Feature Channels: Materials Science

• share
• favorite_border

• share
• favorite_border

A team of University of Delaware researchers looking for ways to upcycle biomass into new products has demonstrated that it is possible to efficiently turn industrially processed lignin into high-performance plastics, such as bio-based 3D-printing resins, and valuable chemicals. An economic and life-cycle analysis reveals the approach can be competitive with similar petroleum-based products, too.

• share
• favorite_border

The competition starts on 19 January 2022 and includes construction projects with Aerogel all over the world.

• share
• favorite_border

Atoms bind together by sharing electrons. The way this happens depends on the atom types but also on conditions such as temperature and pressure. In two-dimensional (2D) materials, such as graphene, atoms join along a plane to form structures just one atom thick, which leads to fascinating properties determined by quantum mechanics. Researchers at the University of Vienna in collaboration with the Universities of Tübingen, Antwerp and CY Cergy Paris, together with Danubia NanoTech, have produced a new 2D material made of copper and iodine atoms sandwiched between two graphene sheets. The results were published in the journal Advanced Materials.

• share
• favorite_border

Scientists have finally found a way to probe the structures of delicate microcrystals with powerful X-ray laser beams. They say their method could help advance semiconductor and solar cell development.

• share
• favorite_border

As the name implies, crystallography requires crystals – specifically, purified samples of the molecule of interest, coaxed into a crystal form. But most molecules form powders composed of jumbled granules, not picture-ready crystals. A new computer algorithm, combined with a state-of-the-art laser, can adapt X-ray crystallography for the many not-so-neat-and-tidy compounds that scientists seek to study.

• share
• favorite_border

RUDN chemists have created a palladium catalyst for the Suzuki-Miyaura reaction for a more economical and safe synthesis of complex molecules for the pharmaceutical and chemical industries. It keeps palladium from unwanted leaching into the final product, allows the reaction to be carried out in a green solvent and achieve 97% of the product yield.

• share
• favorite_border

RUDN chemists have proven the effectiveness of metal complexes to catalyse the production of cyanohydrin, important substances for the chemical industry. Chemists managed to achieve 96.3% of the reaction efficiency.

• share
• favorite_border

Researchers are exploring chromium defects in silicon carbide as potential spin qubits. These spin qubits would be compatible with telecommunications optical fibers, making them potentially useful for optical fiber-based quantum networks. Researchers recently investigated new ways to make high-quality chromium defects in silicon carbide.

• share
• favorite_border

Researchers from the University of Delaware are joining forces with colleagues at the University of Kansas and Pittsburg State University to develop new molecules that can be used to make a new generation of environmentally friendly plastics.

• share
• favorite_border

Domesticated chickens in the United States alone produce more than 2 billion pounds of feathers annually. Those feathers have long been considered a waste product, especially when contaminated with blood, feces or bacteria that can prove hazardous to the environment.

• share
• favorite_border

For electric vehicles (EVs) to become mainstream, they need cost-effective, safer, longer-lasting batteries that won’t explode during use or harm the environment. Researchers at Georgia Tech may have found a promising alternative to conventional lithium-ion batteries made from a common material: rubber.

• share
• favorite_border

Brookhaven National Laboratory will kick-off its 75th anniversary with a live-streamed celebration. Meet three of the Lab’s leaders as they share their vision for the future of particle physics, climate science, quantum information science, and more. Then, the panel will answer questions from a live, virtual audience.

• share
• favorite_border

A new kind of tiny particle is a big deal in University of Oregon chemist Carl Brozek’s lab. He and his team have made a versatile kind of porous material called a metal-organic framework, or MOF, into nanocrystals—a form that’s easier to use beyond the lab. Nanoparticles such as these have a wide range of potential applications, from surface coatings that can store electric charge, to filters that remove contaminants from air or water. He and his team, led by graduate student Checkers Marshall, reported their advance November 24 in a pre-print posted to the research site ChemRxiv.

• share
• favorite_border

Neuromorphic devices — which emulate the decision-making processes of the human brain — show great promise for solving pressing scientific problems, but building physical systems to realize this potential presents researchers with a significant challenge. An international team has gained additional insights into a material compound called vanadium oxide, or VO2, that might be the missing ingredient needed to complete a reliable neuromorphic recipe.

• share
• favorite_border

In a groundbreaking new study, researchers at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities used a customized printer to fully 3D print a flexible organic light-emitting diode (OLED) display. The discovery could result in low-cost OLED displays in the future that could be widely produced using 3D printers by anyone at home, instead of by technicians in expensive microfabrication facilities.

• share
• favorite_border

A study led by Stony Brook University researchers discovered that a readily available method using dry ovens can be used to disinfect N95s for reuse, in settings where new masks may not be available. Their findings are published in PLOS ONE.

• share
• favorite_border

In Applied Physics Reviews, researchers discuss the properties of silk and recent and future applications of the material. It has been used in drug delivery and is ideal for wearable and implantable health monitoring sensors. Silk is also useful in optics and electronics and more recently has come to the forefront of sustainability research. The use of silk coatings may also reduce food waste, which is a significant component of the global carbon footprint.

• share
• favorite_border

ORNL story tips: Cooler vaccine transport, bioenergy boost and radiation-resistant sensors

• share
• favorite_border

Empa and Lidl Switzerland have jointly developed a cellulose protective coating for fruit and vegetables. The novel coating is made from so-called pomace – squeezed fruit and vegetable peels. The innovative project can reduce packaging and prevent food waste.