A University of Minnesota Twin Cities team has, for the first time, synthesized a thin film of a unique topological semimetal material that has the potential to generate more computing power and memory storage while using significantly less energy.
Greeshma Gadikota, an associate professor of civil and environmental engineering in Cornell Engineering, will lead an effort to decarbonize the concrete industry by harnessing carbon dioxide-capture and mineralization technologies to produce low-carbon construction materials. The $4 million project, part of President Joe Biden’s Clean Energy Plan, will be funded by the U.S. Department of Energy.
Recent research sheds light on the mechanism behind how quantum materials change from an electrical conductor to an electric insulator. Below a critical temperature, strontium doped lanthanum strontium nickel oxide is an insulator due the separation of introduced holes from the magnetic regions, forming “stripes.” These stripes fluctuate and melt at 240K, at which temperature the material should become a conducting metal. Instead, it remains an insulator. This is because of certain atomic vibrations that trap electrons and impede electrical conduction.
Researchers at SLAC and Stanford found a way to make thin films of an exciting new nickel oxide superconductor that are free of extended defects. This improved the material’s ability to conduct electricity with no loss and revealed that it’s more like superconducting cuprates than previously thought.
Case Western Reserve University chemical engineer Rohan Akolkar is leading a research team working to develop a new zero-carbon, electrochemical process to produce iron metal from ore. If successful, the project could be a first step toward eliminating harmful greenhouse gas emissions by eventually replacing century-old, blast-furnace ironmaking with a new electrolytic-iron production process.
A team from Ames National Laboratory conducted an in-depth investigation of the magnetism of TbMn6Sn6, a Kagome layered topological magnet. They were surprised to find that the magnetic spin reorientation in TbMn6Sn6 occurs by generating increasing numbers of magnetically isotropic ions as the temperature increases.
Phase change memory is a type of nonvolatile memory that harnesses a phase change material's (PCM) ability to shift from an amorphous state, i.e., where atoms are disorganized, to a crystalline state, i.e., where atoms are tightly packed close together.
An international research team involving scientists from the University of Vienna, the Faculty of Physics of the University of Warsaw and Univeristy of Edinburgh has described the process of growing three-dimensional manganese dendrites.
The peptide-guided treatment builds new mineral microlayers that penetrate deep into the tooth to create effective, long-lasting natural protection. The ultimate goal is to provide easily accessible relief for the millions of adults worldwide who suffer from tooth sensitivity.
A team led by researchers at the University of Washington has developed new bioplastics that degrade on the same timescale as a banana peel in a backyard compost bin.
Materials science pioneer Shirley Meng has been selected as the recipient of the 2023 Battery Division Research Award by The Electrochemical Society. The recognition honors Meng's innovative research on interfacial science, which has paved the way for improved battery technologies.
The University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH), a part of the University of Alabama System, announced that UAH chemical engineering students recently won a number of awards at the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE) Southern Student Regional Conference.The ChemE Car Team won fifth place in the competition and advanced to the national round that will be held in fall 2023.
Researchers from the National University of Singapore drew inspiration from the spider silk spinning process to fabricate strong, stretchable, and electrically conductive soft fibres. Their novel technique overcomes the challenges of conventional methods, which require complex conditions and systems. Such soft and recyclable fibres have a wide range of potential applications, such as a strain-sensing glove for gaming or a smart mask for monitoring breathing status for conditions such as obstructive sleep apnea.
Researchers have now pioneered a machine learning-based simulation method that supersedes traditional electronic structure simulation techniques. Their Materials Learning Algorithms (MALA) software stack enables access to previously unattainable length scales.
In research that could lead to a new age in illumination, researchers from Japan and Germany have developed an eco-friendly light-emitting electrochemical cells using new molecules called dendrimers combined with biomass derived electrolytes and graphene-based electrodes.
Using a combination of high-powered X-rays, phase-retrieval algorithms and machine learning, Cornell researchers revealed the intricate nanotextures in thin-film materials, offering scientists a new, streamlined approach to analyzing potential candidates for quantum computing and microelectronics, among other applications.
Solid electrolytes with high lithium-ion conductivity can be designed for millimeter-thick battery electrodes by increasing the complexity of their composite superionic crystals, report researchers from Tokyo Tech.
MIT team worked with fermions in the form of potassium-40 atoms, and under conditions that simulate the behavior of electrons in certain superconducting materials.
Quantum information processors that operate with ternary logic (qutrits) offer significant potential advantages in quantum simulation and error correction, as well as the ability to improve specific quantum algorithms and applications. Building on previous R&D with qutrits at the Advanced Quantum Testbed (AQT), the paper's experimental team, led by a promising UC Berkeley graduate student, successfully entangled two transmon qutrits with gate fidelities significantly higher than in previously reported works.
Khalil Amine, a researcher in PSE’s Chemical Sciences and Engineering Division (CSE), was recently elected as a Fellow of the European Academy of the Sciences. This article highlights this Fellowship and Amine’s research in CSE.
Electrochemical engineer Rohan Akolkar from Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio—whose pioneering research has applications in nano-material fabrication, energy storage, electrometallurgy and sensors—has been selected as the 2023 winner of an international award from The Electrochemical Society (ECS).
The Laboratory Directed Research and Development project is aimed at increasing knowledge about greener reduction processes to help accelerate and achieve CO2-free production of metals.
With the year-long shutdown underway, the Advanced Photon Source Upgrade project is in the midst of building seven new beamlines, constructing the infrastructure for two more, and updating several more existing beamlines. Robert Winarski is coordinating all of this work, and his background as a scientist who has constructed beamlines is key to his success.
The Illinois Materials Research Science and Engineering Center, or MRSEC, at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign has been funded for an additional six years at $18M. The center’s interdisciplinary research will continue with two new focuses at the cutting edge of materials science, and outreach and education activities will continue work to develop a STEM pipeline and foster community among researchers, students and the public.
Is it possible to 3D print biodegradable sensors and displays? Researchers from Empa's Cellulose & Wood Materials laboratory have developed a cellulose-based material that allows just that. The mixture of hydroxpropyl cellulose with water, carbon nanotubes and cellulose nanofibrils changes color when heated or stretched – without the addition of any pigments.
Through international joint research between Korea and Germany, the joint research team consisting of the Korea Institute of Machinery and Materials (KIMM), K-Lab and Germany’s Fraunhofer Gesellschaft and BBW Lasertechnik GmbH developed a new 2D on-the-fly composite equipment by applying a scanner that allows for laser welding and cutting of materials for bipolar plates for fuel cells with thickness of 0.075mm.
Until now, researchers have been unable to model how deceptively simple tubular structures —called chemical gardens — work and the patterns and rules that govern their formation.
Scientists directly observed a pair-density wave (PDW) in an iron-based superconducting material with no magnetic field present. This state of matter, which is characterized by coupled pairs of electrons that are constantly in motion, had been thought to only arise when a superconductor is placed within a large magnetic field. This exciting result opens new potential avenues of research and discovery for superconductivity.
Physicists from the National University of Singapore (NUS) have developed an innovative method of converting human hair waste into a functional material that can be used to encrypt sensitive information or detect environmental pollutants.
In recent years, scientists have been studying special materials called topological materials, with special attention paid to the shape, i.e., topology, of their electronic structures (electronic bands). Although it is not visible in real space, their unusual shape in topological materials produces various unique properties that can be suitable for making next-generation devices.
Shear band formation is not typically a good sign in a material — the bands often appear before a material fractures or fails. But materials science and engineering researchers at the University of Wisconsin–Madison have found that shear bands aren’t always a negative; under the right conditions, they can improve the ductility, or the plasticity, of a material.
Most robotic grippers are made using either soft plastics - to pick up objects without damaging them – that melt at high temperatures, or metals which are stiff and costly. A team of researchers from the National University of Singapore and Northeast Forest University, have created a wooden robotic gripper that could be used in a very hot environment and yet maintain a tender touch. This innovative wooden robotic gripper also has another advantage – it is driven by changes in moisture, temperature and lighting in the environment, hence lowering energy consumption.
Supramolecular polymers are a new class of polymers that are currently being evaluated for material applications. These interesting compounds also play an important role in cellular activities in the body.
A team led by scientists and engineers at the University of Washington has announced a significant advancement in quantum computing. They have detected signatures of “fractional quantum anomalous Hall” (FQAH) states, promising step in constructing a type of fault-tolerant qubit.
Creating energy the way the sun and stars do — through nuclear fusion — is one of the grand challenges facing science and technology. What’s easy for the sun and its billions of relatives turns out to be particularly difficult on Earth.
On Earth, scientists must generate, confine and sustain a superhot gas called plasma — heated to 10 times the temperature of the center of the sun — to cause a fusion reaction. Although terrestrial plasmas can be confined magnetically, what materials can withstand near such high temperatures and the relentless impact of energetic neutrons? That question is central to the development of economical fusion power plants to provide abundant and carbon-free energy.
Scientists at the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory have been working with Japanese scientists under the Japan-U.S. Fusion Cooperation Program for decades to determine the answer.
Fascination surrounding spaceflight and rockets is at an all-time high. Sites near launchpads draw crowds of spectators, eager to witness the flash of fire and feel the vibrations as the rumble of the motor becomes a roar. People, squinting and craning their necks to watch the rocket hurtle out of sight, aren’t likely thinking about the science behind the propulsion that makes it all possible.
Adhesive tape fulfills many purposes, from quickly fixing household appliances to ensuring a reliable seal on a mailed package. When using tape with a strong bond, removing it may only be possible by scraping and prying at the tape's corners, hoping desperately that surface pieces don’t tear away with the tape.
A recently installed 3D ceramics printer offers Penn State materials researchers advanced capabilities to easily produce high-resolution ceramic parts and other innovative ceramics for cutting-edge materials research at a lower cost than sourcing them.
Scientists from the National University of Singapore and A*STAR’s Institute of Materials Research and Engineering have invented a paper-like, battery-free, AI-enabled sensor patch – PETAL - for convenient and effective monitoring of wound recovery. This novel technology provides early warning of complications to improve wound care. The paper-like, battery-free PETAL sensor patch uses five colorimetric sensors to measure biomarkers in the wound within 15 mins. A proprietary AI algorithm quickly analyses the digital image of the sensor patch to determine wound healing status with an accuracy rate of 97%.
Researchers from Empa and Imperial College London are developing a heat-resistant drone that can analyze the source of danger at close range in the event of a building or forest fire. This allows firefighters to optimize the strategy of a high-risk operation before entering the danger zone.
When it comes to the environmental impacts of cars, much ink has been spilled on tailpipe emissions. But there’s another environmental threat from cars you might not think about: microplastic pollution.
To unveil the previously elusive behavior and stability of complex metal compounds found in aqueous solutions called 'POMs', researchers at the University of Vienna have created a speciation atlas now published in Science Advances. This achievement has the potential to drive new discoveries and advancements in fields like catalysis, medicine, and beyond.
Batteries come in many shapes and sizes, but their materials can be hard to source. SLAC researchers are trying to build them with more abundant and ethically mined elements.
Researchers at Florida State University and the FAMU-FSU College of Engineering are helping build the solar cells of tomorrow by examining how a next-generation material can operate efficiently under real-world conditions that include baking temperatures and hours of sunlight.
A research team led by Dr. Ji-Hoon Lee of the Department of Hydrogen Energy Material at the Korea Institute of Materials Science (KIMS) developed a three-dimensional porous carbon-based current collector material and applied it to secondary batteries and supercapacitors to improve energy density and lifespan at the same time with Prof.