Phys.org February 2, 2024 Despite remarkable advancements, the controlled assembly of highly anisotropic 2Dnanosheets is significantly challenging, primarily due to the limited availability of selective edge-to-edge connectivity compared to the abundant large faces. Researchers in South Korea have shown controlled self-assembly of 2D-silica nanosheets (2D-SiNSs) into hollow micron-sized soccer ball-like shells (SA-SiMS). The assembly was driven by the physical flexibility of the 2D-SiNSs and the differential electric double-layer charge gradient creating electrostatic bias on the edge and face regions. The resulting SA-SiMS structures exhibited high mechanical stability, even at high-temperatures, and exhibited excellent performance as catalyst support in the dry […]
Tag Archives: Advanced manufacturing
Cathode active materials for lithium-ion batteries could be produced at low temperatures
Science Daily October 23, 2023 Layered LiCoO2 is usually synthesized after a prolonged sintering process at high temperatures for 10–20 h. Researchers in Japan have developed a “hydroflux process” to obtain highly crystalline and layered LiCoO2 at a low temperature within 30 min. They found that the molten mixed hydroxide-containing water molecules significantly accelerated the formation of LiCoO2, which showed a highly reversible capacity of 120 mAh g–1 without post annealing. The reaction mechanism study showed fast growth of LiCoO2 crystals suggesting that the excess molten hydroxides containing water dissolved the cobalt species of HCoO2 and suppressed the competing reaction […]
Towards computational design of molecules with desired properties
Nanowerk September 25, 2023 The rational design of molecules with targeted quantum-mechanical (QM) properties requires an advanced understanding of the structure–property/property–property relationships (SPR/PPR) that exist across chemical compound space (CCS). An international team of researchers (Luxembourg, Austria, USA – Cornell University, Argonne National Laboratory) analyzed these fundamental relationships in the sector of CCS spanned by small (primarily organic) molecules using the recently developed dataset, a systematic, extensive, and tightly converged collection of 42 QM properties corresponding to ≈4.2M equilibrium and non-equilibrium molecular structures containing up to seven heavy/non-hydrogen atoms. By characterizing and enumerating progressively more complex manifolds of molecular property […]
Revolutionizing lithium production on a string
Science Daily September 7, 2023 A team of researchers in the US (Princeton University, University of Maryland) has developed an efficient and self-concentrating crystallization method for the selective extraction of lithium from both brine and seawater. The sequential and separable crystallization of cation species with different concentrations and solubilities was enabled by a twisted and slender 3D porous natural cellulose fibre structure via capillary and evaporative flows. The process exhibited an evaporation rate as high as 9.8 kg m−2 h−1, and it selectively concentrated lithium by orders of magnitude. They characterized the composition and spatial distribution of crystals, and a transport model deciphered […]
A novel approach for balancing properties in composite materials
Phys.org July 26, 2023 Researchers at Texas A&M University introduced a programmable spray coating process for depositing multiple nanomaterials with tailorable patterns in composite. They showed that such patterns regulate the formation of interfaces, damage containment, and electrical-thermal conductivity of the composites, which is absent in conventional manufacturing that primarily rely on incorporating nanomaterials to achieve specific functionalities. Molecular dynamics simulations showed that increasing the hydrophilicity of the hybrid nanomaterials improved the interactions between the carbon surfaces and epoxy at the interfaces, manifested in enhanced interlaminar and flexural performance. Transitioning from ring to disk created a larger interconnected network leading […]
New-look infrared lens shines a light on future technology and manufacturing
Phys.org May 29, 2023 There is a need for low-cost alternatives to traditional materials used in infrared optics such as germanium. Sulfur-rich copolymers hold promise, as they are made from low-cost feedstocks and have a high refractive index. Researchers in Australia copolymerized cyclopentadiene with sulfur to provide a plastic with the highest long-wave infrared transparency reported to date for this class of materials. Diverse lens architectures were accessible through melt casting or reactive injection molding. The featured copolymer was black, which enabled its use as an infrared-transparent blind for protection of thermal imaging equipment and clandestine surveillance. According to the […]
Team uses 3D printing to strengthen a key material in aerospace, energy-generation applications
MIT News May 19, 2022 An international team of researchers (USA – MIT, Turkey) used additive manufacturing (AM) of a nickel superalloy metallic matrix composite (Ni-MMC) using laser powder bed fusion (LPBF). They prepared nanoceramic-containing composite powders by high-speed blender decluttering and ball milling of as-received SiC nanowires (2 vol%) and Inconel 718 alloy powders which produced a homogeneous decoration of SiC on the surfaces of Inconel particles. Analysing the as-printed specimens revealed the dissolution of SiC nanowires during laser melting, leading to the in-situ formation of Nb- and Ti-based silicide and carbide nanoparticles. The in-situ formed nanoparticles resulted in […]
Detecting manipulations in microchips
Science Daily March 20, 2023 To ensure the absence of Trojans in commissioned chips, one straightforward solution is to compare the received semiconductor devices to the design files that were initially submitted to the foundry. The fundamental techniques to detect Trojans which require evident changes to the silicon layout are well-understood. According to an international team of researchers (Germany, Belgium) there is a glaring lack of public case studies describing the process in its entirety while making the underlying datasets publicly available. To improve upon this state of the art they presented a public and open hardware Trojan detection case […]
Team develops silicon photonic MEMS compatible with semiconductor manufacturing
Phys.org March 22, 2023 Silicon’s relatively weak electro-optic effects result in modulators with a significant footprint and thermo-optic tuning devices that require high power consumption, which are substantial impediments for very large-scale integration in silicon photonics. An international team of researchers (Switzerland, Sweden, Belgium, Ireland) has introduced a silicon photonic MEMS platform consisting of high-performance nano-opto-electromechanical devices fully integrated alongside standard silicon photonics foundry components, with wafer-level sealing for long-term reliability, flip-chip bonding to redistribution interposers, and fibre-array attachment for high port count optical and electrical interfacing. Their experimental demonstration of fundamental silicon photonic MEMS circuit elements, including power couplers, […]
New method creates material that could create the next generation of solar cells
Science Daily February 24, 2023 Halide perovskites show ubiquitous presences in growing fields at both fundamental and applied levels. Discovery, investigation, and application of innovative perovskites are heavily dependent on the synthetic methodology in terms of time-/yield-/effort-/energy- efficiency. Conventional wet chemistry method provides the easiness for growing thin film samples but represents as an inefficient way for bulk crystal synthesis. A team of researchers in the US (Pennsylvania State University, U.S. Army CCDCAMC) has developed a universal solid state-based route for synthesizing high-quality perovskites by means of simultaneously applying both electric and mechanical stress fields during the synthesis, i.e., the […]