Science and Technology of Advanced Materials

Japanese researchers have helped discover, analyze and commercialize novel conducting materials and products, such as zirconia-based gas sensors and lithium-ion batteries.

Solid crystals that self-assemble to form channels for an electric current could make safer batteries.

Investigation of paper-based electronics continues to advance, showing exciting signs of progress.

Cellulose nanofibers can help particles in ink and printed electronics disperse evenly, rather than spread apart like dried coffee rings.

Cyanine dyes could improve the efficiency of using molecular probes to identify, for example, the presence of a virus or a tumour receptor.

A common language for computer software tools that describes materials at their smallest scale could lead to designing faster and better materials.

Ultra-sensitive devices are being developed to detect biological and chemical compounds.

Silicon nanowires fabricated using an imprinting technology could be the way of the future for transistor-based biosensors.

Nanoscale manipulation on the surface of materials could stimulate cells to differentiate into specific tissues – eliminating the use of growth or transcription factors.

Researchers in Japan have improved a potential treatment for a rare genetic disease, decreasing its negative toxic effects by threading it onto a dumb-bell-shaped chain and holding it in place until it reaches its target.

A team centered at Nagoya University, Japan, have developed a device for quick, accurate identification of a mutation strongly associated with a cancer that affects the central nervous system, potentially enabling accurate removal of the entire tumor during an operation.

Researchers at Kyoto University have found that molybdenum silicides can improve the efficiency of turbine blades in ultrahigh-temperature combustion systems.

Carbon nanotubes show potential, but also many challenges, for the manufacture of flexible, wearable electronics, according to a research review in Science and Technology of Advanced Materials.

Scientists are developing more highly sensitive devices for the detection of biological and chemical compounds.

The rapidly evolving branches of materials science need mathematics to translate their accumulating knowledge into a common language.

The discoverer of the first iron-based superconductor, one of Science magazine’s 2008 runner-up breakthroughs of the year, now reports finding around 100 new superconducting materials.

Japanese scientists have reviewed recent progress in advanced optical materials based on gadolinium aluminate garnet (GAG), while pointing out the knowledge gaps that need to be filled to improve their optical performance.

Recent developments and research related to iron oxide nanoparticles confirm their potential in biomedical applications – such as targeted drug delivery – and the necessity for further studies.

A powerful new antiseptic agent, called ozone nanobubble water, holds promise for the treatment of periodontitis, or severe gum infections, according to research published in the journal Science and Technology of Advanced Materials.

Japanese researchers have developed adaptable nano-capsules that can help in the diagnosis of glioblastoma cells – a highly invasive form of brain tumour.

Scientists at Japan’s Kyushu University say polymer-wrapped carbon nanotubes hold much promise in biotechnology and energy applications. The paper was recently published in Science and Technology of Advanced Materials.

Molecules used to make optoelectronic devices can be engineered to have specific properties, making the production of high-performance optoelectronic devices more efficient, according to a paper in Science and Technology of Advanced Materials.

Researchers have demonstrated the potential of a “synthetic protein mimic” to promote the adhesion of brain cells in a laboratory setting. This feat could help overcome a major challenge in nerve tissue engineering.

Scientists in Japan are finding that perovskites have the potential to improve the fabrication of electrodes and wiring in ceramic-based electronics such as spark plugs.

Toyota Central R&D Labs. Inc. in Japan have reviewed research that might be leading the way towards a new generation of automotive catalytic converters.

A paper in the journal Science and Technology of Advanced Materials explores what is preventing the reinforcing ability of carbon nanotubes from being used in a ceramic matrix.

Researchers at Japan’s National Institute for Materials Science revealed that improvements should soon be expected in the manufacture of transistors that can be used, for example, to make flexible, paper-thin computer screens.

Silicene is the thinnest form of silicon. It is metallic, has graphene-like mobile carriers and can behave like a semiconductor. The wonder material could lead to even smaller electronics but challenges remain in this review published in the Science and Technology of Advanced Materials.

Researchers at the University of Lorraine in France say that quasicrystals, a type of complex metal alloy with crystal-like properties, can be useful in the design of new composite materials.