Blog
- 20/05/2021 Can room-temperature superconductors work without extreme pressure? Physicists aim to make practical materials that conduct electricity with zero resistance
- 18/05/2021 Electromagnetic levitation whips nanomaterials into shape To deliver reliable mechanical and electric properties, nanomaterials must have consistent, predictable shapes and surfaces, as well as scalable production techniques. Engineers are solving this problem by vaporizing metals within a magnetic field to direct the reassembly of metal atoms into predictable shapes.
- 13/05/2021 Plasmon-assisted click reaction reverses typical relationship between temperature and reaction rate Researchers in Czechia have observed an unprecedented inverse relationship between temperature and reaction rate for a plasmon-assisted azide–alkyne cycloaddition, achieving a ten-fold increase in efficiency when they cooled the reaction from room temperature to −35°C.
- 11/05/2021 Muon magnetism could hint at a breakdown of physics’ standard model A highly anticipated measurement strengthens the case that muons behave unexpectedly
- 06/05/2021 Researchers use a nanoscale synthetic antiferromagnet to toggle nonlinear spin dynamics Researchers have used a nanoscale synthetic antiferromagnet to control the interaction between magnons -- research that could lead to faster and more energy-efficient computers.
- 04/05/2021 New 2D superconductor forms at higher temperatures Researchers have discovered a new way to generate 2D superconductivity at an interface of an insulating oxide material, at high transition temperatures.
- 29/04/2021 Using a new kind of electron microscopy to measure weak van der Waals interactions A team of researchers from China, the Netherland and Saudi Arabia has used a new kind of electron microscopy to measure weak van der Waals interactions. In their paper published in the journal Nature, the group describes creating what they describe as a molecular compass to measure weak van der Waals interactions using a new type of electron microscopy developed in the Netherlands.
- 27/04/2021 Identification of the wettability of graphene layers at the molecular level Graphene is a two-dimensional material in which carbon atoms are arranged in hexagonal structures, and it has unique physical and chemical properties such as sub-nanometer thickness, chemical stability, mechanical flexibility, electrical and thermal conductivity, optical transparency, and selective permeability to water. Due to these properties, various applications of graphene in transparent electrodes, desalination, electrical energy storage, and catalysts have been vigorously studied.
- 22/04/2021 Oxygen migration enables ferroelectricity on nanoscale Hafnium-based thin films, with a thickness of only a few nanometres, exhibit an unconventional form of ferroelectricity. This allows the construction of nanometre-sized memories or logic devices. However, it was not clear how ferroelectricity could occur at this scale. A study that was led by scientists from the University of Groningen showed how atoms move in a hafnium-based capacitor: migrating oxygen atoms (or vacancies) are responsible for the observed switching and storage of charge. The results, which were published online by the journal Science on 15 April, point the way to new ferroelectric materials.
- 20/04/2021 Can room-temperature superconductors work without extreme pressure? Physicists aim to make practical materials that conduct electricity with zero resistance.