Metals and alloys news, April 2016

Gel-encased nanowires could produce long-lived batteries

Scientists have invented a metal nanowire-based battery material that can be recharged hundreds of thousands of times.

Scientists create contradictory polar metal

Using a new synthesis approach, scientists have developed a polar metal that possesses both insulating and conducting properties.

New metamaterial could enhance the efficiency of thermophotovoltaic cells

A novel metamaterial made of nanoscale structures of gold and magnesium fluoride can radiate heat at specific wavelengths and in specific directions.

Scientists reveal ‘the world's weirdest’ martensite steel

Scientists have uncovered the structural similarity between smectic liquid crystals and a crystalline structure of steel known as martensites.

Plenary Speakers announced for the Fifth International Conference on Multifunctional, Hybrid and Nanomaterials in 2017

View details about the Fifth International Conference on Multifunctional, Hybrid and Nanomaterials, taking place in March 2017.

New ferroelectric films could produce ‘universal’ memory device

Ultra-thin ferroelectric films based on hafnium oxide could produce non-volatile memory elements called ferroelectric tunnel junctions.

2015 Acta Journals’ Outstanding Reviewers

Elusive state of superconducting matter discovered after 50 years

By using a scanning tunneling microscope to image pairs of electrons in a superconductor, scientists have discovered a new state of electronic matter.

Welcome to three new Editors of Materials Science and Engineering R: Thomas Anthopoulos, Surya Mallapragada and Bradley D. Olsen

Some crystal materials boast ‘hourglass’ figure

Scientists predict that in certain crystal materials current can only flow through a set of surface channels that resemble an hourglass.

New non-magnetic material defies basic physics

Applying a magnetic field to a novel non-magnetic metal made it conduct 70% more electricity, even though basic physics would have predicted the opposite.

Perovskites in solar cells perform well under pressure

Applying pressure can change the properties of the crystalline materials known as perovskites and how they respond to light.

New steel alloy makes a big impact

A new type of amorphous steel alloy possesses a record-breaking ability to withstand an impact without deforming permanently.

New state of matter detected in 2D material

Scientists have detected a new state of matter known as a quantum spin liquid in the 2D material ruthenium chloride.

Thin film materials go beyond silicon

Rediscovered synthesis methods for transition metal dichalcogenides could enable future optical, electronic, and mechanical devices.

Calculations show 2D boron is low-temperature superconductor

Scientists have used computer-based calculations to show that two dimensional boron is a low-temperature superconductor.