Phys.org May 18, 2022 Academics are frequently encouraged to use social media to facilitate public engagement and enhance research impact, as it offers the potential to connect with more diverse, non-academic audiences. However, little is known about the relationship between the use of social media and academics’ own perceptions of research impact and public engagement in practice. Researchers in the UK analyzed the responses from a survey of academics which includes what academics perceive to be examples of high-impact interactions through social media, and how this is mediated by different platforms. The findings have practical implications for social media training […]
On-chip photodetection: Two-dimensional material heterojunctions
Phys.org May 13, 2022 Chip-integrated two-dimensional material photodetectors implemented with the configuration of metal-semiconductor-metal suffer from high dark currents and low responsivities at high operation speed. An international team of researchers (China, Belgium, Spain, Finland) has developed a van der Waals PN heterojunction photodetector, composed of p-type black phosphorous and n-type molybdenum telluride, integrated on a silicon nitride waveguide. The built-in electric field of the PN heterojunction significantly suppresses the dark current and improves the responsivity. The dark current is lower than 7 nA, which is more than two orders of magnitude lower than those reported in other waveguide-integrated black phosphorus […]
Rigid waterproof coating for paper aims to reduce our dependence on plastic
Science Daily May 13, 2022 Researchers in Japan developed an easy silica–resin coating technique to compensate for paper’s weaknesses, including its lack of water resistance and strength, and proposed its use as an environmentally friendly alternative to plastic. When they dispersed 2 nm anatase TiO2 nanoparticles on the paper’s cellulose fibers it exhibited moderate photocatalytic effects such as methylene blue degradation and antibacterial activity. The porous silica–resin film which has high adsorptive capacity efficiently captured organic pollutants until they decomposed via photocatalytic reactions. As a result, the stable silica–resin–TiO2 composite coating protected paper from the environment for an extended period, […]
Scientists Have Powered a Basic Computer With Just Algae For Over 6 Months
Science Alert May 13, 2022 An international team of researchers (UK, Italy, Norway New Zealand) has developed a bio-photovoltaic energy harvester system using photosynthetic microorganisms on an aluminium anode that can power a microprocessor widely used in Internet of Things applications. The proposed energy harvester has operated the microprocessor for over six months in a domestic environment under ambient light. It is comparable in size to an AA battery, and is built using common, durable, inexpensive, and largely recyclable materials… read more. TECHNICAL ARTICLE
Synthesis of two-dimensional holey graphyne
Science Daily May 18, 2022 While it is possible to overcome limitations of graphene by doping or functionalizing there is also much interest in the search for new types of 2D carbon allotropes. Recently researchers found a top-down way to produce graphene oxides by creating many holes in its structure. An international team of researchers (South Korea, USA – University of Puerto Rico) has developed a bottom-up approach for creating “holey-graphyne” (HGY) constructing the topologically 2D carbon material atom by atom. It consists of alternately HYG linked between benzene rings and C≡C bonds, composed of a pattern of six-vertex and […]
Ultrahigh piezoelectric performance demonstrated in ceramic materials
Phys.org May 18, 2022 A team of researchers in the US (Pennsylvania State University, Michigan Technological University) developed and demonstrated a mechanism that enhances the magnitude of the piezoelectric coefficient of a ceramic. Through extensive characterization conducted using high-resolution microscopy and diffraction techniques in conjunction with the computational models they found that chemical heterogeneity and anisotropy are the underlying mechanisms that govern the piezoelectric performance of ceramic materials. They showed that by aligning all the grains in a ceramic material along certain crystallographic axes they could get a very high piezoelectric response. They achieved close to 2,000 picocoulombs per Newton. […]
The way of water: Making advanced electronics with H2O
Science Daily May 16, 2022 The next generation of photovoltaics, semiconductors and LEDs could be made using perovskites. The presence of moisture can lead to defects in the materials, causing them to fall apart more quickly when they’re being used in a device. Researchers in Australia found a simple way to control the growth of phase-pure perovskite crystals by harnessing water as a positive factor by changing the ratio of water to solvent during the early stages of the process, they could choose to grow different types of perovskite crystals, with structures to suit various purposes. They identified that the […]
Top 10 Science and Technology Inventions for the Week of May 13, 2022
01. Energy researchers invent chameleon metal that acts like many others 02. Computational sleuthing confirms first 3D quantum spin liquid 03. Hidden distortions trigger promising thermoelectric property 04. It takes three to tangle: Long-range quantum entanglement needs three-way interaction 05. Laser bursts drive fastest-ever logic gates 06. On-chip circuit produces up to six microwave photons at the same time 07. Optical cavities could provide new technological possibilities 08. Physicists discover light-induced mechanism for controlling ferroelectric polarization 09. Quantum one-way street in topological insulator nanowires 10. Researchers find way to form diodes from superconductors And others… A New Age of Bioterror: […]
Computational sleuthing confirms first 3D quantum spin liquid
Phys.org May 10, 2022 Finding convincing evidence that quantum spin liquids exist in actual physical materials has been a decades-long challenge. In a 2019 study led by Rice university found the first evidence that cerium zirconium pyrochlore was a quantum spin liquid. To build a convincing case, an international team of researchers (USA – Florida State University, National High Magnetic Field Laboratory, UCLA, Rice University, Germany) developed a model and tested it against thermodynamic, neutron-scattering and magnetization results from previously published experimental studies of cerium zirconium pyrochlore. They matched three different pieces of evidence: that a version of monopoles does […]
Energy researchers invent chameleon metal that acts like many others
Phys.org May 9, 2022 A team of researchers in the US (University of Minnesota, UMass Amherst, UC Santa Barbara) has invented a device called catalytic condenser that allowed them to tune the number of electrons at the surface of the catalyst converting one metal to behave like another. They fabricated the catalytic condenser by combining nano-scale film of alumina with graphene, which could be electronically tuned. The condenser uses a combination of nanometer films to move and stabilize electrons at the surface of the catalyst. The power of the device to stabilize electrons is tunable with varying composition of a […]