Materials

A future where lightweight car parts can be made with a 3D printer is here, thanks to multi-material additive manufacturing research conducted at Tohoku University.

Redefining the art of matter manipulation at the nanoscale

We might all be able to breathe a bit easier thanks to copper nanoclusters that can help us reduce carbon emissions through an electrochemical reaction.

Just like we recycle waste, repurposing excess CO₂ from the atmosphere could be one way to abate the worsening climate crisis. In electrochemical reduction, CO₂ is converted into industrial products like carbon monoxide, methane, or ethanol. However, scientists have difficulty tailoring the reaction to produce specific products. Now, an international research team has harnessed the versatility of copper to find a solution to this conundrum.

Nanostructured two-dimensional gold monolayers offer possibilities in catalysis, electronics, and nanotechnology.

Helical structures are ubiquitous across biology, from the double-stranded helix of DNA to how heart muscle cells spiral in a band. Inspired by this twisty ladder, researchers have developed an artificial polymer that organizes itself into a controlled helix.

Venice of the Pacific, Membrane transformers, Diverse meals, Nano dots and spirals & Extinct swimmers. Read all in the latest Editor's Choice.

You reach for a glass of water only to knock it to the floor, shattering the glass and shooting shards all over the place. If only the glass was unbreakable. Now, researchers at Tohoku University have brought this possibility closer to reality after they uncovered crucial insights into how glass becomes more resistant to fractures.

By identifying the ideal manufacturing conditions, machine learning reduces the need for expensive and time-consuming experimentation.

- DGIST Prof. Kwon Hyuk-joon's research team developed liquid-processed thin-film transistors that can maintain high performance at low temperatures - They are expected to be used in the next generation of high-performance flexible electronics and wearable devices as they can operate on plastic substrates and maintain stable performance under repeated mechanical bending

Researchers have demonstrated room-temperature ferroelectricity in single-element tellurium nanowires, providing a pathway toward ultrahigh-density data storage and neuromorphic computing. Published in Nature Communications, the study introduces a self-gated ferroelectric field-effect transistor (SF-FET) that integrates memory and computing capabilities.

Copolymer solution uses water-loving differential to induce desorption at lower temperatures

A research team at Tohoku University have proposed a strategy to use spinel oxides to improve a reaction called the oxygen evolution reaction.

A sprinkling of magnetic nanoparticles is just enough to power up catalysts, so they can make hydrogen peroxide production more efficient.

Sometimes the holes, or pores, in the molecular structure of a chemical only appear in the presence of certain conditions or other ‘guest’ molecules. This affects the field of separation—one of the most important processes in industry—but researchers have only just begun to unravel this phenomenon

Researchers look to deep learning techniques in order to streamline the time-consuming process of identifying 2D materials.

Phase-transformable membrane featuring liquid-glass-crystal states achieves precise CO₂/H₂ selectivity and enhanced gas permeability through modular design with metal-organic polyhedra

Researchers have developed a platinum-nickel core-shell catalyst for oxygen reduction reactions. The design improves efficiency and stability, addressing key challenges in catalyst performance, and could open the door to breakthroughs in renewable energy research.

King of nanomaterials, Old but new, Probing stardust properties, Two-in-one, The good grain & Brain-inspired electronic skin. Read all in the latest Editor's Choice.

Surgical field expansion plate allows surgeons more independence

For centuries, gold and silver ornamentation was used to embellish textiles. Gota work is one such technique, which incorporates these precious metals in appliqué form. Read more about the history of this craft, which is inspired by Mughal and Islamic art, and found on bridal and ceremonial garments across northern India.

Polymer’s long spin relaxation time helps researchers gain spintronic insights

Researchers from Osaka University overcame the tradeoff between plastic toughness and degradability by developing plastics with movable crosslinks. The crosslinks both increased toughness by over eight times and increased enzymatic degradability by over twenty times compared with those of a reference plastic without movable crosslinks. These advanced biodegradable plastics bring us one step closer to achieving a resource-circulating society.

Researchers at Tohoku University and the Tokyo University of Science are finding new ways to make the hydrogen evolution reaction harder, better, faster, and stronger!

Asia Research News monitors the latest research news in Asia. Some highlights that caught our attention this week are how combining a drone and a platform can make heavy groceries easier to manage, the smallest dinosaur eggs found to date, and how to assemble DNA to store large amounts of data.

- DGIST Professor Park Chiyoung and Inha University Professor U-hyeok Choi collaborate to develop sustainable, flexible electrode sensor material - Research results published in the Chemical Engineering Journal

New research from the Ateneo de Manila University could pave the way for more durable versions of silicon carbide (SiC), a semiconductive ceramic material found mostly in space that has applications in everything from computer chips to spaceships.

Researchers at Tohoku University have achieved a significant breakthrough in the synthesis of carbon nanotubes, also known as the “king of nanomaterials.”

Asia Research News monitors the latest research news in Asia. Some highlights that caught our attention this week are how a chatbot prompt can send hackers your personal information, the discovery of tiny crystals first predicted almost 100 years ago, and how microbes influence our brain and our planet.

Photoswitching and thermal switching properties allow writing by irradiation or heat and erasing by visible light