Phys.org October 18, 2019 Current Li-ion batteries are susceptible to catastrophic fire and explosion incidents because they are built with flammable and combustible materials. Researchers at Johns Hopkins University have built a new class of “water-in-salt” and “water-in-bisalt” electrolytes—referred to as WiS and WiBS, respectively—that, when incorporated in a polymer matrix, reduces water activity and elevates the battery’s energy capabilities and life cycle while ridding it of the flammable, toxic, and highly reactive solvents present in current Li-ion batteries. It expands the electrochemical stability window to 4.1 V, dramatically improves cycle life in full cells with lithium titanate anodes compared […]
Swarm of tiny drones explores unknown environments
Science Daily October 23, 2019 An international team of researchers (the Netherlands, UK) developed the swarm gradient bug algorithm (SGBA) that allows a swarm of tiny flying robots to autonomously explore an unknown environment and subsequently come back to the departure point. It maximizes coverage by having robots travel in different directions away from the departure point. The robots navigate the environment and deal with static obstacles on the fly by means of visual odometry and wall-following behaviors. They communicate with each other to avoid collisions and maximize search efficiency. The robots perform a gradient search toward a home beacon […]
Spotting cutting-edge topics in scientific research using keyword analysis
Science Daily October 24, 2019 An international team of researchers (Japan, Taiwan) used bibliometric analyses targeting data of about 30 million published articles from 1970 to 2017 on PubMed to test their hypothesis that existing emerging topics contribute to the generation of new emerging topics in that field. They collected emerging keywords from medical subject headings attached to each article and performed co-word analyses of each emerging keyword 1-year prior to it becoming an emerging keyword. About 75% of total emerging keywords, at 1-year prior to becoming identified as emerging, co-appeared with other emerging keywords in the same article. Most […]
Valleytronics in a monolayer semiconductor at room temperature
Nanowerk October 24, 2019 Valleytronics is very attractive for future electronic devices and quantum computing technology. However, the phonon-assisted intervalley scattering accelerates dramatically when temperature is increased, resulting in volatile valley states and significantly reduced handedness of far-field photoluminescence at room temperature. A team of researchers in the US (UT Austin, University of Pennsylvania) addressed these issues by manipulating strong light-matter interactions between valley excitons, and a purpose-designed plasmonic chiral metamaterial. In demonstration they were able to actively and reversibly tune and turn ON/OFF the manipulation. These results provide a new way to control quantum information carriers in 2D materials. […]
Top 10 Science and Technology Inventions for the Week of October 18, 2019
01. Nanoscale manipulation of light leads to exciting new advancement 02. Solving the mystery of quantum light in thin layers 03. Weaving quantum processors out of laser light 04. Vibration in one direction only 05. Unique sticky particles formed by harnessing chaos 06. New electrolyte stops rapid performance decline of next-generation lithium battery 07. ‘Electroadhesive’ stamp picks up and puts down microscopic structures 08. Creating 2D heterostructures for future electronics 09. Controlling robots across oceans and space 10. Refrigerator works by twisting and untwisting fibres And others… How a new class of startups are working to solve the grid storage […]
Controlling robots across oceans and space
Phys.org October 8, 2019 The first experiment took place in 2012 when NASA astronaut Sunita Williams controlled a LEGO rover in Germany to test a newly-developed ‘space internet’ – proving it is possible to control a rover from orbit. Human-robotic partnerships are at the heart of ESA’s exploration strategy. The ESA’s Meteron project was formed to develop the technology and know-how needed to operate rovers in harsh conditions. It covers all aspects of operations, from communications and the user interface to surface operations and even connecting the robots to the astronauts by sense of touch. The experiment, dubbed Analog-1, will […]
Creating 2D heterostructures for future electronics
Science Daily October 11, 2019 Integration of dissimilar 2D materials is essential for nanoelectronic applications. Compared to vertical stacking, covalent lateral stitching requires bottom-up synthesis, resulting in rare realizations of 2D lateral heterostructures. Because of its polymorphism and diverse bonding geometries, borophene is a promising candidate for 2D heterostructures, although suitable synthesis conditions have not yet been demonstrated. Researchers at Northwestern University report lateral and vertical integration of borophene with graphene. Topographic and spatially resolved spectroscopic measurements reveal nearly atomically sharp lateral interfaces despite imperfect crystallographic lattice and symmetry matching. Boron intercalation under graphene results in rotationally commensurate vertical heterostructures. […]
‘Electroadhesive’ stamp picks up and puts down microscopic structures
Nanowerk October 11, 2019 Mechanical pick-and-place technologies cannot manipulate smaller objects whose surface forces dominate over gravity, and emerging microtransfer printing methods require multidirectional motion, heating, and/or chemical bonding to switch adhesion. A team of researchers in the US (MIT, University of Pennsylvania) has developed soft nanocomposite electroadhesives (SNEs), comprising sparse forests of dielectric-coated carbon nanotubes (CNTs), which have electrostatically switchable dry adhesion. SNEs exhibit 40-fold lower nominal dry adhesion than typical solids, yet their adhesion is increased >100-fold by applying 30 V to the CNTs. They characterized the scaling of adhesion with surface morphology, dielectric thickness, and applied voltage […]
How a new class of startups are working to solve the grid storage puzzle
MIT Technology Review October 10, 2019 To be as cheap, reliable, and flexible as natural gas, such a battery system would have to cost less than $10 per kilowatt-hour. Today’s best grid batteries, large lithium-ion systems, cost hundreds of dollars per kilowatt-hour (precise estimates vary). A US based company is working to hit that target by what seems to be using a sulfur-based solution as the anolyte. Sulfur is extremely cheap and can store a lot of energy. They are exploring the possibility of bidirectional power plants. Long duration storage is another approach taken by some companies. Thermal methods are […]
A look at Japan’s evolving intelligence efforts
MIT News October 8, 2019 According to the book, “Special Duty: A History of the Japanese Intelligence Community” Japan didn’t have a comprehensive intelligence capability, but they’re heading in that direction. Over the last 75 years as international spying and espionage has proliferated, Japan has mostly been on the sidelines of this global game. Defeat in World War II, and demilitarization afterward, meant that Japanese intelligence services were virtually nonexistent for decades. Japan’s interest in spycraft has returned. In addition to a notable military expansion Japan is also ramping up its formal intelligence apparatus. Examining the status of Japan’s intelligence […]