Nanowerk September 24, 2021 An international team of researchers (Germany, USA – Simons Foundation, University of Pennsylvania, Spain) has discovered that two twisted layers of MoS2 can be used to control kinetic energy scales in solids. In addition to using the twist angle to control the material’s electronic properties, they demonstrated that the electrons in MoS2 can interfere destructively, stopping their motion for certain paths making it possible to engineer exotic magnetic states. They studied the collective behavior of twisted bilayer MoS2 in the presence of interactions and characterized an array of different magnetic and orbitally-ordered correlated phases, which may […]
Ultrathin quantum dot LED that can be folded freely as paper
Science Daily September 27, 2021 Researchers in South Korea have demonstrated that 3D foldable quantum dot light-emitting diodes (QLEDs) can be created using laser patterning and metal etch-stop layers with customized ablation thresholds. The approach allows etching to be limited to selected layers of the multilayered QLEDs, and it can be precisely tuned by using alloy-type etch-stop layers. The approach can be used to create QLED architectures with extremely small bending radii (0.047 mm). They have illustrated its capabilities by fabricating a 3D foldable passive matrix array of QLEDs that can display letters and numbers. The entire QLED including the crease […]
Unbreakable glass inspired by seashells
Phys.org September 28, 2021 Nacre, mother of pearl, made of stiff pieces of chalk-like matter that are layered with highly elastic soft proteins, has the rigidity of a stiff material and durability of a soft material. It is 3000 times tougher than the materials that compose it. An international team of researchers (Canada, USA- University of Colorado) took the architecture of nacre and replicated it with layers of glass flakes and acrylic, yielding an exceptionally strong yet opaque material that can be produced easily and inexpensively. They made the composite optically transparent. By tuning the refractive index of the acrylic, […]
Top 10 Science and Technology Inventions for the Week of September 24, 2021
01. Physicists make square droplets and liquid lattices 02. All-nitride superconducting qubit made on a silicon substrate 03. Fiber tracking method delivers important new insights into turbulence 04. Harnessing drones, geophysics and artificial intelligence to root out land mines 05. Melting of polar ice shifting Earth itself, not just sea levels 06. The nanophotonics orchestra presents: Twisting to the light of nanoparticles 07. New optical ‘transistor’ speeds up computation up to 1,000 times, at lowest switching energy possible 08. New quantum transmission protocol has higher data transmission rate, robustness against interference 09. Scientists develop the next generation of reservoir computing […]
All-nitride superconducting qubit made on a silicon substrate
Science Daily September 20, 2021 Researchers in Japan have developed superconducting qubits based on NbN/AlN/NbN epitaxial Josephson junctions on silicon substrates which promise to overcome the drawbacks of qubits based on Al/AlOx/Al junctions. The all-nitride qubits have great advantages such as chemical stability against oxidation, resulting in fewer two-level fluctuators, feasibility for epitaxial tunnel barriers that reduce energy relaxation and dephasing, and a larger superconducting gap of ~5.2 meV for NbN, compared to ~0.3 meV for aluminum, which suppresses the excitation of quasiparticles. By replacing conventional MgO by a silicon substrate with a TiN buffer layer for epitaxial growth of […]
BD21 Biosensor Redesign: DHS Seeks Contractors to Improve Urban BioThreat Classification Sensor
Global Biodefense September 3, 2021 The Biodefense for the 21st Century (BD21) program is working to design, develop, and deploy networked detection systems that continuously monitor the air, collect real-time data, and employ data analytics to detect anomalies. DHS has identified the need for further research and development of commercially available biological detection and presumptive identification technologies to enable timely detection and characterization of airborne bio-threats. The biosensors will be deployed both in indoor and outdoor urban environments to conduct real-time monitoring of biological threats. The redesign is to occur over 15 months and will take place in 2 phases. […]
Chinese scientists report starch synthesis from carbon dioxide
Phys.org September 23, 2021 Starches, a storage form of carbohydrates, are a major source of calories in the human diet and a primary feedstock for bioindustry. Researchers in China designed an artificial route consisting of 11 core reactions to convert CO2 into starch with an efficiency 8.5-fold higher than starch biosynthesis in maize. They integrated chemical and biological catalytic modules to utilize high-density energy and high-concentration CO2. If the overall cost of the process can be reduced to a level economically comparable with agricultural planting in the future, it is expected to save more than 90% of cultivated land and […]
Deadly virus’s pathway to infect cells identified
Science Daily September 23, 2021 Rift Valley fever virus (RVFV) is a zoonotic pathogen with pandemic potential. RVFV entry is mediated by the viral glycoprotein (Gn), but host entry factors remain poorly defined. An international team of researchers (USA – Washington University, University of Pittsburgh, Harvard University, MIT, Canada) conducted genome-wide CRISPR screen and identified low-density lipoprotein receptor-related protein 1 (mouse Lrp1/human LRP1), heat shock protein (Grp94), and receptor-associated protein (RAP) as critical host factors for RVFV infection. RVFV Gn directly binds to specific Lrp1 clusters and is glycosylation independent. Exogenous addition of murine RAP domain 3 (mRAPD3) and anti-Lrp1 […]
Fiber tracking method delivers important new insights into turbulence
Phys.org September 17, 2021 To measure turbulent flows the movement of tracers that are added to the fluid are tracked. The tracers spread over time, they move far apart, and every particle moves independently. To overcome these issues an international team of researchers (Switzerland, Italy, Sweden) used fibers instead of tracer particles. They created a computer simulation and added rigid fibers of different lengths, which kept the ends of each fiber apart at a fixed distance. By tracking how each fiber moved and rotated within the fluid over time, the researchers were able to build up a picture that encompassed […]
Harnessing drones, geophysics and artificial intelligence to root out land mines
Phys.org September 20, 2021 Mines are challenging for clearance operations due to their wide area of impact upon deployment, small size, and random minefield orientation. In their previous work a team of researchers in the US (Columbia University, Binghamton University) focused on developing reliable unpiloted aerial systems (UAS) capable of detecting and identifying individual elements of PFM-1 minefields to rapidly assess wide areas for landmine contamination, minefield orientation, and possible minefield overlap. In their most recent proof-of-concept study they designed and deployed a machine learning workflow involving a region-based convolutional neural network (R-CNN) to automate the detection and classification process. […]