Surface science news

Simple tweak could have major benefits for perovskite solar cells

Adding organic ammonium salts to the perovskite surface can help to regulate and reduce unwanted energy loss in perovskite solar cells.

Chemical filter reduces the carbon output of power plants

Achieving high thermal conductivity in plant fiber materials

New sustainable thermal management material from cellulose

New printing technique puts the curves into electronic circuits

Researchers have demonstrated a new technique for directly printing electronic circuits onto curved and corrugated surfaces.

Novel ‘ruler’ measures thermal expansion of 2D materials

Researchers have turned Raman spectroscopy into a scientific ‘ruler’ to understand how 2D materials expand on exposure to heat.

Designing novel metamaterials made easy with AI

Using AI to design new complex metamaterials with useful properties

What happens when bismuth vanadate gets wet?

Researchers have discovered how the electronic properties of the photoelectrode bismuth vanadate change when it gets wet.

New law of friction slides into view

By studying how sheets of graphene slide over a graphite surface, researchers have come up with a new law of friction.

Nanoparticles feel the force

By taking advantage of nanoscale forces, researchers have developed a method for precisely controlling the arrangement of nanoparticles on a material.

Rare-earth complex put in a spin by STM

For the first time, researchers formed a rare-earth complex on a gold surface and then rotated it with a scanning tunneling microscope.

Smart underwater sensor alerts when wearer is drowning

Water-repellent smart sensor alerts when wearer is drowning

Memory in materials holds promise

Some materials retain memory of previous stretching

Membranes that effectively remove salt from water

Fast water desalination helped by new type of membrane

Lithium ions move in mysterious ways in next-gen battery materials

Using a novel microscopy technique, researchers have tracked the movement of lithium ions inside a promising new battery material in real time.

Slick research creates SLIC surfaces

Researchers have developed a way to engineer the surfaces of materials that makes them both hydrophilic and very slippery.

World’s whitest paint gets thinner and lighter

Researchers have created a new formula for the world's whitest paint based on hexagonal boron nitride, making it thinner and lighter.

Silky surface can be made repellent

Researchers have developed a silk-based material that can repel both water and almost anything that contains water.

Crab shell battery offers high performance and sustainability

Sustainable zinc battery with a biodegradable electrolyte