IEEE Spectrum October 22, 2020 To make lithium-ion batteries lighter, safer and more efficient a team of researchers in the US (Stanford University, SALC National Accelerators Laboratory) redesigned current conductors, thin metal foils that distribute current to and from electrodes, by replacing the all-copper conductor middle, with a layer of lightweight polymer coated in ultrathin copper and embedded fire retardant in the polymer layer to quench flames. The polymer makes the current collector 80 percent lighter, leading to an increase in energy density from 16 to 26 percent. Whenever the battery has combustion issues, the fire retardant embedded inside the […]
Physicists circumvent centuries-old theory to cancel magnetic fields
Phys.org October 28, 2020 Controlling magnetism, essential for a wide range of technologies, is impaired by the impossibility of generating a maximum of magnetic field in free space. An international team of researchers (Spain, Italy, UK) circumvented the limits to shape magnetic fields by creating a device comprised of a careful arrangement of electrical wires. This creates additional fields that counter act the effects of the unwanted magnetic field. While a similar effect has been achieved at much higher frequencies, this team has achieved the same at low frequencies and static fields—such as biological frequencies—which will unlock a host of useful […]
A Quantum Tango between Magnons and Phonons
American Physical Society October 26, 2020 A magnon polaron, hybridized state of a phonon and a magnon, can be formed at the intersection of the magnon and phonon dispersions, where their frequencies coincide. However, the weak interaction of magnons and phonons and their short lifetimes jeopardize the strong coupling required for the formation of a hybridized state. An international team of researchers (Germany, Russia, Ukraine, UK) overcame these limitations by spatial matching of magnons and phonons in a metallic ferromagnet with a nanoscale periodic surface pattern. The spatial overlap results in a high coupling strength which, in combination with their […]
Single-atom alloy: Superb cocatalyst for photocatalysis
Phys.org October 28, 2020 While surface charge state of co-catalysts plays a critical role for boosting photocatalysis, the study on surface charge regulation via their precise structure control, remains rare. Researchers in China have fabricated an MOF-stabilized bimetallic Pd-Pt nanoparticles which feature adjustable Pt coordination environment and the controlled structure from core-shell to single-atom alloy (SAA). They found that Pt surface charge regulation can be alternatively achieved by changing its coordination environment and the structure of Pd-Pt co-catalyst, where the charge between Pd and Pt is redistributed. The optimized Pd-Pt composite exhibits an exceptionally high photocatalytic hydrogen production activity, far […]
Tailoring 2D materials to improve electronic and optical devices
Science Daily October 27, 2020 By altering the material in two different ways — atomically and physically — a team of researchers in the US (Pennsylvania, State University, MIT, Texas A&M University, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Rutgers University) was able to enhance light emission and increase signal strength, expanding the bounds of what is possible with devices that rely on these materials. In order to strengthen the coupling, the researchers created a new type of 2D material known as Janus transition metal dichalcogenides by replacing atoms on one side of the layer with a different type of atoms, creating uneven […]
Topological states caught in the act
Nanowerk October 23, 2020 Topological insulators do not conduct electricity in their bulk but channel it along their surface through edge modes. The edge modes can be destroyed only through the use of force. This topological property makes such materials promising candidates in future quantum devices when combined with Floquet engineering. An international team of researchers (USA – SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Stanford University, The Flatiron Institute, Spain, Germany, Switzerland) has demonstrated that short corkscrew laser flashes can be used to track these short-lived states. In their earlier work the researchers had demonstrated how to make use of circular dichroism […]
World’s First Ocean Hybrid Platform Converts Tidal Waves Into Energy
IEEE Spectrum October 28, 2020 The key players in this field were universities and startups until the recent entrance of bigger players. Now multinationals have interest in the sector. The floating platform built by a German company uses a combination of wave, wind, and solar energy to harness renewable energy on the open seas. To cope with the maritime environment, the company developed a product family consisting of electric machines, power electronics, and storage solutions. Their wind, wave, and photovoltaic platform is scalable in capacity and can be designed to generate 80 kilowatts to power small houses by the coast […]
Top 10 Science and Technology Inventions for the Week of October 23, 2020
01. ‘Classified knots’: Researchers create optical framed knots to encode information 02. The chips of the future will include programmable photonic circuits 03. Integrated circuit of pure magnons 04. Optical wiring for large quantum computers 05. Researchers discover a uniquely quantum effect in erasing information 06. A trillion turns of light nets terahertz polarized bytes 07. Asymmetric optical camouflage: Tunable reflective color accompanied by optical Janus effect 08. A controllable membrane to pull carbon dioxide out of exhaust streams 09. A flexible color-changing film inspired by chameleon skin (w/video) 10. Good vibrations for new energy And others… Artificial intelligence reveals […]
Targeting the shell of the Ebola virus
Science Daily October 20, 2020 As the world grapples with COVID-19, the Ebola virus is again raging. Researchers at the University of Delaware are using supercomputers to simulate the inner workings of Ebola, observing the way molecules move, atom by atom, to carry out their functions. In the team’s latest work, they reveal structural features of the virus’s coiled protein shell that may be promising therapeutic targets, more easily destabilized, and knocked out by an antiviral treatment. They found that single-stranded viral RNA (ssRNA) is essential for maintaining structural integrity of the nucleocapsid. Other molecular determinants observed to stabilize the nucleocapsid […]
Artificial intelligence reveals hundreds of millions of trees in the Sahara
EurekAlert October 20, 2020 A large proportion of dryland trees and shrubs grow in isolation, without canopy closure. These non-forest trees have a crucial role in biodiversity, and provide ecosystem services such as carbon storage, food resources and shelter for humans and animals. An international team of researchers (Denmark, USA – NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Germany, France, Senegal, Belgium) mapped the crown size of each tree more than 3 m in size over a land area that spans 1.3 million km in the West African Sahara, Sahel and sub-humid zone. They detected over 1.8 billion individual trees. Although the […]