Phys.org May 18, 2022 A team of researchers in the US (Pennsylvania State University, Michigan Technological University) developed and demonstrated a mechanism that enhances the magnitude of the piezoelectric coefficient of a ceramic. Through extensive characterization conducted using high-resolution microscopy and diffraction techniques in conjunction with the computational models they found that chemical heterogeneity and anisotropy are the underlying mechanisms that govern the piezoelectric performance of ceramic materials. They showed that by aligning all the grains in a ceramic material along certain crystallographic axes they could get a very high piezoelectric response. They achieved close to 2,000 picocoulombs per Newton. […]
Tag Archives: Advanced materials
The way of water: Making advanced electronics with H2O
Science Daily May 16, 2022 The next generation of photovoltaics, semiconductors and LEDs could be made using perovskites. The presence of moisture can lead to defects in the materials, causing them to fall apart more quickly when they’re being used in a device. Researchers in Australia found a simple way to control the growth of phase-pure perovskite crystals by harnessing water as a positive factor by changing the ratio of water to solvent during the early stages of the process, they could choose to grow different types of perovskite crystals, with structures to suit various purposes. They identified that the […]
Energy researchers invent chameleon metal that acts like many others
Phys.org May 9, 2022 A team of researchers in the US (University of Minnesota, UMass Amherst, UC Santa Barbara) has invented a device called catalytic condenser that allowed them to tune the number of electrons at the surface of the catalyst converting one metal to behave like another. They fabricated the catalytic condenser by combining nano-scale film of alumina with graphene, which could be electronically tuned. The condenser uses a combination of nanometer films to move and stabilize electrons at the surface of the catalyst. The power of the device to stabilize electrons is tunable with varying composition of a […]
New study solves mystery of how soft liquid droplets erode hard surfaces
Science Daily March 31, 2022 An international team of researchers (USA – University of Minnesota, Chile) has developed a method of high-speed stress microscopy, which measures the key dynamic properties of drop impact responsible for erosion, i.e., the shear stress and pressure distributions of impacting drops, with unprecedented spatiotemporal resolutions. Their experiments revealed the fast propagation of self-similar noncentral stress maxima underneath impacting drops and quantify the shear force on impacted substrates. They examined the deformation of elastic substrates under impact and uncovered impact-induced surface shock waves. The study opens the door for quantitative measurements of the impact stress of […]
Scientists bioprint tissue-like constructs capable of controlled, complex shape change
Phys.org March 31, 2022 The development of hydrogel-based 4D bioinks, especially those allowing living cell printing, with easy preparation, defined composition, and controlled physical properties is critically important for 4D bioprinting. Researchers at the University of Illinois have developed a single-component jammed micro-flake hydrogel (MFH) system with heterogeneous size distribution, which differs from the conventional granular microgel as a new cell-laden bioink for 4D bioprinting. The cytocompatible MFH features scalable production and straightforward composition with shear-thinning, shear-yielding, and rapid self-healing properties. It can be smoothly printed into stable 3D bioconstructs, which can be further cross-linked to form a gradient in […]
A stretchy display for shapable electronics
Nanowerk March 23, 2022 A team of researchers in the US (Stanford University, Berkeley National Laboratory, Southern Mississippi University) has developed a material design strategy and fabrication processes to achieve stretchable all-polymer-based light-emitting diodes with high brightness and stretchability (about 100 per cent strain). The final display contains seven layers. Two outer layers are two substrates that encapsulate the device. There are two electrode layers, each followed by charge transporting layers and the light-emitting layer sits sandwiched in the center. When electricity runs through the display, one electrode injects positive charges into the light-emitting layer while the other injects negatively […]
Extracting mechanical work from superfast-expanding hydrogels
Nanowerk March 12, 2022 Superabsorbent polymer gels can absorb large amounts of water (100–1000× their dry weight). However, gels that are both superabsorbent and able to expand rapidly have not yet been realized. Researchers at the University of Maryland created such gels by in situ foaming of a monomer solution (acrylic acid and acrylamide) using a double-barreled syringe which has acid and base in its two barrels. The gas generated by the acid–base reaction, was stabilized by an amphiphilic polymer in one of the barrels. The monomers are then polymerized by UV light to form the gel around the bubbles, […]
Quantum information: Light from rare-earth molecules
Nanowerk March 11, 2022 Rare-earth ions (REIs) are promising solid-state systems for building light–matter interfaces at the quantum level. However, few crystalline materials have shown an environment quiet enough to fully exploit REI properties. Molecular systems can provide such capability but generally lack spin states and they show broad optical lines that severely limit optical-to-spin coherent interfacing. An international team of researchers (France, Germany) found that europium molecular crystals exhibit linewidths in the tens of kilohertz range, orders of magnitude narrower than those of other molecular systems. They harnessed this property to demonstrate efficient optical spin initialization, coherent storage of […]
‘Self-driving’ lab speeds up research, synthesis of energy materials
Science Daily March 16, 2022 A team of researchers in the US (North Carolina State University, University of Buffalo) has developed and demonstrated a ‘self-driving lab’ that uses artificial intelligence and fluidic systems to advance our understanding of metal halide perovskite (MHP) nanocrystal using cesium lead halides for proof of concept. The self-driving lab technology can autonomously dope MHP nanocrystals with varying levels of manganese which changes the optical and electronic properties of the nanocrystals and introduces magnetic properties to the material. Thus, giving control over greater range of electronic and magnetic properties. The autonomous system could also be used […]
Breakthrough in quantum sensing provides new material to make qubits
Phys.org March 9, 2022 Being atomically thin and amenable to external controls, 2D materials offer a new paradigm for the realization of patterned qubit fabrication and operation at room temperature for quantum information sciences applications. An international team of researchers (USA – Temple University, Northeastern University, Taiwan) has shown that the antisite defect in 2D transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) can provide a controllable solid-state spin qubit system. Using high-throughput atomistic simulations, they identified several neutral antisite defects in TMDs that lie deep in the bulk band gap and host a paramagnetic triplet ground state. The analysis revealed the presence of […]