Electronic properties news

Crumpled graphene can detect DNA without amplification

Researchers have found that crumpling graphene makes it more than 10,000 times more sensitive to DNA by creating electrical ‘hotspots’.

Making sensors from 2-D materials

Sheets that are just a single molecular layer thick could be used to detect toxic gases

Announcing the launch of Best Paper Prizes on Elseviers Leading Polymer Journals

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.

New study dives into solar cell materials for underwater use

Researchers have demonstrated that solar cells made from organic materials may be better than traditional silicon solar cells for use underwater.

Excluding molecular dopants improves organic conductors

Organic semiconductors improved by polymer combination

Novel separator creates spillway for lithium-metal batteries

A novel separator with conductive carbon nanotubes can prevent lithium-metal batteries from heating up and catching fire in case of a short circuit.

New model reveals graphene’s twisted state

A novel analytical model can identify how twisted graphene sheets behave and determine their stability at different sizes and temperatures.

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.

MXene enters the big time with new production process

Researchers have designed a system that can produce large quantities of the 2D material known as MXene while preserving its unique properties.

New approach to GaN nanowire growth for cheaper LEDs

Producing single crystalline GaN nanowire growth based on an amorphous substrate

Metallic glass-based materials in wearable energy storage devices

Wearable all-solid-state supercapacitors with excellent performance

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

Self-powered micromachines could detect explosives

Nanosensors powered by a stream of bubbles can seek out explosives and related hazards in only a few minutes

Knitted devices power up wearable electronics

3D supercapacitors knitted from cotton or nylon yarn coated with a novel conductive material could power smart textiles

Remote battery charging using hydrogels

Hydrogel can ultrasonically charge bioelectronic implants