Metals and alloys news, November 2017

Nanotwins help protect metals from fatigue-related damage

Nanoscale patterns in metals known as nanotwins can stabilize defects associated with repetitive strain and limit the build-up of fatigue-related damage.

Novel, flexible method for producing nanoporous materials

Researchers have developed a new technique for creating novel nanoporous materials with unique optical, magnetic, electronic and catalytic properties.

New manufacturing technique makes light work of metal nanofoams

A simple method for manufacturing extremely low-density palladium nanofoams could help advance hydrogen storage technologies.

Defective electrodes produce better lithium-ion batteries

Cathodes for lithium-ion batteries that contain point defects allow more efficient exchange of lithium ions between the cathode and electrolyte.

Scientists take cool look at dendrite growth

Scientists have used cryo-electron microscopy to capture the first atomic-level images of the crystalline dendrites that can grow in batteries.

Sliding boundaries could lead to stronger materials

Scientists have discovered that, contrary to expectations, a material's crystal grains can sometimes slide along a coherent twin boundary.

Novel honeycomb material leads way to quantum spin liquid

Researchers have created a honeycomb material capable of frustrating the magnetic properties within it to produce a ‘quantum spin liquid’.

Heat and chemicals bring different atoms to perovskite surface

Treating a perovoskite catalyst with heat or chemicals causes different atoms to segregate on the surface and catalyse different reactions.

Breakthrough turns metals into 2D materials

For the first time, researchers have developed a way to create atomically thin metal oxide layers that don't exist naturally.

Scientists explore ways to produce high-quality fibers from carbon nanotubes

Scientists have determined what kind of carbon nanotubes produce the best fibers and developed a novel method for purifying them.

Horizontal trumps vertical for 2D solar cells

Lateral heterojunctions between 2D semiconducting monolayers produce more efficient solar cells than vertical stacks.

New microscopy technique puts topological insulators in a spin

A new microscopy method can measure the behavior and properties of electrons flowing across the surface of topological insulators.

Novel nanocomposite cleans up

Novel nanocomposite harnesses water flow and sunlight to break up organic pollutants.

Magnetic benefit of doping 2D alloys

Doping 2D materials with other elements can not only alter their mechanical and electrical properties, but can also make them magnetic.

Insert electrons to alter atomic structure

Researchers have found a way to reversibly change the atomic structure of a two-dimensional material by injecting electrons.

Seeking Nominations for 2018 Charles Hatchett Award

Jeffrey Hubbell, recipient of the 2018 Acta Biomaterialia Gold Medal

Ali Khademhosseini, recipient of the 2018 Acta Biomaterialia Silver Medal

Subhash Mahajan, recipient of 2018 Acta Materialia Gold Medal

Nikhilesh Chawla, recipient of the 2018 Acta Materialia Silver Medal

Novel interface offers flexible solution to lithium-sulfur problems

A self-formed, flexible, hybrid solid-electrolyte interphase layer solves many of the problems that currently bedevil lithium-sulfur batteries.

3D nanoelectronics ease computing bottleneck

3D nanoelectronic system made up of stacked layers of carbon nanotube transistors and random-access memory cells could improve computational devices.