Materials news, September 2020

Self-assembling anticancer drugs

Self-assembling anticancer drugs

NICE coating lights up medical devices

NIR dye-polymer fluorescent coating helps surgeons visualize medical devices in the body

Sounds like a new type of superconductor

By studying how strontium ruthenate responds to sound waves, researchers have discovered it may be a new type of superconductor known as g-wave.

New low-cost production method can produce 'spoonful' of 2D material

Researchers have developed a low-cost method for fabricating thin nanoribbons of molybdenum disulfide at a large scale.

Researchers develop exciting new polymerization process

By combining low-energy photons to produce high-energy excited states, researchers have developed a novel polymerization process.

Sharp corners make aluminum nanoparticles more catalytic

Researchers have found that aluminum nanoparticles with sharper corners are better able to utilize light to catalyze chemical reactions.

Making multiferrorics magnetizable

Making multiferrorics magnetizable with a titanium dopant

New design principles identify quantum materials with useful spin textures

A novel framework for identifying and assessing the spin textures of crystalline materials could help develop low-energy computing technology.

New rubbery semiconductor could prove handy for medical diagnosis

A new rubbery polymer semiconductor with high carrier mobility can be used to produce smart electronic skin and a medical robotic hand.

Toggle switching by metal alloy could boost the internet

Researchers have discovered that an alloy of manganese, ruthenium and gallium can act as a super-fast magnetic switch.

Tiny nanoparticles expose their catalytic abilities

Researchers have confirmed that tiny sub-nanoparticles created via the atom hybridization method can make highly efficient catalysts.

Peptide-based nanotubes line up to generate electricity

By aligning them and improving their conductivity, researchers have enhanced the piezoelectric properties of peptide-based nanotubes.

Fast model could quickly lead to better batteries

A novel model for predicting and improving battery performance is 100,000 times faster than existing modeling techniques.

AI reveals important printing parameters for bioscaffolds

A machine learning approach to predicting the quality of 3D-printed bioscaffolds has revealed the importance of controlling print speed.

New shape-memory material for smart textiles and medical devices

Material that can be 3D-printed into any shape and pre-programmed with reversible shape memory

Relationship between electricity and magnetism takes new direction

Researchers have discovered that a small change in the direction of the magnetic field in a symmetrical crystal can alter its electrical polarization.

New self-assembly system can add color to DNA nanostructures

Researchers have demonstrated on computer a novel color-coding system for getting DNA to self-assemble into desired nanostructures.

Improved face mask design helps fight Covid-19

Modular mask combines a barrier filtration material with a stretchable fabric for easier use

Blurry electron beams struggle to bring 2D crystals into focus

Small imperfections in the lenses used to focus electron microscope beams can lead to the crystal phases in 2D materials being misidentified.

Leather substitutes derived from fungi show promise

Assessment of state of play of renewable and sustainable fabrics derived from fungi

Editor in Spotlight – Prof. Vitalij Pecharsky, Journal of Alloys and Compounds

Boundaries no barrier for thermoelectrical materials

A novel optical detection system may have shown that grain boundaries are no barrier for thermoelectrical materials, but they still can't take the strain.

Topological insulator brings exotic magnetism to the surface

Researchers have confirmed that the intrinsic magnetism in the bulk of a topological insulator can extend to the electrons at its surface.

Composites Part C: Open Access – new journal explores innovations across composite material science

Floppy vibrations make for efficient thermoelectric materials

Researchers have uncovered the atomic mechanism that makes tin-based thermoelectric materials incredibly efficient at high temperatures.

Researchers get to know battery particle inside and out

Researchers found that cracking on the surface of an electrode particle corresponded with areas of microscopic cracking deep inside the particle.

New open access journal brings latest developments in carbon materials science to a wide audience

Woolly biomaterial remembers to change shape

Researchers have developed a wool-derived biomaterial that can be 3D-printed into any shape and pre-programmed with reversible shape memory.

New study sheds light on nanopillar art

Researchers have replicated a famous painting by shining white light on a glass slide stippled with millions of titanium dioxide nanopillars.

Light manipulates stars to alter refractive index of 2D crystal

Atoms in 2D tantalum disulfide arrange themselves into six-pointed stars that can be manipulated by light, thus altering the material's refractive index.

Springing into action with elliptical holes

Adding elliptical holes to elastic materials can enhance their efficiency at converting elastic energy to kinetic energy for extreme velocity movements.

Lead-free material leads to low-cost, flexible X-ray detector

A material known as organic manganese halide can make an environmentally friendly, low-cost, flexible X-ray scintillator.

Just add rocksalt for a safe, powerful battery anode

Disordered rocksalt made of lithium, vanadium and oxygen makes a safe, powerful. long-lasting anode material for lithium-ion batteries.

Nanocomposite takes shape as sensitive gas sensor

A nanocomposite made from molybdenum disulfide and reduced graphene oxide can be used to make a sensitive, stretchable gas sensor.

New study detects quantum singularity in cuprate superconductor

By probing the electronic behavior of a superconducting cuprate, researchers have uncovered evidence for quantum critical points.

Neural network shows affinity for predicting properties of organic materials

A novel artificial neural network can predict the degree of water repulsion and protein adsorption by ultra-thin organic materials.

New findings flow from study on soft materials

For the first time, researchers have developed a way to measure the individual solid-like and liquid-like behaviors of soft materials separately.

Novel approach to tracking ions could improve energy storage

By combining computational modeling with experimental data, researchers have developed a novel approach for tracking ions within a 2D material.

Researchers trap light in silicon box

Researchers have demonstrated a new approach to slowing light significantly by trapping it in a resonator made of nanoscale silicon bars.

Copper nanoclusters come together to mimic DNA and proteins

Researchers have found a way to get nanoclusters of copper molecules to self-assemble so they can mimic biomolecules such as DNA and proteins.

Defective thin film makes effective energy-storage material

By introducing isolated defects into a ferroelectric, researchers have managed to turn it into a top-performing energy-storage material.

A touch of gold confers novel properties on semiconducting crystals

Adding a layer of a noble metal to the surface of a semiconducting crystal changes its structure and gives it completely novel electric properties.

‘Time crystals’ interact within superfluid helium

For the first time, scientists created two 'time crystals' in superfluid helium-3, and observed them interacting and exchanging constituent particles.

Latest carbon nanotube fibers are strongest and most conductive yet

Using a wet spinning process, researchers have produced carbon nanotube fibers that are stronger than Kevlar and almost as conductive as copper.

Sharper nano-bowties squeeze photons tighter

new form of lithography can produce extremely sharp bowtie nanoantennas for improved plasmonics

Silver and carbon combine to produce record-breaking transparent solar cell

By combing organic molecules with silver electrodes, researchers have set a new efficiency record for color-neutral, transparent solar cells.

Nanoparticle coating discovery packs powerful punch

Researchers have discovered that the clubs used by mantis shrimp have a uniquely designed nanoparticle coating that absorbs and dissipates energy.

Zinc oxide fins produce much brighter LEDs

By utilizing zinc oxide fins, researchers have produced LEDs that can generate about 100 to 1000 times as much power as typical tiny LEDs.

Researchers take different perspective on modelling quantum materials

A novel mathematical procedure can reduce the computational cost of modelling quantum materials via the quantum Monte Carlo method.