Phys.org May 11, 2021 A team of researchers in the US (Cornell University, Virginia Tech, Argonne National Laboratory) synthesized a garnet crystal structure, lithium lanthanum zirconium oxide (LLZO), with various concentrations adding aluminum as a dopant. Through Bragg Coherent Diffractive Imaging they found the material’s morphology and atomic displacements. The researchers now plan to conduct a study that measures how the defects impact the performance of solid-state electrolytes in an actual battery. The study opens the possibility to design defects to make better energy storage materials…read more. TECHNICAL ARTICLE
A new device can light up 100 LED bulbs with a single drop of water (w/video)
Nanowerk May 10, 2021 The water-droplet/solid-based triboelectric nanogenerator, has so far generated peak power densities of less than one watt per square metre, due to the limitations imposed by interfacial effects. An international team of researchers (China, USA – University of Nebraska, Hong Kong) has developed a droplet-based electricity generator (DEG) using polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) film on an indium tin oxide substrate plus an aluminium electrode. When the spreading water connects the two electrodes, all the stored charges on the PTFE can be fully released to generate an electric current. As a result, both the instantaneous power density and energy conversion […]
New evidence for electron’s dual nature found in a quantum spin liquid
EurekAlert May 13, 2021 In spin liquid materials, the spins are constantly changing in a tightly coordinated, entangled choreography resulting in one of the most entangled quantum states. A team of researchers in the US (Princeton University, University of Tennessee, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Purdue University) proposed that in the quantum regime an electron may be regarded as composed of two particles, one bearing the electron’s negative charge and the other containing its spin they called it spinon. They searched for signs of the spinon in a spin liquid composed of ruthenium and chlorine atoms. The measurements demanded an extraordinarily […]
Rapid COVID-19 diagnostic test delivers results within 4 minutes with 90 percent accuracy
Science Daily May 13, 2021 The test called RAPID developed by an international team of researchers (USA- U Penn, Brazil) uses electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), which transforms the binding event between the SARS-CoV-2 viral spike protein and its receptor in the human body into an electrical signal that clinicians and technicians can detect. The signal allows the test to discriminate between infected and healthy human samples. The signal can be read through a desktop instrument or a smartphone. In tests it has proved to be quick and reliable. The technology is affordable and scalable, electrodes used in the test can […]
Researchers generate tunable twin particles of light
Phys.org May 11, 2021 A team of researchers in the US (University of Maryland, University of Illinois) demonstrated a tunable source of indistinguishable photon pairs using dual-pump spontaneous four-wave mixing in a topological system comprising a two-dimensional array of resonators. They exploited the linear dispersion of the topological edge states to tune the spectral bandwidth (by about 3.5×), and thereby, tuned quantum interference between generated photons by tuning the two pump frequencies. They demonstrated energy−time entanglement and, using numerical simulations, confirmed the topological robustness of the source. Their results could lead to tunable, frequency-multiplexed quantum light sources for photonic quantum […]
Researchers in Sweden develop light emitter for quantum circuits
Phys.org May 10, 2021 For photons to deliver qubits on-demand in quantum systems, they need to be emitted in a deterministic, rather than probabilistic, fashion. An international team of researchers (Sweden, the Netherlands) has developed a process to harness the single-photon-emitting properties of hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) integrating it with silicon nitride waveguides to emit photons on-demand at room temperature. Their process precisely positions light-particles emitters in an integrated photonic circuit. In a hybrid approach, the team built the photonic circuits with respect to the quantum sources locations using a series of steps involving electron beam lithography and etching, while […]
Researchers realize coherent storage of light over one hour
Phys.org May 10, 2021 One solution for remote quantum communication lies in quantum memories: photons are stored in long-lived quantum memory (quantum flash drive) and then quantum information is transmitted by the transportation of the quantum memory. Researchers in China adopted the spin wave atomic frequency comb (AFC) protocol in a ZEFOZ field (ZEFOZ-AFC) method to implement long-lived storage of light signals. They used dynamical decoupling to protect spin coherence and extend storage time. They demonstrated coherent storage of light in an atomic frequency comb memory over 1 hour with a fidelity of 96.4%. The study meets the basic requirements […]
Successful synthesis of perovskite visible-light-absorbing semiconductor material
Nanowerk May 7, 2021 Tin-containing oxide semiconductors are cheaper than most semiconductor materials, but their photofunctional applications are constrained by a wide optical band gap. Researchers in Japan doped hydride ions into the tin-containing semiconductor material successfully reducing the band gap from 4 eV to 2 eV, due to the chemical reduction of the tin component that accompanied the hydride ion doping. They verified tin reduction reaction in the semiconductor material through physicochemical measurements. The reduction leads to the generation of a “tin lone electron pair,” whose different electronic states notably contribute to the visible light absorption of the material. […]
Trace gases from ocean are source of particles accelerating Antarctic climate change
Phys.org May 13, 2021 An international team of researchers (UK, Spain, Saudi Arabia) studied the summertime open ocean and coastal new particle formation in the Antarctic Peninsula region based on both ship and station measurements. The rates of particle formation relative to sulfuric acid concentrations, as well as the sulfuric acid dimer-to-monomer ratios, were similar to those seen for sulfuric acid–dimethylamine–water nucleation. Numerous sulfuric acid–amine peaks were identified during new particle formation events, providing evidence that alkylamines were the bases that facilitated sulfuric acid nucleation. Most new particle formation events occurred in air masses arriving from the ice-covered Weddell Sea […]
Zero to hero: Overlooked material could help reduce our carbon footprint
Science Daily May 6, 2021 Researchers in Japan designed an ion-exchanging method using an A-type zeolite (silicon/aluminum ratio of 1) because of its appropriate pore size for adsorbing CO2. The alkaline-earth ion exchange imparted a large electric field strength that, supposedly, acted as a driving force for the adsorption. They chose a doubly charged calcium ion as the exchange ion since it allowed for the greatest amount of adsorption. To investigate the underlying adsorption mechanism, they carried out far-IR measurements and backed them up with density functional theory calculations. It showed a distinct shift towards longer wavelengths following CO2 adsorption. […]