Blog
- Observing microscopic transformations of electrocatalyst surfaces 22/08/2023 Developing technologies that can convert CO2 into synthetic fuels and base chemicals is of key importance for reaching climate goals. The electrochemical reduction of CO2 at copper electrodes using electric power from renewable sources could be used for the production of e-fuels. New studies show that this process changes the arrangement of the copper atoms at the catalyst surface.
- Team develops solvent- and hydrogen-free method to upcycle high-density polyethylene plastics 20/08/2023 A research team led by Prof. Zeng Jie from the University of Science and Technology of China (USTC) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), has made a significant breakthrough in the field of plastic upcycling.
- Three simple steps to make the longest graphene nanoribbon ever 17/08/2023 A Lego-like synthesis previously produced record-breaking nanoribbons of 30, then 53 fused rings. Now, a similar ‘accelerated’ modular methodology made a molecular nanoribbon that is triple the longest ever made – in just three simple steps. The gargantuan graphene nanoribbon is almost 36nm long, featuring 147 linearly linked rings and a conjugated core of 920 atoms. The first experiments, although preliminary, promise great applications in electronics and optoelectronics, thanks to fluorescence features that outperform state-of-the-art quantum dots.
- New Quantum Magnet Promises Applications in Robotics, Electronics, and Sensors 15/08/2023 Strain-tunable materials can bring forth chips that squeeze or bend.
- Fluorinated ligands stabilise perovskite solar cells 10/08/2023 A new type of fluorinated ammonium ligand stabilises the surface of lead halide perovskites. The work marks a key step in understanding how to increase the efficiency and durability of perovskite solar cells.
- Photonic time crystals could open the door to a new branch of optics 08/08/2023 Refractive index—the ratio of the speed of electromagnetic radiation in a medium to its speed in a vacuum—can be modulated fast enough to generate photonic time crystals (PTCs) in the near-visible part of the spectrum, a new study published in the journal Nanophotonics demonstrates. The study's authors suggest that the ability to sustain PTCs in the optical domain could have profound implications for the science of light, enabling truly disruptive applications in the future.
- Light enhancement in nanoscale structures could aid cancer detection 03/08/2023 A cutting-edge practice by two Vanderbilt researchers that enhances light in nanoscale structures could help in the detection of diseases like cancer.
- Korean team claims to have created the first room-temperature, ambient-pressure superconductor 01/08/2023 A team of physicists affiliated with several institutions in South Korea is claiming to have created the elusive room-temperature/ambient-pressure superconducting material. Their work has not yet been peer reviewed. They have posted two papers on the arXiv preprint server.
- New study reveals spin in quantum dots' carrier multiplication 18/07/2023 A new approach to developing semiconductor materials at tiny scales could help boost applications that rely on converting light to energy. A Los Alamos-led research team incorporated magnetic dopants into specially engineered colloidal quantum dots—nanoscale-size semiconductor crystals—and was able to achieve effects that may power solar cell technology, photo detectors and applications that depend on light to drive chemical reactions.
- 3D pattern generation via chemical vapor deposition of ceramic eutectic system for novel solid-state phosphors 13/07/2023 The eutectic structure of metals and ceramics occurs when multiple solid phases solidify from a liquid phase, forming a three-dimensional (3D) pattern through a self-organizing phenomenon. Traditionally, it was believed that eutectic structures could only be obtained through a melt-solidification process.
- Researchers develop a new source of quantum light 11/07/2023 Using novel materials that have been widely studied as potential new solar photovoltaics, researchers at MIT have shown that nanoparticles of these materials can emit a stream of single, identical photons.