Crystalline materials news

Semiconductors can show facets of metals and superconductors

Researchers have shown that the crystal structure at the surface of semiconductor materials can make them behave like metals and even superconductors.

Carbon nanotubes get into the groove

Researchers have found that small grooves in filter paper can cause single-walled carbon nanotubes to line up side-by-side in 2D films.

New approach to GaN nanowire growth for cheaper LEDs

Producing single crystalline GaN nanowire growth based on an amorphous substrate

Five degrees of freedom

Five degrees of freedom in polycrystalline materials

Boron takes the strain out of Li-ion battery electrodes

Ni-rich cathodes used in EV Li-ion batteries show improved performance stability when doped with boron

More active sites for better hydrogen evolution

flakes of material decorated with tiny particles could prove useful for catalyzing hydrogen generation reactions

Making two-dimensional metals the easy way

easy way to make large, freestanding, thin sheets of metallic materials could open up novel applications in catalysis, flexible electronics, soft robotics

Counting gamma rays with perovskites

Scientists take steps to grow large-scale sheets of 2D insulator

Using copper as a substrate, scientists have successfully grown atom-thick sheets of hexagonal boron nitride as two-inch diameter crystals.

New study shows melt front begins at grain boundaries

Using an X-ray free-electron laser, scientists have shown that melting of a gold film starts at grain boundaries and then moves inside the grain.

Professor’s work gave her a window into gender inequity, so she took action

Prof. Barbara Rothen-Rutishauser is using an Agents of Change grant to empower women in academia

New crystalline material displays both ferroelectricity and chirality

Researchers have synthesized a crystalline material with two properties previously unseen in a single material: ferroelectricity and chirality.

Gold tape proves invaluable at extracting 2D sheets from bulk crystals

Researchers have shown that ultraflat gold films can be used to extract large, high quality 2D sheets from van der Waals crystals.

Between the sheets

Gold tape exfoliates vdW structures to make 2D sheets

Micro-reactor produces quality nanoparticles

droplet-to-particle spray pyrolysis using charred wood micro-channel reactor produces uniform alloy/oxide nanoparticles

Complex oxide components for next-generation electronics

stacking ultrathin and complex oxide single-crystal layers for new electronic devices

Brittle perovskites turn out to be easy to fix

Perovskite films tend to crack easily, but scientists have now found that those cracks are easily healed with some compression or a little bit of heat.

Chemistry reveals promising properties of 2D material

Researchers have uncovered a layered compound with a trio of properties, including high electronic mobility, not previously known to exist in one material.