[Images above] Credit: NIST
NANOMATERIALS
How a tiny device could lead to big physics discoveries and better lasers
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute researchers fabricated a device no wider than a human hair that will help physicists investigate the fundamental nature of matter and light. The device is made of a photonic topological insulator, which can guide photons to specific interfaces within the material while also preventing these particles from scattering.
ENERGY
Renewable grid: Recovering electricity from heat storage hits 44% efficiency
University of Michigan researchers reported that their new thermophotovoltaic device has a power conversion efficiency of 44% at 1,435°C, within the target range for existing high-temperature energy storage (1,200–1,600°C). It surpasses the 37% achieved by previous designs within this range of temperatures.
Iron could be key to less expensive, greener lithium-ion batteries
Chemistry researchers co-led by Oregon State University showed that iron instead of cobalt and nickel can be used as a cathode material in lithium-ion batteries.
Bladeless wind energy innovation aims to compete with rooftop solar
A compact, “motionless” wind turbine with a magnetic generator designed for large commercial rooftops provides 5 kW of capacity per unit. Aeromine Technologies secured Series A funding for scaling its innovative design.
BIOMATERIALS
A bit of electricity can glue together hard and soft materials
University of Maryland researchers found that a weak electric current can stick graphite and hard metals to soft gels and tissues. The exact science behind this effect is still a mystery. But the unexpected find could one day be used to attach medical implants to tissues inside people’s bodies.
ENVIRONMENT
Gathering data to understand the interactions between wildlife and offshore wind energy
The five-year Wildlife and Offshore Wind project, funded by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Wind Energy Technologies Office and the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, involves tagging “species of interest” to better understand their behavior around offshore wind energy projects to ensure developments do not disrupt wildlife.
Recycling carbon dioxide into household chemicals
Scientists at Argonne National Laboratory, Northern Illinois University and Valparaiso University report a family of low-cost, tin-based catalysts that efficiently convert CO2 into ethanol, acetic acid, or formic acid. These liquid hydrocarbons are among the most produced chemicals in the U.S. and are found in many commercial products.
Cement recycling method could help solve one of the world’s biggest climate challenges
University of Cambridge researchers found that used cement is an effective substitute for lime flux, which is used in steel recycling to remove impurities and normally ends up as a waste product. But by replacing lime with used cement, the end product is recycled cement that can be used to make new concrete.
Research on production of cement and quicklime can reduce carbon dioxide emissions
Umeå University researchers explored how impurities, either introduced via biomass or raw material, affects the product quality in quicklime production and how electrified heating affects cement quality. They found that by replacing fossil fuels with renewable ones, emissions can be reduced by up to 40%.
MANUFACTURING
Use of hydrogen in steel production: RATH reports effects on refractories
Refractories manufacturer RATH recently conducted a broad-based comparative corrosion study to investigate the effects of hydrogen on the refractory materials used in steel plants and which ones withstand the changed stresses particularly well.
Enhanced plasticity of spontaneous coagulation cast oxide ceramic green bodies
Researchers from Shanghai Institute of Ceramics, Chinese Academy of Sciences enhanced the plasticity of oxide ceramic green bodies shaped by spontaneous coagulation casting, a new type of colloidal forming process.
A simpler method for precise molecular orbital visualization
Researchers from Chiba University, the University of Tsukuba, and Hiroshima City University developed a new photoemission orbital tomography method based on the PhaseLift algorithm that can accurately determine molecular orbitals in a single run.
OTHER STORIES
Students: International Youth Forum on Functional Glass and Optoelectronic Materials
The ACerS Glass & Optical Materials Division and the Chinese Ceramic Society are organizing the International Youth Forum on Functional Glass and Optoelectronic Materials in Qinhuangdao, China, from Aug. 29–Sept. 1, 2024. Ph.D. students and young scholars under the age of 45 can apply for funding by submitting a CV and abstract to xinwang@siom.ac.cn before July 31.
Neutrons open window to explore space glass
A team of scientists from nine institutions in government, academia, and industry discovered that many kinds of glass have similar atomic structure and can successfully be made in space.
New type of composite material for shielding against neutron and gamma radiation
Researchers from Hefei Institutes of Physical Science of Chinese Academy of Sciences created a new type of composite material for shielding against neutron and gamma radiation. They reinforced boron-containing polyethylene using micron plate Sm2O3.
Under extreme impacts, metals get stronger when heated
Massachusetts Institute of Technology researchers discovered that when metals are deformed at an extreme rate by an object moving at high velocities, hotter temperatures make the metal stronger, not weaker.
Turning up the heat on next-generation semiconductors
Researchers led by Massachusetts Institute of Technology explored the properties and performance of gallium nitride heterostructures at extremely high temperatures. They found extreme temperatures did not cause significant degradation to the gallium nitride material or ohmic contacts.
What pottery reveals about prehistoric Central European culinary traditions
Researchers at the Autonomous University of Barcelona and the State Office for Heritage Management and Archaeology of Saxony-Anhalt explored the culinary traditions and cultural relations of central Germany between the Early Neolithic and the Late Bronze Age using changes in pottery styles and decorations as indicators.