New Thin Membranes Can Self-Repair Following Damage
Separating chemicals is vital to manufacturing, water quality, and more. The relatively thick nature and inefficiency of separation techniques increases energy use. Scientists reconfigured thin films precisely to produce valuable materials by design.
New Molecule Predicted That Could Make Safer Batteries
Computer-designed molecular complex can be used in halogen-free electrolytes for batteries with superior performance.
How to Fix Blinking Light-Emitting Nanoparticles
Scientists identified defects responsible for detrimental blinking that limits nanoparticle use in LEDs, solar cells, and lasers.
Separation of Electron's Intrinsic Properties Revealed
Disentanglement reveals exotic magnetic properties in a ytterbium-based compound. The discovery provides yet another magnetic property that could be harnessed. These properties could aid in new approaches to high-performance computing and energy-efficient technologies.
Smaller Is Not Always Better for Radiation Resistance
Scientists experimentally validated the predicted damage mechanism for materials in nuclear energy environments.
LED Lighting May Now Shine Brighter
Scientists apprehended the atomic-scale, microscopic mechanism that limits light emission in LED lighting.
Controlling the Stiffness of a Material at the Nanoscale
Using a needle far thinner than a human hair, scientists reversibly changed a material's hardness by up to 30 percent promises new functionalities for microphones and sensors.
Hydraulic Fluids Hospitable for Microbes
For the first time, scientists analyzed the genetic material of surface microbes that are colonizing the deep subsurface, where they are adapting and thriving.
Unlocking Peptide Potential
Powerful new computational methods now enable scientists to design a virtually unlimited variety of hyperstable peptide structures not found in nature. This research opens a new frontier in drug discovery.
Soil Will Absorb Less Atmospheric Carbon Than Expected This Century
Some global models underestimate the mean age of soil carbon. This underestimation results in an overestimation of soil's carbon sequestration potential.
Mighty Microbes Roil Oceans
New model reveals the significant role of microbes in oceanic nutrient and energy cycling. The results of this work significantly improve the crude models of microbial activity in important oceanic zones and provide holistic insights into how microbes drive nutrient and energy flow.
There and Back Again: Catalyst Mediates Energy-Efficient Proton Transport for Reversibility
Scientists at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory found that a complex with a proton pathway and stabilized by outer coordination sphere interactions is reversible for hydrogen production/oxidation at room temperature and pressure.
Battery-Free Technology for Instant Electronic Inventory of Sensitive Items at a Distance
Dirac Solutions' battery-free sensors offer a one-of-a-kind capability in inventory automation and advanced remote monitoring
Methylmercury Sleuths Armed with New Spotlight
Researchers can now more quickly identify which microbes produce mercury toxins in the environment. These findings will enable a more realistic view of possible methylmercury production in a specific setting.
Taking Materials Into the Third Dimension
To create more efficient catalysts, scientists would like to start with porous materials with controlled atomic-scale structures as random defects can hamper performance. A team created a one-pot method that produces the structures.
Using Sunlight to Activate the Flow of Electrical Current in a New Material
Scientists discovered a new material that absorbs visible light to generate electricity; this material might be useful for splitting water to produce a combustible fuel, hydrogen.
Light Strikes Gold
While scientists have used light to sculpt tiny crystals to do big jobs since 2001, they haven't been able to apply the process to gold--until now. Scientists created a strategy that enables synthesis of desirable gold crystals with potential for industry or medical uses.
Giving Friction the Slip with New Carbon Films
New catalytically active coatings eliminate the need for environmentally hazardous anti-wear additives used commonly in lubricating oils for engines
How to 3D Print on the Nanoscale
A new approach offers a path to synthesize materials with superior mechanical and optical properties. This design approach replaces trial-and-error in nanomanufacturing for materials and structures.
Shattering Protons in High-Energy Collisions Confirms Higgs Boson Production
At the world's most powerful particle physics accelerator, physicists confirmed the Higgs boson production rate. The results match our understanding of how the universe works and will help build the data sets to explore the particles' properties.
DNA + Nanoparticles = Self-Assembled "Diamond"
A novel method of using DNA as linkers of and cages redefines the rules for connecting nanoparticles and opens exciting prospects for creating complex materials with yet undiscovered properties for use in energy storage, among others.
Make No Assumptions in Building a Better Battery
Large-scale energy storage for wind and other intermittent sources could make renewable energy easier to use. Researchers showed that rechargeable zinc-manganese oxide could be a more viable solution than today's lithium-ion and lead-acid batteries.
Lining Up for New High-Density Memory Devices
Thin layers of a new material could lead to smaller hard drives and other high-density memory devices with greater stability when exposed to heat.
Berkelium's Unexpected Chemistry Has Been Captured
Berkelium was one of a few elements that had yet to be characterized in detail. Researchers structurally characterized it and revealed unexpected findings.
Greater Than the Sum of Its Parts
Scientists combined two materials to create a structure that turns carbon dioxide into carbon monoxide. The material has promise for removing carbon dioxide from the air, while pumping out carbon monoxide, a useful industrial product.