Phys.org April 4, 2022 The Moon is extremely stable and not influenced by factors on Earth like climate to any large degree. It is a very good calibration reference. An international team of researchers in (US – NIST, USGS, Canada) developed NASA’s airborne Lunar Spectral Irradiance (air-LUSI) which is a telescope that accurately measures how much light is reflected off the lunar surface to assess the amount of energy Earth-observing satellites receive from moonlight. It will help to improve the accuracy and consistency of measurements among Earth-observing satellites. The results will compliment ground-based sites. Scientists can more easily compare data […]
New quantum dots for quantum networks
Phys.org April 7, 2022 Spin can be also used as the medium for quantum communication by transferring quantum information with light. But the process of transferring information to the spin of extremely small electrons is challenging and must be performed efficiently. An international team of researchers (Japan, Canada, Germany) has realized the world’s first GaAs gate-controlled quantum dot circuit on a (110)-oriented surface that promises to increase photon-electron spin conversion efficiency. This has the effect of encoding quantum information from incident photons into the electron spins. Because of the way the hole interacts with the GaAs crystal lattice, the g-factor, […]
New study solves mystery of how soft liquid droplets erode hard surfaces
Science Daily March 31, 2022 An international team of researchers (USA – University of Minnesota, Chile) has developed a method of high-speed stress microscopy, which measures the key dynamic properties of drop impact responsible for erosion, i.e., the shear stress and pressure distributions of impacting drops, with unprecedented spatiotemporal resolutions. Their experiments revealed the fast propagation of self-similar noncentral stress maxima underneath impacting drops and quantify the shear force on impacted substrates. They examined the deformation of elastic substrates under impact and uncovered impact-induced surface shock waves. The study opens the door for quantitative measurements of the impact stress of […]
Pollen paper that you can print on and ‘unprint’
Nanowerk April 5, 2022 Conventional paper is made of cellulose fibres found in wood, and the process involves energy-intensive steps that include logging, debarking, and chipping. Making pollen-based paper is similar to traditional soapmaking, which is much simpler and less energy-intensive. Researchers in Singapore used potassium hydroxide to remove the cellular components encapsulated in tough sunflower pollen grains and turned them into soft microgel particles. This step also removes allergens from the pollen. They used deionized water to remove unwanted particles from the microgel, before casting it into a 22 cm x 22 cm mould for air-drying, forming a piece […]
Quantum ‘shock absorbers’ allow perovskite to exhibit superfluorescence at room temperature
Phys.org March 31, 2022 While analyzing the structure and optical properties of a common lead-halide hybrid perovskite an international team of researchers (USA – North Caroline State University, France) noticed the formation of polarons in these materials. Their analysis showed that formation of large polarons creates a thermal vibrational noise filter mechanism that they called ‘Quantum Analog of Vibration Isolation,’ or QAVI, which is like a shock absorber protecting the dipoles. When they are protected by the shock absorbers, the dipoles can synchronize and exhibit superfluorescence. According to the researchers, QAVI is an intrinsic property that exists in certain materials, […]
Researchers develop glass-in-glass fabrication approach for making miniature IR optics
Phys.org April 7, 2022 Glass that transmits IR wavelengths is essential for many applications. However, infrared glasses are difficult to manufacture, fragile and degrade easily in the presence of moisture. Researchers in Switzerland have developed a new technique where they created an arbitrarily shaped 3D cavity inside a fused silica glass substrate using femtosecond laser-assisted chemical etching. They used a miniaturized version of pressure-assisted casting, in which a second material was melted and pressurized so that it could flow and solidify within the network of carved silica cavities. The second material can be a metal, glass, or any material with […]
Revolutionary tool could meet future pandemics with accelerated response
Nanowerk April 4, 2022 Researchers in Denmark have developed a technique to identify pharmaceutical agents at nano scale. The process involves using soap-like bubbles as nano-containers to integrate elements from diverse disciplines such as synthetic biochemistry, nanotechnology, DNA synthesis, combinational chemistry, and AI. According to the researchers more than 40,000 different molecules can be synthesized and analyzed within seven minutes in an area smaller than a pinhead, drastically reducing the number of materials, energy, and economic cost for pharmaceutical companies…read more. TECHNICAL ARTICLE
Scientists bioprint tissue-like constructs capable of controlled, complex shape change
Phys.org March 31, 2022 The development of hydrogel-based 4D bioinks, especially those allowing living cell printing, with easy preparation, defined composition, and controlled physical properties is critically important for 4D bioprinting. Researchers at the University of Illinois have developed a single-component jammed micro-flake hydrogel (MFH) system with heterogeneous size distribution, which differs from the conventional granular microgel as a new cell-laden bioink for 4D bioprinting. The cytocompatible MFH features scalable production and straightforward composition with shear-thinning, shear-yielding, and rapid self-healing properties. It can be smoothly printed into stable 3D bioconstructs, which can be further cross-linked to form a gradient in […]
Scientists develop environmentally safe, frost-resistant coatings
Phys.org April 1, 2022 Researchers at the University of Illinois have proposed a design rationale for developing a family of cryoprotectant and phase change material-based compositions in the form of mixtures, non-aqueous emulsions-creams and gels. An in situ generated surface hydration layer protects the underlying substrate from a variety of foulants, varying from ice to disease-causing bacteria. Each formulation utilizes unique chemistry to curtail the embodied cryoprotectant loss and can be easily applied as an all-in-one sprayable/paintable coating capable of significantly outperforming untreated industrial materials in terms of their ability to delay condensation-frosting and shed ice simultaneously. They observed an […]
Shapeable carbon fiber networks with hierarchical porous structure for high-performance Zn-I2 batteries
Nanowerk March 16, 2022 Although aqueous rechargeable zinc-iodine batteries (ZIBs) emerged as a promising energy storage alternative they suffer from the severe shuttle effect of polyiodide and poor reversibility, leading to the poor cycling lifetime and potential safety issues. Researchers in China found that the assembly of Al-based metal-organic frameworks (Al-MOFs) in the presence of polyacrylonitrile (PAN) via electrospinning technique enabled the formation of Al-MOF/PAN fibers. With the subsequent pyrolysis, the hierarchical porous carbon fibers with nitrogen doping (NPCNFs) are prepared for loading iodine. The confinement effect of the porous carbon network and the nitrogen doping, inhibits the shuttle effect […]