Phys.org December 23, 2024 Decisions about solar geoengineering (SG) entail risk–risk tradeoffs between the direct risks of SG and SG’s ability to reduce climate risks. Quantitative comparisons between these risks are needed to inform public policy. A team of researchers in the US (Georgia Institute of Technology, Princeton University, University of Chicago) evaluated SG’s effectiveness in reducing deaths from warming. They found that temperature-attributable mortality is uneven with decreases for hotter, poorer regions and increases in cooler, richer regions. There was no evidence that the mortality reduction achieved by SG was smaller than the reduction from equivalent cooling by emissions […]
Spintronics memory innovation: A new perpendicular magnetized film
Phys.org December 27, 2027 FeCo(B) is a current standard magnetic material for perpendicular magnetic tunnel junctions (p-MTJs). A team of researchers in Japan reported PMA in metastable bcc Co-based alloy, i.e. bcc CoMnFe thin films which were known to exhibit large TMR effect when used for electrodes of MTJs with the MgO barrier. Their ab-initio calculation suggested that PMA originates from tetragonal strain and the value exceeds 1 MJ/m3 with optimizing strain and alloys composition. The simulation of the thermal stability factor indicated that the magnetic properties obtained satisfied the requirement of the data retention performance of X-1X nm STT-MRAM. […]
Stretchable, flexible, recyclable: 3D printing method creates fantastic plastic
Phys.org December 13, 2024 Thermoplastic elastomers (TPEs) are nanostructured, melt-processable, elastomeric block copolymers. When TPEs that form cylindrical or lamellar nanostructures are macroscopically oriented, their material properties can exhibit several orders of magnitude of anisotropy. Researchers at Princeton University demonstrated that the flows applied during the 3D printing of a cylinder-forming TPE enables hierarchical control over material nanostructure and function. 3D printing allowed control over the extent of nanostructural and mechanical anisotropy. They had tunable local and macroscopic mechanical responses. They achieved melt-reprocessability over multiple cycles, reprogramability, and robust self-healing via a brief period of thermal annealing, enabling facile fabrication […]
Stretchable technology: Revolutionizing next-generation electronics through freeform deformation
Nanowerk December 25, 2024 All stretchable interconnects are subjected to dynamically changing, non-uniform strains during mechanical deformation. Researchers at the Republic of Korea developed a method for analyzing the strain behavior of stretchable interconnects using a chiral liquid crystal elastomer (CLCE), which exhibited immediate structural color changes of nano periodic molecular arrangement in response to dynamic stretching deformations. They engineered the modulus and shape geometry of the serpentine CLCE to visualize dynamically changing serpentine structures, and investigated the real-time strain distribution of the interconnects under various multi-stretching properties. According to the researchers their work may enable enhanced design and optimization […]
Tiny, wireless antennas use light to monitor cellular communication
MIT News December 20, 2024 Monitoring electrical potentials in liquid is critical in biosensing but limitations in spatial resolution and recording density remain. A team of researchers in the US (MIT, industry) introduced organic electro-scattering antennas (OCEANs) for wireless, light-based probing of electrical signals with micrometer spatial resolution, potentially from thousands of sites. The technology relied on poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):polystyrene sulfonate light scattering properties to its doping level. Signal-to-noise ratios up to 48 were achieved in response to 100-mV stimuli. OCEANs demonstrated millisecond time constants and long-term stability, enabled continuous recordings over 10 hours. According to the researchers their work potentially accelerates […]
Wearable energy harvester can be attached to the skin or clothes
Nanowerk December 23, 2024 3D buckling makes stretchability possible in devices but, when applied to piezoelectric devices due to the uneven distribution of internal strain during deformation. When strains with opposite directions simultaneously affect piezoelectric materials, the electric output can decrease due to cancellation. Researchers in the Republic of Korea developed an electrode design tailored to the direction of strain and a circuit configuration that prevented electric output cancellation. These designs provided stretchability to piezoelectric nanogenerators (PENGs) and minimized electric output loss. Using an inorganic piezoelectric material with a high piezoelectric coefficient, they demonstrated the dynamics of energy harvesting. In […]
Top 10 Science and Technology Inventions for the Week of December 20, 2024
01. Light-driven hybrid nanoreactor offers cost-effective hydrogen production 02. Antarctica’s tipping points threaten global climate stability 03. CO₂-eating bacteria can recycle carbon from chimney smoke directly into new products 04. New method aids in predicting where next big quake will start 05. Scientists develop material with almost perfect water repellency 06. Wind alters snow crystals, impacting climate models 07. Tiny chips promise swift disease diagnosis from a single breath 08. Model suggests Earth’s subsurface may hold up to 5.6 × 10⁶ million metric tons of natural hydrogen 09. New polymer ramps up quest for better data storage 10. MIT engineers […]
2D materials boost p-type transistor performance, paving way for future tech
Phys.org December 17, 2024 Two-dimensional semiconductors have relied on metal-work-function engineering which has led to the development of effective n-type 2D FETs, but it is challenging with p-type FETs. An international team of researchers (USA – Pennsylvania State University, Czech Republic, India) showed that the degenerate p-type doping of molybdenum diselenide and tungsten diselenide could reduce the contact resistance in multilayers. But this resulted in poor electrostatic control, and they found that the doping effectiveness was reduced in thinner layers due to strong quantum confinement effects. To overcome this, they developed a high-performance p-type 2D molybdenum diselenide FET using a […]
Antarctica’s tipping points threaten global climate stability
Phys.org December 17, 2024 Human-induced climate change, and other human activities in Antarctica and the Southern Ocean region are leading to several potential interacting tipping points with major and irreversible consequences. An international team of researchers (UK, Australia) examined eight potential physical, biological, chemical, and social Antarctic tipping points – Ice sheets, Ocean acidification, Ocean circulation, Species redistribution, Invasive species, Permafrost melting, Local pollution, and the Antarctic Treaty System. They discussed the nature of each potential tipping point, its control variables, thresholds, timescales, and impacts, and focused on the potential for cumulative and cascading effects because of their interactions. Their […]
COâ‚‚-eating bacteria can recycle carbon from chimney smoke directly into new products
Phys.org December 19, 2024 Carbon capture and utilization (CCU) covers an array of technologies for valorizing carbon dioxide (CO2). To date, most mature CCU technology conducted with capture agents operates against the CO2 gradient to desorb CO2 from capture agents, exhibiting high energy penalties and thermal degradation due to the requirement for thermal swings. Researchers in Denmark developed a concept of Bio-Integrated Carbon Capture and Utilization (BICCU), which utilized methanogens for integrated release and conversion of CO2 captured with capture agents. BICCU substituted the energy-intensive desorption with microbial conversion of captured CO2 by the methanogenic CO2-reduction pathway, utilizing green hydrogen […]