Engineering & Technology

Standing at the forefront of technological evolution, the Malaysia Technology Expo (MTE) 2024, taking place from 22-24 February at the World Trade Centre Kuala Lumpur, stands out as a crucial hub for innovation, inspiration, and intellect. We extend a warm invitation to everyone, from tech enthusiasts to industry experts, to join this impressive showcase of technological wonders and pioneering breakthroughs.

At Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University, four researchers in diverse fields of study – from urban planning to digital architecture – are working hard to reach sustainability goals.

Coordination polymer crystals show promise as a new generation of light sources for industry and medicine.

A new method allows scientists to gather enough information about the properties of metals to enable the prediction of the properties of new materials.

Vaccines and therapies based on messenger RNA could be more readily delivered due to a non-toxic polymer that protects RNA and controls its release inside cells.

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A trained AI system learns to design cellular materials with specific target properties for a wide range of potential uses, including tissue engineering and energy storage.

A new coating for tiny vaccine carriers allows vaccines to remain in the body for longer.

Researchers from Osaka University and IMRA AMERICA demonstrated a 300 GHz-band wireless link that was able to transmit data over a single channel at a rate of 240 gigabits per second. The wireless communication system employs signal generators based on lasers that have ultra-low phase noise in the sub-terahertz band. This rate is the highest so far reported at these frequencies and is a substantial step forward in 300 GHz-band communications for 6G networks.

- Professor Kwon Hyuk-jun’s research team at DGIST develops a low-temperature solution process through exothermic response-induced combustion synthesis and implements synapse-simulating non-volatile semiconductor memory - It is expected to be applied to next-generation computing systems because of its superb durability and data storage capabilities even in high temperature

A team of researchers have opened new possibilities in bioanalytical application by developing a microfluidic device that allows for the precise and efficient manipulation of fluids in three-dimensional microscale environments.

Researchers from SANKEN (The Institute of Scientific and Industrial Research), at Osaka University developed an optical sensor consisting of carbon nanotube photodetectors and organic transistors formed on an ultrathin, flexible polymer film. A wireless system reads the images from the sensor. Experiments showed the sensor has high sensitivity, a wide bandwidth, and robustness to extreme deformation such as bending and crumpling. This sensor has high potential for use in applications such as non-destructive imaging, non-sampling liquid quality evaluation, wearable devices, and soft robotics.

Researchers from Thailand have pioneered the conversion of waste HDPE milk bottles into high-stiffness composites, utilizing PALF reinforcement for a 162% increase in flexural strength and 204% in modulus. This eco-friendly upcycling boosts mechanical properties while sequestering carbon, presenting a promising path for sustainable materials.

Researchers from Osaka University and collaborating partners have improved the efficiency of heat-to-electricity conversion in gallium arsenide semiconductor microstructures. By judicious spatial alignment of electrons within a two-dimensional electron gas system with multiple subbands, one can substantially enhance the power factor compared with previous iterations of analogous systems. This work is an important advance in modern thermoelectric technology and will benefit the global integration of the Internet of Things.

Research by Assistant Professor Edison Ang Huixiang and his team from National Institute of Education/Nanyang Technological University Singapore

Unleashing stem cells from dog urine, Electronic Tongue, Tapping into human motion energy, How neurons network, and A radical use for plastic bags. Plus Communicating science two decades on. Read all in the latest Editor's Choice.

A research team from Osaka University, The University of Tokyo, and Tokyo Institute of Technology revealed the microscopic origin of the large magnetoelectric effect in interfacial multiferroics composed of the ferromagnetic Co2FeSi Heusler alloy and the piezoelectric material. They observed element-specific changes in the orbital magnetic moments in the interfacial multiferroic material using an X-ray Magnetic Circular Dichroism (XMCD) measurement under the application of an electric field, and they showed the change contributes to the large magnetoelectric effect. The findings provide guidelines for designing materials with a large magnetoelectric effect, and it will be useful in developing new information writing technology that consumes less power in spintronic memory devices. The research results will be shown in an article, “Strain-induced specific orbital control in a Heusler alloy-based interfacial multiferroics” published in NPG Asia Materials.

Researchers from Osaka University and collaborating partners have, via reductive amination, resolved a problem that has limited the applicability of carboxylic acids to alkylamine production. Their experimental protocol is environmentally sustainable, simple and convenient to conduct, and works for a broad range of starting materials. This work is an important advance in green chemistry that might help minimize the environmental footprint of synthesizing a class of molecule that's used to manufacture many everyday products.

What actually happens is much weirder, and may help us understand more about quantum mechanics

An international research group has engineered a novel high-strength flexible device by combining piezoelectric composites with unidirectional carbon fiber. The new device transforms kinetic energy from the human motion into electricity, providing an efficient and reliable means for high-strength and self-powered sensors.

Researchers have developed a high-speed, high-sensitivity terahertz-wave detector operating at room temperature, paving the way for advancements in the development of next generation 6G/7G technology.

A research team at Osaka Metropolitan University has fabricated a gallium nitride (GaN) transistor using diamond, which of all natural materials has the highest thermal conductivity on earth, as a substrate, and they succeeded in increasing heat dissipation by more than two times compared with conventional transistors. The transistor is expected to be useful not only in the fields of 5G communication base stations, weather radar, and satellite communications, but also in microwave heating and plasma processing.

SUTD researchers developed an advanced system of breast cancer cell detection with improved speed and sensitivity, using a viral mechanism to enhance the tool’s sensing accuracy.

A new study have compared the reinforcing efficiency of pineapple leaf fiber (PALF) and cultivated flax fiber in poly(butylene succinate) composites. PALF, a less explored but potentially sustainable alternative, outperformed flax at 20 wt.%, showcasing its potential in high-performance bio-composites and aligning with environmental goals.

The MTE 2023 Sustainable Energy and Green Technology International Innovation Awards (SEGT IIA) is set to take place from 19-21 December 2023. This prestigious accolade dedicated to celebrating outstanding achievements and breakthrough innovations in sustainable energy and green technology.

Riding the momentum of the environment-aware agenda, SUTD researchers were part of an international collaboration that developed a sustainable approach to discover and identify materials for next-generation electronics.

In a significant advancement in optical technology, researchers from Tohoku University and Toyohashi University of Technology have developed a new method for creating transparent magnetic materials using laser heating. This breakthrough, recently published in the journal Optical Materials, presents a novel approach to integrating magneto-optical materials with optical devices, a long-standing challenge in the field.

A research team led by Professor Chan Chi-hou, Chair Professor of Electronic Engineering at City University of Hong Kong (CityU), achieved an unprecedented advance in antenna technology by making possible the manipulation of all five fundamental properties of electromagnetic waves through software control.

Researchers at Tohoku University and the University of California, Santa Barbara have shown a proof-of-concept of an energy-efficient computer compatible with current AI.

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