Technology

Researchers at Osaka University have developed the world’s first compact, tunable-wavelength blue semiconductor laser, a breakthrough in far-ultraviolet light technology. Utilizing a novel periodically slotted structure, tunable single-mode oscillation was successfully demonstrated. The laser is suitable for pumping compact second harmonic generation devices, and far-ultraviolet light emitted from the combination enables safe, continuous sterilization and disinfection. Its compact, long-lasting design makes it ideal for integration into household appliances, with wide-ranging potential to enhance indoor health and safety.

A new method streamlines the design and effectiveness of ligands used in chemical reactions in catalysis and drug delivery.

Researchers from Institute of Industrial Science, The University of Tokyo have combined techniques to determine the location of hydrogen in titanium hydride nanofilms

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.

Hokkaido University and Japan Airlines Co., Ltd. signed a partnership agreement in June 2022 to address various social issues in Hokkaido and lead the creation of a sustainable society. As part of this collaboration, Hokkaido Air System Co., Ltd. will equip one of its aircraft with an external camera to commence the world's first regular flight-based red tide monitoring starting in the summer of 2025.

In a pivotal move ahead of COP29, Applied Microbiology International (AMI) has partnered with leading global scientific organisations to issue a unified call to action, spotlighting microbial solutions as pivotal in combating climate change. In a strategic publication, released in multiple high-impact scientific journals at once, the joint paper advocates for the establishment of a global science-driven climate task force. This initiative aims to expedite the deployment of microbiome technologies, providing stakeholders worldwide with access to effective and immediate solutions

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.

Osaka University and NEC Corporation will showcase a research result at the International Conference for High Performance Computing, Networking, Storage, and Analysis (SC24) scheduled to be held from November 17 to 22, 2024 in Atlanta, Georgia. The experiment to be conducted will transfer huge research data between servers using a 100 Gbps line between Japan and the United States. One file of huge research data stored in the storage of one server is transferred to the other server at high speed. In the preliminary evaluation, we have confirmed that the transfer of 1TB of data can be completed in 87 seconds (effective 92.0Gbps) over a short distance. This experiment will confirm the performance of the long-distance transfer between Japan and the U.S.

Asia Research News monitors the latest research news in Asia. Some highlights that caught our attention this week are a new hidden planet, an ancient ocean on Mars, and a flavorsome new species.

Surgical field expansion plate allows surgeons more independence

Plesiosaurs once roamed Earth’s waters, using four equal flippers to propel their elongated bodies through the water. Fossils from these Mesozoic marine reptiles do not preserve the muscle tissue needed to explain how they maneuvered. Yet a group of researchers have harnessed a bio-inspired control system, creating a plesiosaur-like robot that reveals key insights into how they once traversed the oceans. The model could be used in the future to shed light on the movement of other extinct animals.

Edge computing on a smartphone has been used to analyze data collected by a multimodal flexible wearable sensor patch and detect arrhythmia, coughs and falls.

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

28 October 2024, Singapore – EDUtech Asia 2024, will be back for its 9th edition from 6 to 7 November. Organised by Terrapinn, EDUtech Asia 2024 will offer a distinguished lineup of education leaders, decision-makers, policy makers, educators, innovators and disruptors to collaborate and reimagine the future of education with the power of tech.

Scientists develop new approach to analyze 3D structure of lab-made photosynthetic antenna

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.

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.

Organised by IPI, a subsidiary of Enterprise Singapore, this flagship event serves as an essential platform for businesses to explore growth opportunities through strategic matchmaking with industry leaders and potential partners.

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

To enhance the life quality of patients with sleep disordered breathing, researchers and clinicians led by an SUTD scientist used computational modelling to design custom-fit masks that have improved positive airway pressure treatment.

Researchers from Osaka University have created a high-performance polymer that can be chemically recycled without compromising its heat and chemical resistance. The revolutionary design includes a directing group that allows links in the polymer to be broken easily with a catalyst and the original polymer to be reformed in few steps. The directing group could be included in many polymers, potentially providing a new generation of high-performance plastics that can be recycled indefinitely.

2024 Taiwan Innotech Expo takes place from October 17 to 19 at the Taipei World Trade Center. Witness cutting-edge inventions and innovations from Taiwan and around the world.

Using real-world information written in Japanese, large language model displays accuracy on par with neuroradiologists

Researchers from Osaka University have designed and synthesized a new organic semiconductor for organic solar cells (OSCs). By adding specific side units to their structure, they achieved separation between the frontier molecular orbitals, leading to lower exciton binding energy and increased power conversion efficiency. This tuning of the design of an acceptor component is expected to increase the performance of OSCs leading to more effective large-scale photovoltaic systems and new devices.

Dr. Chung-Che Wu, a Ph.D. graduate from the Department of Geosciences, National Taiwan University (NTU), along with Prof. Chuan-Chou Shen, the National Chair Professor, collaborating with an international research team from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH), Switzerland, published a cutting-edge laser-ablation uranium-thorium dating (LA U-Th dating) technology in the prestigious journal "Analytical Chemistry" on August 6th (1) and was selected as one of the cover articles (Figure 1). This breakthrough technology improved LA U-Th dating limits to within tens of thousands of years, with the youngest geological samples dated to only a thousand years, making it the most advanced analytical technique internationally.

A capacitor is like a highspeed battery that can quickly store and release energy. What happens when it becomes “super?” Researchers at Tohoku University have potential solutions to improve energy-efficiency.

If we are to realize better renewable energy technologies, it is vital that scientists develop catalysts that improve the oxygen evolution reaction. A group of researchers has done just that by introducing rare-earth single atoms into manganese oxide.

Ammonia is a gas that plays a crucial role in agriculture and industry and has the potential to become a zero-carbon fuel for energy conversion and storage technologies. However, the current methods of producing ammonia are highly energy-intensive, contributing to approximately 1.8% of global CO2 emissions. By focusing on spinel cobalt oxides, a research team has revealed how understanding and optimizing these catalysts could offer a solution to this challenge.

Scientists have struggled to manufacture quasi-1D Zirconium pentatelluride in larger quantities - until now. This finding by Tohoku University researchers may advance tech such as quantum computing.