Materials news, November 2019

Two phases and four wells found in single crystal

Scientists have discovered two co-existing phases in a layered, copper-containing crystal that are connected through a quadruple energy well.

Flushed with success

Polymer coating to make a non-stick toilet bowl

Storing renewable energy even when there is no sun or wind

New class of polymers brings cheaper grid batteries

Organic compound harvests ‘hot electrons’ from perovskite semiconductor

Scientists have found an organic compound that can harvest the 'hot electrons' produced when high-energy photons hit a perovskite semiconductor.

Cooper pairs responsible for superconductor acting like a regular metal

The electron pairs responsible for the abilities of superconductors can also conduct electricity with some amount of resistance, like metals do.

Biomaterials for Cell Manufacturing and Tissue Biofabrication

Special Issue in Acta Biomaterialia

Acta Biomaterialia Special Issue on Biodegradable Metals

10th BIOMETAL2018 - International Sympsoium on Biodegradable Metals

Bending not so simple for multilayer graphene

Scientists have found that multilayer graphene is stiff when bent a little, but becomes much softer when bent a lot, as the layers slide past each other.

Heat is on for new thermoelectric material

Applying a thin layer of iron, vanadium, tungsten and aluminum to a silicon crystal produces a highly efficient thermoelectric material.

Unsinkable metal structure uses spider sense to stay afloat

Metal structure that is so water repellent that it won’t sink even when damaged or punctured

Drug dust bust

Magnetic levitation separates chelated drugs

Theoretical nanotube structure inspires super-hard polymer material

A lightweight polymer material full of holes, inspired by theoretical nanotube structures called tubulanes, is nearly as hard as diamond.

Presentation of 13th Feng Xinde Prize for the Best Chinese Paper Published in Polymer in 2018

New hybrid material allows perovskites to go lead-free

Researchers have developed new organic-inorganic hybrid perovskite materials that don't contain lead and have a much improved stability.

Improved electrical devices from 3D-printed polymer structures

Embedding electrical circuits inside 3D-printed plastics to improve electronic devices

Open Call - Materials Today Chemistry: Special Issue on FINAEC (Functional Interfaces based Nanomaterials for Applications in Environment and Chemistry)

Using decoys to fight autoimmune diseases

A material that mimics the organs targeted by autoimmune cells could draw these cells away from vulnerable body tissues

How to turn food waste into clean water and power

Food waste can be repurposed to supply drinking water and power while reducing the release of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere

MXene could be new gold standard for photodetectors

Researchers have developed a way to make cheaper, more sensitive photodetectors by replacing gold with the 2D material MXene.

Solvent dance leads to crystal growth

Using computer-based simulations of atoms and molecules in solution, scientists have identified a general mechanism governing crystal growth.

Deadline Extended for the 2020 Robert Cahn Award

Catalyst switching creates one material out of four polymers

By juggling four different chemical reactions in a single flask, researchers have combined four polymers to form a single multicrystalline substance.

Perovskite materials like a bit of disorder

Perovskite materials for use in next generation solar cells and flexible LEDs can be more efficient when their chemical compositions are less ordered.

Electric field causes liquid crystals to display novel structures

By applying an intermittent electrical field, researchers have managed to get blue-phase liquid crystals to adopt novel structures with novel properties.

Novel polymer membrane goes with the flow battery

Researchers have found that a class of polymers known as AquaPIMs can produce an ideal membrane for use in a flow battery.

Tiny electronic components could communicate by waving

Surface-plasmon-polariton waves between a metal and a dielectric may offer a way for tiny electronic components to communicate with each other.

Molybdenum disulfide sandwich makes superconducting transistor

By studying superconductivity in molybdenum disulfide, scientists have developed a superconducting transistor and discovered new superconducting states.

Indium helps upgrade perovskite-based solar cells

By replacing some of the lead in perovskites with indium, scientists have quashed the defects in perovskite solar cells and enhanced their stability.

Scientists assemble nanomaterials using light-based ‘tractor beam’

Using optical tweezers as a light-based ‘tractor beam’, researchers have developed a method for assembling nanomaterials into larger structures.

Why do some crystals shrink when they’re heated?

By analyzing the atomic structure of scandium fluoride, scientists have discovered why certain crystalline materials shrink when they're heated.

Light illuminates faster battery charging

Exposing the cathode in a lithium-ion battery to a beam of concentrated light can lower the charging time by a remarkable factor of two or more.

Disordered proteins can make 'super-sticky' materials

Stable materials can be created from disordered proteins by altering the environmental triggers that cause them to undergo phase transitions.

New technique provides unprecedented insight into crystallization

Using computer modeling and a novel imaging technique, scientists have been able to study the self-assembly of crystalline materials at a high resolution.

Diffuse diffraction means perfect graphene

Scientists have found that a broad diffraction pattern can help determine whether graphene and other 2D materials are structurally perfect.

Spider silk stitches up antibacterial coatings

coating silk sutures with antimicrobial spider silk proteins could alleviate the problem of post-surgical infection

Novel monomer produces more degradable polymers

By incorporating a special monomer, scientists have developed polymers that can break down more easily under certain conditions.

Graphene resists stresses and strains with kirigami

Applying kirigami, the Japanese art of cutting and folding, to graphene can make it more strain tolerant and adaptable to movement.

Cracking the mystery of nature’s toughest material

Using an electron microscope, scientists have uncovered the mechanisms that make nacre, also known as mother-of-pearl, so hard and resilient.

Kirigami-inspired sensors take the strain

kirigami-inspired design allows graphene-based sensor devices to withstand large strains

Wet polymers produce responsive coatings for controlling light and heat

By wetting porous polymer coatings with alcohol, researchers have come up with an inexpensive and scalable way to control light and heat in buildings.

Oxygen atoms form unexpected bonds on graphene

New materials could arise from the unexpected discovery of unusual configurations of oxygen and nitrogen on graphene.

New analysis technique brings battery cathodes to order

A new technique for probing the crystalline microstructure of battery cathodes can reveal the short-term order of the ions in these materials.

New lensless technique spies new properties in old materials

Scientists have used a novel technique called lensless microscopy to uncover previously unknown abilities in nickel and barium hexaferrite.

Infused CMF better than aluminum as leading-edge wing material

A combination of steel composite metal foam and epoxy resin is a better leading-edge material for aircraft wings than the aluminum currently used.

‘Chimera’ membrane promises to filter out micropollutants

new type of membrane can filter micropollutants like pharmaceuticals, pesticides, and plasticizers from drinking or wastewater

Spin currents can make the switch with 2D materials

Scientists have shown that a device made from a double layer of graphene on top of a layer of tungsten disulfide can switch spin currents on and off.