atmospheric pressure, i.e. conducts electricity completely without electrical resistance.

Physics - Materials Science - 02.08.2023

Hope for revolutionary high-temperature superconductor lives on
Calculations by TU Wien (Vienna) show: Newly discovered material LK-99 indeed has properties that could be advantageous for superconductivity. LK-99 is the name of the material that is being hotly debated around the world these days: A Korean research group published results at the end of July 2023 suggesting that it could be a superconductor even at room temperature and normal atmospheric pressure.

Materials Science - Chemistry - 01.08.2023

Cracking in lithium-ion batteries speeds up electric vehicle charging
Cracks in predominant lithium-ion electrodes shorten battery lifespans, but a neuroscience-inspired technique shows that they have an upside Study: Direct measurements of size-independent lithium diffusion and reaction times in individual polycrystalline battery particles (DOI: 10.1039/D3EE00953J) Rather than being solely detrimental, cracks in the positive electrode of lithium-ion batteries reduce battery charge time, research done at the University of Michigan shows.

Physics - Materials Science - 27.07.2023

Some Alloys Don’t Change Size When Heated. We Now Know Why
Nearly every material, whether it is solid, liquid, or gas, expands when its temperature goes up and contracts when its temperature goes down. This property, called thermal expansion, makes a hot air balloon float, and the phenomenon has been harnessed to create thermostats that automatically turn a home furnace on and off.

Physics - Materials Science - 25.07.2023

A new type of quantum bit in semiconductor nanostructures
Researchers have created a quantum superposition state in a semiconductor nanostructure that might serve as a basis for quantum computing. The trick: two optical laser pulses that act as a single terahertz laser pulse. A German-Chinese research team has successfully created a quantum bit in a semiconductor nanostructure.

Physics - Materials Science - 20.07.2023

Scientists caught Hofstadter’s butterfly in one of the most ancient materials on Earth
Researchers in the National Graphene Institute (NGI) at The University of Manchester have revisited one of the most ancient materials on Earth - graphite, and discovered new physics that has eluded the field for decades. Despite being made entirely of layers of carbon atoms arranged in a honeycomb pattern, natural graphite is not as simple as one may think.

Innovation - Materials Science - 20.07.2023

Minimal energy loss thanks to smart use of branched fluidic networks
Researchers at the University of Twente have developed a theoretical method for designing fluidic networks that has direct applications for scientists and engineers. The optimal diameter of the channels within a branched network is determined using charts, to keep energy loss within the network to a minimum.