Phys.org June 24, 2024 Perovskite photovoltaics have been shown to recover, or heal, after radiation damage. A team of researchers in the US (National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Rochester Institute of Technology, North Texas University, University of North Carolina, NASA Glenn Research Center, Cleveland, OH, University of Oklahoma, University of Buffalo) deconvolved the effects of radiation based on different energy loss mechanisms from incident protons which induce defects or can promote efficiency recovery. They designed a dual dose experiment first exposed devices to low-energy protons efficient in creating atomic displacements and then irradiated with high-energy protons that interacted differently. Correlated […]
Stacking three layers of graphene with a twist speeds up electrochemical reactions
Phys.org June 21, 2024 A team of researchers in the US (University of Michigan, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Carnegie Mellon University, MIT) developed a twist-dependent electrochemical activity map, combining a low-energy continuum electronic structure model with modified Marcus–Hush–Chidsey kinetics in Tri layer graphene. They identified a counterintuitive rate enhancement region spanning the magic angle curve and incommensurate twists in the system geometry. They found a broad activity peak with a ruthenium hexamine redox coupled in regions corresponding to both magic angles and incommensurate angles, a result qualitatively distinct from the twisted bilayer case. According to the researchers flat bands and […]
Top 10 Science and Technology Inventions for the Week of June 21, 2024
01. Researchers leverage shadows to model 3D scenes, including objects blocked from view 02. Custom-made molecules designed to be invisible while absorbing near-infrared light 03. Making ferromagnets ready for ultra-fast communication and computation technology 04. Molecular sponge for the electronics of the future 05. MXenes for energy storage: Chemical imaging more than just surface deep 06. Nanosized blocks spontaneously assemble in water to create tiny floating checkerboards 07. Quantum computing trade-off problem addressed by new system 08. Quantum data assimilation: A quantum leap in weather prediction 09. Quantum entangled photons react to Earth’s spin 10. Generation of intense terahertz waves […]
Cheap yet ultrapure titanium metal might enable widespread use in industry
Phys.org June 17, 2024 Widespread use of titanium is significantly hampered by its strong affinity to oxygen, resulting in elevated manufacturing costs during the refining, melting, and casting processes. Researchers in Japan introduced a high-throughput technique, that effectively reduced the oxygen content in molten titanium to a level suitable for structural material applications, to streamline the mass production of titanium by seamlessly integrating the refining, melting, and casting processes. The process leveraged the high affinity of rare-earth metals, such as yttrium (Y), for oxygen. They utilized the formation reaction of their oxyhalides (YOF) to directly remove oxygen from liquid titanium […]
Custom-made molecules designed to be invisible while absorbing near-infrared light
Nanowerk June 17, 2024 Molecules that can absorb near-infrared light but not visible light have applications in everything from chemotherapy to photodetectors. Researchers in Japan were able to systematically design a large, complex molecule that does not absorb visible light, (it is completely colorless and transparent) but absorbs near-infrared radiation by carefully constructing molecules that have suitable arrangements of electrons. It showed an absorption band in the NIR region without distinct visible-light absorption, which has led to the establishment of colorless characteristics. Theoretical analyses indicated that the combination of a polyene-like electronic structure with orbital symmetry was important to obtain […]
Generation of intense terahertz waves with a magnetic material
Phys.org June 19, 2024 A spintronic THz emitter consisting of a ferromagnetic/nonmagnetic bilayer heterostructure is a promising innovation that can provide an alternative solution/replacement for conventional THz emitters. To extend the applicability of THz waves researchers in Japan developed and demonstrated an efficient and strong THz emission from a single layer of Co2MnGa with a large anomalous Hall effect (AHE) influenced by its Weyl semimetallic nature. They showed strong correlations among the THz emission, AHE, and chemical ordering of the full Heusler crystal structures for Co2MnGa. Based on proper structural and chemical design, the topological nature of this material facilitates […]
Heat used to transform antiskyrmions to skyrmions and back
Riken Research June 19, 2024 Recent studies have experimentally discovered several host materials for antiskyrmions have been identified, but their control via thermal current remains elusive. An international team of researchers (Japan, Germany) used thermal current to drive the transformation between skyrmions, antiskyrmions and non-topological bubbles, as well as the switching of helical states in the antiskyrmion-hosting ferromagnet (Fe0.63Ni0.3Pd0.07)3P at room temperature. They discovered that a temperature gradient drove a transformation from antiskyrmions to non-topological bubbles to skyrmions while under a magnetic field and observed the opposite, unidirectional transformation from skyrmions to antiskyrmions at zero-field, suggesting that the antiskyrmion, more […]
Making ferromagnets ready for ultra-fast communication and computation technology
Phys.org June 14, 2024 Spin-torque driven critical spin dynamics, such as auto-oscillations, play the central role in many spin-based technologies. An international team of researchers (USA – UC Riverside, Johns Hopkins University, Germany, India, Ukraine) developed the theoretical framework of precessional auto-oscillations for ferromagnets with spin inertia. They discovered and introduced the concept of nutational auto-oscillations and demonstrated that they can become pivotal for future ultrahigh frequency technologies. They showed parallels between spin dynamics in ferrimagnets and inertial ferromagnets and derived an isomorphism that established a foundation for synergistic knowledge transfer between these research fields… read more. TECHNICAL ARTICLE
Molecular sponge for the electronics of the future
EurekAlert June 17, 2024 Porous covalent organic frameworks (COFs) enable the realization of functional materials with molecular precision. Past research has typically focused on generating rigid frameworks where structural and optoelectronic properties are static. Constructing dynamic, yet crystalline and robust frameworks require a well-controlled degree of flexibility. An international team of researchers (UK, Germany, USA – Stony Brook University) has developed dynamic 2D COFs that can open and close their pores upon uptake or removal of guests while retaining their crystalline long-range order. The process requires a well-controlled degree of flexibility. They achieved this through a ‘wine rack’ design where […]
MXenes for energy storage: Chemical imaging more than just surface deep
Phys.org June 17, 2024 Due to their versatile tunable properties MXene flakes are used as electrodes in lithium-ion batteries and diverse applications, from energy storage to electromagnetic shielding. However, the local distribution of surface functional groups over single flakes and within few- or multilayered flakes remains unclear. An international team of researchers (Germany, France) introduced scanning X-ray microscopy (SXM) with simultaneous transmission and electron yield detection of individual MXene flakes enabling multimodal nanoscale chemical imaging with bulk and surface sensitivity, respectively. The Ti chemical bonding environment is found to significantly vary between few-layered and multilayered MXenes. Simultaneous bulk and surface […]