Materials chemistry news, October 2019

Rediscovered material has superconductivity useful for quantum computing

Material with unconventional behavior affected by strong magnetic fields

Method for 3D printing of soft materials in fine detail

New technique for 3D printing of soft materials with additive manufacturing

Nanoparticle catalysts offer greener route to better bulletproof-vest polymer

An alloy-based nanoparticle catalyst offers a greener route to producing a more robust version of a polymer used in bulletproof vests.

Graph theory provides transformative discovery about zeolites

A novel mathematical approach based on graph theory can predict which pairs of zeolite types can be transformed from one to the other.

New silk materials put wrinkle into pattern creation

Researchers have developed silk materials that can wrinkle into highly detailed patterns, which can be erased by flooding the silk surface with vapor.

Novel shape-shifting material can produce human face

Complex shape-shifting lattices composed of multiple elastomeric materials can grow or shrink in response to changes in temperature.

Researchers take nanomaterials down to the next level

Researchers have developed an artificial, layered crystal composed of the elements lanthanum, titanium, cobalt and oxygen in atom-thick sheets.

Polymer proves better at filtering carbon dioxide when wet

Researchers have found that submerging a polymer in liquid water can boost its ability to selectively remove carbon dioxide from gas mixtures.

Accommodating borophene forms heterostructure with graphene

As a step towards fabricating circuits from nanomaterials, engineers have created heterostructures from the 2D materials graphene and borophene.

Valley trail leads to quantum computing applications for 2D material

Scientists have found a new way to manipulate the electronic properties of 2D tungsten disulfide that could prove useful for quantum computing.

Antimony nanochains look good on lithium-ion batteries

Researchers have created a net-like structure, called a ‘nanochain’, of antimony, which can enhance lithium-ion charge capacity in batteries.

Smart skin material that changes color in response to heat and light

Smart skin that responds to heat and sunlight

Thin films of platinum on graphene make effective fuel cell catalyst

Films of platinum only two atoms thick supported by graphene could usher in fuel cell catalysts with unprecedented catalytic activity and longevity.

Molybdenum helps produce better transparent coating for touchscreens

Researchers have found that doping indium oxide with molybdenum rather than tin doubles the conductivity of this transparent conductor.

Organic semiconductors need to stay hydrated during doping

A Lewis acid offers an effective way to change the electrical properties of certain organic semiconductors, but only in the presence of water.

Save the Date - 11th Conference on Modification, Degradation and Stabilization of Polymers (MoDeSt 2020)

None more black

Coating chlorine-etched aluminum foil with carbon nanotubes created a material that is 10 times blacker than anything previously reported.

Smallest ever spectrometer can image single cells

Smallest ever spectrometer based on a single nanowire