Materials news, May 2020

New transition lights up valleys in 2D material

Scientists have observed light emission from a new type of transition between electronic valleys, known as intervalley transmissions, in a 2D material.

Machine learning separates out best-performing polymer membranes

Researchers have combined big data and machine learning to selectively design gas-filtering polymer membranes to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Novel polymer composite makes powerful supercapacitor

Researchers have developed a supercapacitor made from a polymer composite that is able to store and deliver electricity at high power rates.

Non-metallic sandwich enhances detection technique

A 2D sandwich of molybdenum, sulfur and selenium can greatly boost the sensitivity of surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy.

New polymer coating can produce virus-repelling textiles

A novel textile coating based on polymer nanoparticles can not only repel liquids like blood and saliva but can also prevent viruses from adhering.

Organic crystal could stretch to electronics applications

Researchers have discovered that certain organic crystals are more flexible and stretchable than current materials used for electronic applications.

New treatment leads to lead-free perovskite solar cells

A novel heat treatment with an organic group can enhance the stability of tin halide perovskite solar cells by preventing tin oxidation.

New curing method produces polymer-based radiation shielding

A novel polymer compound embedded with bismuth trioxide particles holds tremendous promise as a lightweight radiation shielding material.

Making fuel from CO2 using sunlight

Tandem solar cells show thermal stability

Tandem structure improves efficiency of solar cells

Polymer gel lets solar cells cool by sweating

By soaking up water from the air at night and then releasing it during the day, a novel polymer gel can reduce solar panel temperatures by 10°C.

Liquid metal structures that regains their shape on heating

New class of materials based on liquid metal lattices

New technique helps solve puzzle of battery decline

By combining machine learning with X-ray tomography, scientists have produced a detailed picture of how battery cathodes degrade with use.

Defects may make some perovskites more colorful

Scientists think that defects in low-dimensional perovskites may be responsible for their broad emission spectrum and large color variation.

Improving wafers as a semiconductor material

Improving our understanding of the surface of a semiconductor compound

Designer membranes through machine learning

Designer membranes through machine learning

Defects let 2D material generate electricity under pressure

Scientists have discovered that the 2D material molybdenum dioxide exhibits piezoelectricity, due to electrons being trapped in its surface defects.

CNT-coated nanofibers help tissue regrow

biocompatible polymer scaffolds coated with carbon nanotubes could provide a vital foothold for regrowing cells

Manganese oxide makes promising supercapacitor material

A new supercapacitor based on manganese oxide could combine the storage capacity of batteries with the fast charging of conventional supercapacitors.

Novel MOFs can clean up toxic chromium from water

Chemists have developed novel metal-organic frameworks that can remove toxic hexavalent chromium from water and convert it to a non-toxic form.

Perovskite solar cells tweaked to withstand heat

By tweaking their chemical makeup and fabrication, researchers have produced perovskite solar cells that are better at withstanding high temperatures.

Hollow crystal spheres grow from broken symmetry

By taking advantage of bottle-brush polymers, researchers have discovered a way to grow hollow crystal spheres, and pause this growth to leave holes.

Single crystals reveal insights into workings of polycrystalline electrodes

Scientists have used single-crystal electrodes to reveal information about the workings of polycrystalline electrodes in advanced silicon-ion batteries.

New battery electrode knitted together from silicon microspheres

By combining silicon nanoparticles with carbon nanotubes, researchers have created yarn-like microspheres for use as battery electrodes.

Perovskites bulk up to become more stable

Researchers have found a way to make halide perovskites more stable by adding a bulky molecule to their surface to inhibit ion movement.

Acta Journals’ Outstanding Reviewers in 2019

New technique lets polymer membranes dip into surface treatment

Researchers have found that dipping polymeric membranes in tannic acid allows their surface to be coated by atomic layer deposition.

Novel upcycling method takes air out of polyurethane foams

Using a catalyst solution and a ‘twin-screw’ extrusion process, researchers have developed a new method for upcycling polyurethane foams.

New method mixes things up for bimetallic nanoparticles

A novel method for mixing metals generally known to be immiscible at the nanoscale can create a new range of bimetallic nanoparticles.

Hydrogen to blame for non-superconducting nickelates

Scientists have discovered that the incorporation of hydrogen into nickelates during their synthesis stops them from superconducting.

Soft transistors and composites could transform bioelectronic devices

Novel ion-driven transistors and mixed-conducting particulate material could form the foundation for fully implantable bioelectronic devices.

Lead-free perovskite proves stable and safe in solar cells

Researchers have developed a lead-free perovskite for use in solar cells that could be a safer and more stable than lead-based perovskites.

Applied Energy - Special Issue on "COVID-19 impacts on Energy and Environment"

Call for Applications: The 2020 Microelectronic Engineering and Micro and Nano Engineering Journals (Elsevier), Young Investigator Award and Lectureship

The award is to honor a young researcher active in the fields of Nanofabrication and Nanotechnology for Electronics, MEMS and Life Sciences.

Shedding ultraviolet light on coronavirus

Shedding ultraviolet light to kill coronavirus

Opposites attract for self-assembly of colloidal crystals

Researchers have used electrostatic charge to get colloidal particles to self-assemble into crystalline materials that mimic salt and opals.

Nanofiber-based cold-chain sticker improves food safety

Cold-chain safety sticker creates an image when exposed to room temperature

New biomaterial nanoparticle could improve treatment for bone defects

Researchers have developed a liposome-like nanoparticle called a sterosome that could help improve treatment for bone defects.

Physicists go to the edge to detect superconducting currents

For the first time, researchers have discovered superconducting currents traveling along the outer edges of a superconductor with topological properties.

Tin-based perovskites improve on solar cells

Tin-based perovskites show promise for photovoltaic devices

New electrolyte forms protective ceramic layer over battery anode

A novel electrolyte that forms a protective layer over the silicon nanoparticles that make up a battery anode gives the silicon room to swell.

A metal harvest to power the world

A metal harvest to power the world's micro robots

The boron conspiracy

Atmospheric hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) for graphene sandwiches