Science & Technology News Bulletin

Every week, we editorially select the best S&T stories released from major news outlets. These stories are then ranked and posted (with appropriate credit and references to the originals) on our Blog by Friday afternoon. Hema Viswanath curates this content and has been doing so for ASDR&E's Office of Net Technical Assessments and Office of Technical Intelligence for over seven years before performing the same work for us. Currently, we are experimenting with distributing this content through a free, advertising-supported model. We intend to continue experimenting using paywalls, direct e-mail subscriptions and donations. Hosting this content is important to us and we would like to retain it on at least a revenue-neutral basis. We are also experimenting with enriching the content to make it more relevant to our Government clients.

01. Imaging the elusive skyrmion: Neutron tomography reveals their shapes and dynamics in bulk materials
02. Light and sound waves reveal negative pressure
03. Material would allow users to ‘tune’ windows to block targeted wavelengths of light
04. Nanofluidic device generates power with saltwater
05. Novel approach towards nanomaterials developed
06. One-atom-thick ribbons could improve batteries, solar cells and sensors
07. Researchers advance topological superconductors for quantum computing
08. Researchers fabricate chip-based optical resonators with record low UV losses
09. Single sideband modulation technique can relax the bandwidth restriction
10. Transistor-inspired ultra-sensitive materials heat up advanced data security

And others

Efficient fuel-molecule sieving using graphene
Successful optical biosensing using dual optical combs: High sensitivity and rapid detection of biomolecules
Topological materials open a new pathway for exploring spin hall materials
Towards computational design of molecules with desired properties
Transparent wood-based coating doesn’t fog up

 

01. AI models struggle to identify nonsense, says study
02. Battery-free robots use origami to change shape in mid-air
03. Exploring just how extreme future storms could get
04. Generating biskyrmions in a rare earth magnet
05. Scientists develop self-healing elastomer for flexible electronics
06. New method improves accuracy and resolution of lightning observations
07. Plumbing the depths of thermoelectrics in search of novel materials
08. Researchers develop high-performance zero thermal expansion composite for precision devices
09. Unveiling the invisible: A bioinspired CMOS-integrated polarization imaging sensor
10. Wifi can read through walls

And others

Accounting transparency effort tied to decreased funding for innovation
Near-surface permafrost could be nearly gone by 2100, scientists conclude
Scientists uncover mystery of important material for semiconductors at the surface
Synthesis of Clean Hydrogen Gas from Waste Plastic at Zero Net Cost

 

01. Valleytronics: Innovative way to store and process information up to room temperature
02. Copper-doped tungstic acid nanocrystals transform infrared light conversion
03. A linear path to efficient quantum technologies
04. Magnetic whirls pave the way for energy-efficient computing
05. New battery holds promise for green energy
06. New ionic MOF materials boost hydrogen fuel cell efficiency
07. Revolutionizing lithium production on a string
08. Scientists unlock reversible twisting of nanoscale materials
09. Tonga volcano unleashed fastest ever undersea flows: study
10. Glaciers could provide powerful new volcano monitoring tool

And others

A guide to Big Team Science creates a blueprint for research collaboration on a large scale
LAM Research Next Generation Computer Memory Will Arrive by 2029 and Is Being Designed Today
A new design strategy for mechanoresponsive materials with high thermal tolerance
New laser tweezers allow gentle, efficient manipulation of cells and nanoparticles (w/video)
Pixel-by-pixel analysis yields insights into lithium-ion batteries

 

01. Device offers long-distance, low-power underwater communication
02. ‘Countercation engineering’ for thermoresponsive graphene-oxide nanosheets
03. Better cybersecurity with new material
04. Growing triple-decker hybrid crystals for lasers
05. Mapping Australia’s hidden lithium reserves
06. Novel titanium dioxide catalyst shows promise for electrocatalytic carbon dioxide reduction
07. Scientists demonstrate new, improved way to make infrared light, with quantum dots
08. Scientists develop an energy-efficient wireless power and information transfer system
09. Scientists synthesize new organometallic “sandwich” compound capable of holding more electrons
10. Team develops novel sponge-based triboelectric nanogenerator for corrosion protection in transportation systems

And others

An age gap in the C-suite makes companies more innovative
Linking two solar technologies is a win-win for efficiency and stability
Missile Defense Agency Sees Megawatt Anti-ICBM Lasers by 2026
Out with the old, in with the new: Agile mentorship to support future scientists
Three easily measurable parameters can provide valuable information about the structure of volcanoes

 

RECENT POSTS

Top 10 Science and Technology Inventions for the Week of September 29, 2023

01. Imaging the elusive skyrmion: Neutron tomography reveals their shapes and dynamics in bulk materials
02. Light and sound waves reveal negative pressure
03. Material would allow users to ‘tune’ windows to block targeted wavelengths of light
04. Nanofluidic device generates power with saltwater
05. Novel approach towards nanomaterials developed
06. One-atom-thick ribbons could improve batteries, solar cells and sensors
07. Researchers advance topological superconductors for quantum computing
08. Researchers fabricate chip-based optical resonators with record low UV losses
09. Single sideband modulation technique can relax the bandwidth restriction
10. Transistor-inspired ultra-sensitive materials heat up advanced data security

And others

Efficient fuel-molecule sieving using graphene
Successful optical biosensing using dual optical combs: High sensitivity and rapid detection of biomolecules
Topological materials open a new pathway for exploring spin hall materials
Towards computational design of molecules with desired properties
Transparent wood-based coating doesn’t fog up

 

Efficient fuel-molecule sieving using graphene

Phys.org   September 22, 2023
Proton exchange membranes with high proton conductivity and low crossover of fuel molecules are required to realize advanced fuel-cell technology. The selective transportation of protons, which occurs by blocking the transportation of fuel molecules across a proton exchange membrane, is crucial to suppress crossover while maintaining a high proton conductivity. An international team of researchers (Japan, Germany) proposed a simple yet powerful method for optimizing the crossover-conductivity relationship by pasting sulfanilic-functionalized holey graphenes onto a Nafion membrane. Their results showed that the sulfanilic-functionalized holey graphenes supported by the membrane suppressed the crossover by 89% in methanol and 80% in formate compared with that in the self-assembled Nafion membrane. They observed approximately 60% reduction in the proton conductivity. According to the researchers this method exhibits the potential for application in advanced fuel cells that use methanol and formic acid as chemical fuels to achieve high energy efficiency… read more. Open Access TECHNICAL ARTICLE 

Morphological characterizations of sulfanilic-functionalized holey graphene… Credit: Advanced Science, Early View, 2304082, 08 September 2023

Imaging the elusive skyrmion: Neutron tomography reveals their shapes and dynamics in bulk materials

Phys.org   September 26, 2023
Commonly observed in thin systems as two-dimensional sheets, in three dimensions skyrmions form tubes that are thought to nucleate and annihilate along their depth on points of vanishing magnetization. However, a lack of techniques that can probe the bulk of the material has made it difficult to perform experimental visualizations of skyrmion lattices and their stabilization through defects. An international team of researchers ( Canada, USA – NIST, SUNY Buffalo, Germany) provided three-dimensional visualizations of a bulk Co8Zn8Mn4 skyrmion lattice through a tomographic algorithm applied to multiprojection small-angle neutron scattering measurements. Reconstructions of the sample showed a disordered skyrmion lattice exhibiting three-dimensional topological transitions through emergent (anti) monopole branching and segmentation defect pathways. According to the researchers their technique provides insights into skyrmion stabilization and topological transition pathways in a bulk skyrmion lattice, guiding the future development and manipulation of skyrmion materials for spintronic applications… read more. Open Access TECHNICAL ARTICLE 

3D Skyrmion tubes and their topological transition defect pathways. Credit: Nature Physics, 14 August, 2023

Light and sound waves reveal negative pressure

Phys.org   September 25, 2023
Pressure is encountered in various fields – atmospheric pressure in meteorology, blood pressure in medicine, etc. Examining the physical properties of materials under a wide range of thermodynamic states is a challenging problem due to the extreme conditions the material must experience. Such temperature and pressure regimes, which result in a change in the refractive index and sound velocity, can be accessed by optoacoustic interactions such as Brillouin–Mandelstam scattering. An international team of researchers (Germany, France, Australia) demonstrated the Brillouin–Mandelstam measurements of nanolitre volumes of liquids in extreme thermodynamic regimes enabled by a fully sealed liquid-core optical fibre containing carbon disulfide. Within this waveguide, which exhibited tight optoacoustic confinement and a high Brillouin gain, they were able to conduct spatially resolved measurements of the local Brillouin response, which gave access to a resolved image of the temperature and pressure values along the liquid channel. They measured the material properties of the liquid core at very large positive pressures (above 1,000 bar) and substantial negative pressures (below –300 bar), as well as explored the isobaric and isochoric regimes. The extensive thermodynamic control allowed the tunability of the Brillouin frequency shift of more than 40% using only minute volumes of liquid… read more. Open Access TECHNICAL ARTICLE

Sample geometry and analysis of the integrated Brillouin spectrum at room temperature… Credit: Nature Physics, September 25, 2023 

Material would allow users to ‘tune’ windows to block targeted wavelengths of light

Phys.org   September 26, 2023
Dual-band electrochromism, the independent modulation of visible and near-infrared light by a single material, is highly desirable for smart windows to enhance the energy efficiency of buildings. Tungsten oxides are commercially important electrochromic materials, exhibiting reversible visible and near-infrared absorption when electrochemically reduced in an electrolyte containing small cations or protons. The presence of structural water in tungsten oxides has been associated with faster electrochromic switching speeds. A team of researchers in the US (North Carolina State University, UT Austin, Vanderbilt University) found that WO3·H2O, a crystalline hydrate, exhibited dual-band electrochromism unlike the anhydrous WO3. Making use of this property they tuned the electrochromic response of tungsten oxides demonstrated absorption of near-infrared light at low Li+/e– injection, followed by the absorption of visible light at higher Li+/e– injection because of an electrochemically induced phase transition. The dual-band modulation was possible due to the more open structure of WO3·H2O compared to WO3, which facilitated a more extended solid-solution Li+ insertion regime that benefited the modulation of near-infrared radiation via plasmon absorption. Higher degrees of Li+/e– insertion led to polaronic absorption associated with localized charge storage. According to the researchers their results show how structural factors influence the electrochemically induced spectral response of transition-metal oxides and the important role of structural water beyond optical switching speed… read more. TECHNICAL ARTICLE

Graphical abstract. Credit: ACS Photonics 2023, 10, 9, 3409–3418, September 1, 2023

Nanofluidic device generates power with saltwater

Nanowerk   September 23, 2023
Researchers at the University of Illinois designed a nanofluidic device capable of converting ionic flow into usable electric power. Combining computational and analytical approach based on Green’s function technique and Boltzmann transport formalism they established the onset of electronic current in a doped silicon membrane induced by the long-range Coulomb interaction of ions flowing through a nanofluidic channel. Characterized by an open circuit voltage and short circuit current, the electronic Coulomb drag provided a new paradigm for power harvesting. Their model predicted a current amplification of the ionic drag current because of the large momentum transfer from heavy ions to charge carriers in silicon, which was achieved for both anions and cations flowing in the nanochannel irrespective of the dopant type in the semiconductor. The analysis indicated the versatility of this effect with respect to the nature of the electrolyte and the semiconducting materials, provided proper tuning of their structures and design configurations… read more. TECHNICAL ARTICLE 

Graphical abstract. Credit: Nano Energy, Volume 117, 1 December 2023, 108860 

Novel approach towards nanomaterials developed

Nanowerk  September 25, 2023
In a typical approach for creating nanostructures ligands are grafted onto the surfaces of nanoparticles to improve the dispersion stability and control interparticle interactions. Ligands remain secondary and usually are not expected to order significantly during superstructure formation. Researchers in Germany investigated how ligands can play a more decisive role in the formation of anisotropic inorganic–organic hybrid materials. They grafted poly(2-iso-propyl-2-oxazoline) (PiPrOx) as a crystallizable shell onto SiO2 nanoparticles. By varying the PiPrOx grafting density, both solution stability and nanoparticle aggregation behavior could be controlled. Upon prolonged heating, anisotropic nanostructures formed in conjunction with the crystallization of the ligands. Self-assembly of hybrid PiPrOx@SiO2 (shell@core) nanoparticles first, formed amorphous aggregates via gelation, mediated by the interaction between nanoparticles through grafted polymer chains. As a second step, slow radial growth of fibers was observed via directional crystallization, governed by the incorporation of crystalline ribbons formed from free polymeric ligands in combination with crystallization of the covalently attached ligand shell. According to the researchers their work revealed how crystallization-driven self-assembly of ligands can create intricate hybrid nanostructures… read more. TECHNICAL ARTICLE 

ACS Nano 2023, XXXX, XXX, XXX-XXX, September 18, 2023

One-atom-thick ribbons could improve batteries, solar cells and sensors

Science Daily  September 21, 2023
Quasi-1D nanoribbons provide a unique route to diversifying the properties of their parent 2D nanomaterial, introducing lateral quantum confinement and an abundance of edge sites. Phosphorus-only materials do not conduct electricity very well, hindering their use for certain applications. Researchers in the UK created a new family of nanomaterials with the creation of arsenic–phosphorus alloy nanoribbons (AsPNRs). By ionically etching the layered crystal black arsenic–phosphorus using lithium electride followed by dissolution in amidic solvents, solutions of AsPNRs were formed. The ribbons were typically few-layered, several micrometers long with widths tens of nanometers across, and both highly flexible and crystalline. The AsPNRs were highly electrically conducting above 130 K due to their small band gap (ca. 0.035 eV), paramagnetic in nature, and had high hole mobilities, as measured with the first generation of AsP devices, directly highlighting their properties and utility in electronic devices such as near-infrared detectors, quantum computing, and charge carrier layers in solar cells… read more. Open Access TECHNICAL ARTICLE 

Graphical abstract. Credit: J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2023, 145, 33, 18286–18295, August 8, 2023

Researchers advance topological superconductors for quantum computing

Nanowerk  September 21, 2023
The interface between 2D topological Dirac states and an s-wave superconductor is expected to support Majorana-bound states (MBS) that can be used for quantum computing applications. Realizing these novel states of matter and their applications requires control over superconductivity and spin-orbit coupling to achieve spin-momentum-locked topological interface states (TIS) which are simultaneously superconducting. A team of researchers in the US (Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Rutgers State University of New Jersey) have shown superconductivity in monolayer (ML) FeTe1–ySey (Fe(Te,Se)) grown on Bi2Te3 by molecular beam epitaxy (MBE). Spin and angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (SARPES) directly resolved the interfacial spin and electronic structure of Fe(Te,Se)/Bi2Te3 heterostructures. For y = 0.25, the electronic structure was found to overlap with the Bi2Te3 TIS and the desired spin-momentum locking was not observed. In contrast, for y = 0.1, reduced inhomogeneity measured by scanning tunneling microscopy and a smaller Fe(Te,Se) Fermi surface with clear spin-momentum locking in the topological states were found. The researchers have demonstrated that the Fe(Te,Se)/Bi2Te3 system is a highly tunable platform for realizing MBS where reduced doping can improve characteristics important for Majorana interrogation and potential applications… read more. TECHNICAL ARTICLE 

… Quantum Science Center headquartered at ORNL. Credit: Carlos Jones/ORNL, U.S. Dept. of Energy.

Researchers fabricate chip-based optical resonators with record low UV losses

Phys.org   September 26, 2023
UV and visible photonics enable applications ranging from spectroscopic sensing to communication and quantum information processing. Photonics structures in these wavelength regimes tend to experience higher loss than their IR counterpart. Particularly in the near-UV band, on-chip optical microresonators have not yet achieved a quality factor beyond 1 million. A team of researchers in the US (Yale University, industry) developed ultra-low-loss photonic waveguides and resonators patterned from alumina thin films prepared by a highly scalable atomic layer deposition process. They demonstrated ultra-high Q factor of 1.5×106 at 390 nm, a record value at UV bands, and 1.9×106 at 488.5 nm… read more. Open Access TECHNICAL ARTICLE

Comparison of int vs. wavelength (300 - 500 nm) for recent reports on nanophotonic devices using different materials… Credit: Optics Express, Vol. 31, Issue 21, pp. 33923-33929 (2023)