Global Biodefense September 21, 2018 Under the Multiechelon Diagnostics (MEDx) Technology Development and Tiered Evaluation BAA the Naval Research Laboratory is seeking proposals for both genomic and immuno-analysis technologies. Devices must be low-complexity diagnostic devices usable by personnel following minimal training. It is not required that the device is handheld, but the physical parameters of weight and footprint will be evaluated. The final technology package should be for use in the field, often austere environments with limited resources… read more.
On-demand room-temperature single photon array—a quantum communication breakthrough
Phys.org September 21, 2018 An international team of researchers (USA – City College of New York, Australia, Lithuania) has demonstrated large arrays of room-temperature quantum emitters in two-dimensional hexagonal boron nitride. The large energy gap inherent in substrate-induced deformation in hBN stabilizes the emitters at room temperature within nanoscale regions. Combining analytical and numerical modeling, they showed that emitter activation is the result of carrier trapping in deformation potential wells. The breakthrough has solved a long-standing and practical hurdle of realizing deterministic single photon emitters at room temperature… read more. Open Access TECHNICAL ARTICLE
‘Papertronics’ could fold, biodegrade and be the basis for the next generation of devices
Nanowerk September 21, 2018 Researchers at the State University of New York‐Binghamton have developed a bacteria‐powered battery by building microbial fuel cells with inactive, lyophilized exoelectrogenic cells which generates power within minutes of adding saliva. An oxygen‐tight interface and engineered conductive paper reservoir boosts microbial electron transfer efficiency. Exoelectrogenic bacteria preinoculated in the paper battery is freeze‐dried for long‐term storage and can be readily rehydrated for on‐demand power generation. Sixteen microbial fuel cells are incorporated on a single sheet of paper while all are connected in series with two electrical switches mounted on a paper circuit board, produced more than […]
Perovskite semiconductors seeing right through next generation X-ray detectors
Phys.org September 21, 2018 An international team of researchers (Austria, Switzerland, Germany, South Korea, Belgium, China, India) has designed a direct X-ray detector based on halide perovskite semiconductor (Cs2AgBiBr6) which has high sensitivity and structural stability. By optimising the materials and lowering the operating temperature they were even able to improve the X-ray sensitivity of the device tenfold, ultimately peaking near 500 times more sensitive than commercial direct conversion X-ray detectors on the market. The finding has applications as a diagnostic tool in fundamental research and medical fields… read more. TECHNICAL ARTICLE 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 ,
Research forecasts US among top nations to suffer economic damage from climate change
Science Daily September 24, 2018 An international team of researchers (USA – UC San Diego, Carnegie Institution, Italy) used an innovative approach by combining results from several climate and carbon cycle modeling experiments to capture the magnitude and geographic pattern of warming under different greenhouse gas emission trajectories, and the carbon-cycle and climate system response to carbon emissions. They have developed a data set quantifying what the social cost of carbon — the measure of the economic harm from carbon dioxide emissions — will be for the globe’s nearly 200 countries. The top three counties with the most to lose […]
Researchers find ferrimagnets could be used to speed up spintronics devices
Phys.org September 25, 2018 For spintronics devices research focused on ferromagnetic materials to stabilize small spin textures and to move them efficiently with high velocities, but ferromagnets show fundamental limits for speed and size. An international team of researchers (USA- MIT, Germany) circumvent these limits using compensated ferrimagnets. Using ferrimagnetic Pt/Gd44Co56/TaOx films they realized a current-driven domain wall motion with a speed of 1.3 km s–1. Both the size and dynamics of the ferrimagnet are in excellent agreement with a simplified effective ferromagnet theory. The research shows using ferrimagnets instead of ferromagnets could theoretically speed up spintronics devices… read more. TECHNICAL ARTICLE
Scientists discover new mechanism for information storage in one atom
Phys.org September 25, 2018 An international team of researchers (China, Russia) has shown a mechanism for single-atom magnetic storage based on bistability in the valency of an individual Co atom on semiconducting black phosphorus (BP). Calculations reveal that distance-dependent screening from the BP surface stabilizes the two distinct valencies, each with a unique orbital population, total magnetic moment, and spatial charge density. Excellent correspondence between the measured and predicted charge densities reveal that such orbital configurations can be accessed and manipulated without a spin-sensitive readout mechanism. This orbital memory derives stability from the energetic barrier to atomic relaxation, demonstrating the […]
Searching for clues on extreme climate change
Science Daily September 18, 2018 An international team of researchers (Germany, France, UK, Switzerland, Czech Republic) combined classic tree-ring width measurements with chemical (stable isotope) analyses of carbon and oxygen in tree-rings to reconstruct climate variables. This resulted in novel insights into the hydrological variability and atmospheric circulation changes during an abrupt climate change event. Studying the fossil pines in a French river valley the scientists proved that it was not a change in mean temperatures that was problematic, but rather the environmental stress presumably leading to the tree die off. This stress was caused by the accumulation of extreme weather […]
Spray-on antennas could unlock potential of smart, connected technology
Nanowerk September 21, 2018 Researchers at Drexel University developed a method for spraying invisibly thin antennas, made from MXene (titanium carbide), a two-dimensional, metallic material. It is stronger than metals, metallically conductive and can be dissolved in water to create an ink or paint. The exceptional conductivity of the material enables it to transmit and direct radio waves, even when it’s applied in a very thin coating. Even transparent antennas with thicknesses of tens of nanometers were able to communicate efficiently. By increasing the thickness up to 8 microns, the performance of MXene antenna achieved 98 percent of its predicted […]
Two-dimensional multibit optoelectronic memory
Nanowerk September 21, 2018 An international team of researchers (Singapore, China) developed multibit nonvolatile optoelectronic memory based on a heterostructure of monolayer tungsten diselenide and few-layer hexagonal boron nitride. It ensures over 128 (7 bit) distinct storage states. The memory demonstrates robustness with retention time over 4.5 × 104 s. The heterostructure architecture is also applicable to other two-dimensional materials, which is confirmed by the realization of black phosphorus/boron nitride optoelectronic memory… read more. Open Access TECHNICAL ARTICLE