Materials Science and Engineering Nanomaterials

Systematic copper doping boosts all-solar utilization in tungstic acid nanocrystals.

A team of researchers from Singapore and the UK, led by Dr Wei Liang Lai, with supervisor, Associate Professor Kheng Lim Goh, has developed a portable device for repairing hard-to-see damage in carbon fiber materials. The device has great potential for the aerospace industry, such as to repair the fuselage of commercial aircraft.

An international collaboration is developing coating materials that could make windows better insulators.

2.5-dimensional materials promise new applications for artificial intelligence, electronics, automobiles and the energy sector.

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Researchers at The University of Tokyo simulate the phase separation of self-spinning particles, and show that the process differs from other unmixing processes, which may shed light on the organization of bacteria and other organisms

Researchers at The University of Tokyo develop a simple but effective method of bonding polymers with galvanized steel, a material ubiquitous in the automobile industry, to cheaply and easily create a lightweight and durable product.

Osaka Metropolitan University researchers have created intermetallic alloy nanoparticles of palladium and zinc with an alternating arrangement of zinc and palladium atoms. The intermetallic alloy is more corrosion-resistant than substitutional alloys while retaining the electrocatalytic properties of both metals, which could be useful for developing new non-precious metal electrocatalysts.

Chemists in Japan, Canada and Europe have uncovered flaws in the surface structure of cellulose nanocrystals—an important step toward deconstructing cellulose to produce renewable nano-materials relevant to biochemical products, energy solutions, and biofuels.

Tohoku University scientists in Japan have developed a mathematical description of what happens within tiny magnets as they fluctuate between states when an electric current and magnetic field are applied. Their findings, published in the journal Nature Communications, could act as the foundation for engineering more advanced computers that can quantify uncertainty while interpreting complex data.

Researchers at Kanazawa University report in ACS Nano the development of a nanoparticle that acts as a heater and a thermometer. Inserting the nanoparticle in living cells results in a heat spot that, by switching it on and off, enables the controlled modulation of local cellular activities.

Milling rice to separate the grain from the husks, produces about 100 million tons of rice husk waste globally each year. Scientists searching for a scalable method to fabricate quantum dots have developed a way to recycle rice husks to create the first silicon quantum dot LED light. Their new method transforms agricultural waste into state-of-the-art light-emitting diodes in a low-cost, environmentally friendly way.

A nanoparticle’s size is fine-tuned to offer high-resolution images before and during surgical procedures.

Scientists demonstrate an optical trapping technique using nanotextured black silicon that can efficiently trap polymer chains. By adjusting the laser intensity, these “optical tweezers” can control the florescence color emitted through a local concentration of a perylene-modified polymer solution. From a low intensity blue to high intensity orange, this reversible and fully remote technology can almost reach the entire RGB spectrum.

In a recent study published in the journal ACS Catalysis researchers from Kanazawa University describe novel scanning electrochemical cell microscopy measurements to determine sites of photoelectrochemical activity in titanium dioxide nanotubes.

Researchers at Jilin University, China, reviewed recent progress in the study of Salvinia leaves and their artificial replicas.

Scientists from South Korea add foreign atoms to monolayer graphene in a controlled manner to selectively enhance its desirable properties

Osaka Prefecture University develops a method to design and control the path of electron flow in a polycrystalline material. Using epitaxial growth approach, researchers address the electrical conductivity problem of thin film materials by realizing a highly conductive in-plane orientation of a metal-organic framework. Furthermore, they show that it is possible to fabricate oriented thin film patterns by integration with UV lithography technology.

Researchers at Osaka Prefecture University have established an approach to identify the orientation of molecules and chemical bonds in crystalline organic-inorganic hybrid thin films deposited on substrates using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) and polarized infrared light with a 3D-printed attenuated total reflectance (ATR) unit. This inexpensive method with laboratory-grade equipment quickly reaches the crystal-structure model of even extremely thin films of less than 10 nm.

Heusler alloys are promising contenders for faster and more energy-efficient computing and memory storage devices.

An artificial intelligence approach extracts how an aluminium alloy’s contents and manufacturing are related to specific mechanical properties.

Scientists have developed a method to use lasers to control the movement of nanodiamonds with fluorescent centers.

A nanoparticle’s size is fine-tuned to offer high-resolution images before and during surgical procedures.

The fine structure of barium titanite, a potential alternative to lead titanite, has been revealed by researchers employing a novel technique over the extremely short time period that the ferroelectric phenomena experienced by these materials occur. The investigation should assist further exploration of how to replace lead titanate with other materials, so that its widespread applicability may be enjoyed while avoiding its role in lead pollution.

Lithium ion batteries use liquid electrolytes that have several drawbacks, which can be overcome by all-solid-state lithium secondary batteries (ASSBs). However, it is important to find efficient electrode materials for ASSBs. A research team from Japan has recently developed a novel electrode material for ASSBs by combining lithium sulfate and lithium ruthenate, which results in improved performance. The scientists hope that their novel approach will guide future research and the eventual commercialization of such high-capacity batteries.

A surprisingly simple method improves ‘drop casting’ fabrication of tiled nanosheets that could be used in next-generation electronic devices. All you need is a pipette and a hotplate.

Scientists have found a way to control an interaction between quantum dots that could lead to more efficient solar cells.

A recent study, affiliated with South Korea's Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST) has synthesized a film composed of densely packed diamond-like carbon nanofibers. l Image Credit: Kyoungchae Kim

A recent study, affiliated with South Korea's Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST) has developed a tiny micro supercapacitor (MSC), being small as the width of a person's fingerprint.

The trick to extremely thin supercapacitors with improved performance is spraying graphene ink at an angle.