Phys.org December 17, 2018 An international team of researchers (USA – MIT, University of Hartford, UK. France) found that several materials with poor nonlinear characteristics can be combined, resulting in a new metamaterial that can be “tuned” to change the color of light. The enhancement comes from the way the metamaterial reshapes the flow of photons. They describe the underlying physics, compare its predictions to the experimental results, and analyze the limits of its applicability. The work opens a new direction in controlling the nonlinear response of materials and may find applications in on-chip optical circuits, drastically improving on-chip communications…read […]
Category Archives: Advanced materials
New megalibrary approach proves useful for the rapid discovery of new nanomaterials
Nanowerk December 18, 2018 A team of researchers in the US (Northwestern University, AFRL at Wright-Patterson AFB) supports the efficacy of a potentially revolutionary new tool developed at Northwestern University to rapidly test millions (even billions) of nanoparticles to determine the best one for a specific use. The tool utilizes a combinatorial library, or megalibrary, of nanoparticles in a very controlled way. The libraries are created using Mirkin’s Polymer Pen Lithography (PPL) technique, which relies on arrays with hundreds of thousands of pyramidal tips to deposit individual polymer “dots” of various sizes and composition, each loaded with different metal salts […]
New quantum materials could take computers beyond the semiconductor era
Berkeley News December 3, 2018 A team of researchers in the US (UC Berkeley, industry) propose a way to turn multiferroics and topological materials, into logic and memory devices that will be 10 to 100 times more energy-efficient than foreseeable improvements to current microprocessors. MESO is based on a multiferroic material consisting of bismuth, iron and oxygen (BiFeO3) that is both magnetic and ferroelectric. They report that they have reduced the voltage needed for multiferroic magneto-electric switching from 3 volts to 500 millivolts and predict that it should be possible to reduce this to 100 millivolts: one-fifth to one-tenth that […]
Self-sensing materials are here
Nanowerk November 16, 2018 In Carbon fiber composites the damage can remain hidden below the surface, undetectable by visual inspection. Researchers at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory have invented a roll-to-roll process to coat electrically conductive carbon fibers with semiconducting silicon carbide nanoparticles. This nanomaterial-embedded composite is stronger than other fiber-reinforced composites and imbued with a new capability—the ability to monitor its own structural health…read more. TECHNICAL ARTICLE
Getting rid of sweat at the push of a button
Phys.org November 19, 2018 Using HYDRO_BOT technology developed by researchers in Switzerland, a company has developed a ski jacket that removes sweat from the inner clothing and transports it out of the jacket eliminating the moisture trapped in the inner clothing. This ensures the body spend minimal energy to stay warm. The jacket is easy to switch on and off using the integrated control unit or the iPhone & Android app. HYDRO_BOT technology consists of three layers: a membrane of billions of pores per square meter surrounded by an electrically conductive fabric. By means of a small electrical impulse, the […]
New insulating state found in stretched graphene
Nanowerk November 9, 2018 Using quantum simulation methods that model electron interactions explicitly, an international team of researchers (Italy, Japan) has found that when stretched graphene transitions to a more exotic nonmagnetic topological state called a Kekulé-like dimerized nonmagnetic insulator which could have interesting technological applications. They intend to find out more about the nature of the phase transition between electrons…read more. TECHNICAL ARTICLE
Nanofiber carpet could lead to new sticky or insulating surfaces
Phys.org November 14, 2018 A team of researchers in the US (University of Michigan. University of Wisconsin, Cornell University) has shown that chemical vapor polymerization can be performed on surfaces coated with thin films of liquid crystals to synthesize organized assemblies of end-attached polymer nanofibers. Their process uses low concentrations of radical monomers formed initially in the vapor phase and then diffused into the liquid-crystal template. This minimizes monomer-induced changes to the liquid-crystal phase and enables access to nanofiber arrays with complex yet precisely defined structures and compositions and permits tailoring of a wide range of functional properties – coatings […]
A new approach to liquid-repelling surfaces
MIT News November 1, 2018 Omniphobic surfaces can fail during condensation. Researchers at MIT have developed a nanostructured surface that consists of isolated reentrant cavities with a pitch on the order of 100 nm to prevent droplets from nucleating and spreading within all structures. They developed a model to guide surface design and subsequently fabricated and tested these surfaces with various liquids. They demonstrated repellency to 10 °C below the dew point and showed durability over 3 weeks. The work provides important insights for achieving robust, omniphobic surfaces…read more. TECHNICAL ARTICLE
New composite material that can cool itself down under extreme temperatures
Science Daily October 26, 2018 Researchers in the UK used a network of multiple microchannels with active flowing fluids as a method and proof of concept to develop a thermally-functional material made of a synthetic polymer. Through modulating volumetric flow rates, they manipulated fluid-material interface for heat transport within a microfluidic platform. The material is enhanced with precise control measures that can switch conductive states to manage its own temperature in relationship to its environment. The research will result in an advanced material that can absorb high solar radiation, as the human body can do, to cool itself autonomously whatever […]
Researchers switch material from one state to another with a single flash of light
SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory October 19,2018 In tantalum disulfide the charge density waves are all oriented in the same direction in the alpha state. A team of researchers in the US (MIT, SLAC National Accelerator, Harvard University) zapped a thin crystal of tantalum disulfide with a very brief laser pulse. They found that some of the waves flipped into a beta state with a different electron orientation, and the alpha and beta regions were separated by domain walls. A second flash of light dissolved the domain walls and returned the material to its pure alpha state. They could fine-tune the […]