Feature Channels: Materials Science

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Through international joint research between Korea and Germany, the joint research team consisting of the Korea Institute of Machinery and Materials (KIMM), K-Lab and Germany’s Fraunhofer Gesellschaft and BBW Lasertechnik GmbH developed a new 2D on-the-fly composite equipment by applying a scanner that allows for laser welding and cutting of materials for bipolar plates for fuel cells with thickness of 0.075mm.

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Until now, researchers have been unable to model how deceptively simple tubular structures —called chemical gardens — work and the patterns and rules that govern their formation.

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Scientists directly observed a pair-density wave (PDW) in an iron-based superconducting material with no magnetic field present. This state of matter, which is characterized by coupled pairs of electrons that are constantly in motion, had been thought to only arise when a superconductor is placed within a large magnetic field. This exciting result opens new potential avenues of research and discovery for superconductivity.

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Physicists from the National University of Singapore (NUS) have developed an innovative method of converting human hair waste into a functional material that can be used to encrypt sensitive information or detect environmental pollutants.

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Shear band formation is not typically a good sign in a material — the bands often appear before a material fractures or fails. But materials science and engineering researchers at the University of Wisconsin–Madison have found that shear bands aren’t always a negative; under the right conditions, they can improve the ductility, or the plasticity, of a material.

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Most robotic grippers are made using either soft plastics - to pick up objects without damaging them – that melt at high temperatures, or metals which are stiff and costly. A team of researchers from the National University of Singapore and Northeast Forest University, have created a wooden robotic gripper that could be used in a very hot environment and yet maintain a tender touch. This innovative wooden robotic gripper also has another advantage – it is driven by changes in moisture, temperature and lighting in the environment, hence lowering energy consumption.

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A team led by scientists and engineers at the University of Washington has announced a significant advancement in quantum computing. They have detected signatures of “fractional quantum anomalous Hall” (FQAH) states, promising step in constructing a type of fault-tolerant qubit.

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Creating energy the way the sun and stars do — through nuclear fusion — is one of the grand challenges facing science and technology. What’s easy for the sun and its billions of relatives turns out to be particularly difficult on Earth. On Earth, scientists must generate, confine and sustain a superhot gas called plasma — heated to 10 times the temperature of the center of the sun — to cause a fusion reaction. Although terrestrial plasmas can be confined magnetically, what materials can withstand near such high temperatures and the relentless impact of energetic neutrons? That question is central to the development of economical fusion power plants to provide abundant and carbon-free energy. Scientists at the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory have been working with Japanese scientists under the Japan-U.S. Fusion Cooperation Program for decades to determine the answer.

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Fascination surrounding spaceflight and rockets is at an all-time high. Sites near launchpads draw crowds of spectators, eager to witness the flash of fire and feel the vibrations as the rumble of the motor becomes a roar. People, squinting and craning their necks to watch the rocket hurtle out of sight, aren’t likely thinking about the science behind the propulsion that makes it all possible.

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Adhesive tape fulfills many purposes, from quickly fixing household appliances to ensuring a reliable seal on a mailed package. When using tape with a strong bond, removing it may only be possible by scraping and prying at the tape's corners, hoping desperately that surface pieces don’t tear away with the tape.

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A recently installed 3D ceramics printer offers Penn State materials researchers advanced capabilities to easily produce high-resolution ceramic parts and other innovative ceramics for cutting-edge materials research at a lower cost than sourcing them.

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Scientists from the National University of Singapore and A*STAR’s Institute of Materials Research and Engineering have invented a paper-like, battery-free, AI-enabled sensor patch – PETAL - for convenient and effective monitoring of wound recovery. This novel technology provides early warning of complications to improve wound care. The paper-like, battery-free PETAL sensor patch uses five colorimetric sensors to measure biomarkers in the wound within 15 mins. A proprietary AI algorithm quickly analyses the digital image of the sensor patch to determine wound healing status with an accuracy rate of 97%.

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Researchers from Empa and Imperial College London are developing a heat-resistant drone that can analyze the source of danger at close range in the event of a building or forest fire. This allows firefighters to optimize the strategy of a high-risk operation before entering the danger zone.

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To unveil the previously elusive behavior and stability of complex metal compounds found in aqueous solutions called 'POMs', researchers at the University of Vienna have created a speciation atlas now published in Science Advances. This achievement has the potential to drive new discoveries and advancements in fields like catalysis, medicine, and beyond.

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Batteries come in many shapes and sizes, but their materials can be hard to source. SLAC researchers are trying to build them with more abundant and ethically mined elements.

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Researchers at Florida State University and the FAMU-FSU College of Engineering are helping build the solar cells of tomorrow by examining how a next-generation material can operate efficiently under real-world conditions that include baking temperatures and hours of sunlight.

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Twistronics isn’t a new dance move, exercise equipment, or new music fad.

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A research team led by Dr. Ji-Hoon Lee of the Department of Hydrogen Energy Material at the Korea Institute of Materials Science (KIMS) developed a three-dimensional porous carbon-based current collector material and applied it to secondary batteries and supercapacitors to improve energy density and lifespan at the same time with Prof.

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An advance in a topological insulator material — whose interior behaves like an electrical insulator but whose surface behaves like a conductor — could revolutionize the fields of next-generation electronics and quantum computing, according to scientists at Oak Ridge National Laboratory.

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When the global pandemic put the kibosh on in-person events, Jefferson Lab sought alternatives for ensuring its world-class science and unique equipment remained accessible to interested publics. These efforts culminated in the Fall for Science Virtual Field Trip Event, which has been recognized by the Public Relations Society of America with three Anvil Awards.

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The Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology(KIST) has developed a chemical activation strategy of magnesium metal that enables efficient operation of magnesium batteries in common electrolytes that are free of corrosive additives and can be mass-produced.

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Researchers at Argonne have published an article exploring the different ways of harvesting materials from water.

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A new study from researchers at the University of Wisconsin–Madison offers a first-of-its-kind visual of a non-mammal species' adaptive immune system in action. The advance holds potential implications for a range of scientific aims, from improving wildlife vaccines to better understanding fundamental disease processes and possibly the evolution of adaptive immunity itself.

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Pioneering research out of Bowling Green State University is aiming to keep silicone out of landfills through an innovative process designed to recycle or upcycle the popular consumer product.

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A new database of understudied quantum materials has been created by researchers at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory and provides an avenue to discover new materials.

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Irvine, Calif., June 14, 2023 – In a discovery that could reduce or even eliminate the use of cobalt – which is often mined using child labor – in the batteries that power electric cars and other products, scientists at the University of California, Irvine have developed a long-lasting alternative made with nickel. “Nickel doesn’t have child labor issues,” said Huolin Xin, the UCI professor of physics & astronomy whose team devised the method, which could usher in a new, less controversial generation of lithium-ion batteries.

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In collaboration with the Thurgood Marshall College Fund, Binghamton University, State University of New York has announced a New Educational and Research Alliance (New ERA) with six historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs): Alabama A&M University, Central State University, Tuskegee University, Prairie-View A&M University, the University of the District of Columbia and Virginia State University.

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PNNL scientists investigate the promising properties of a common, Earth-abundant salt.

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A new acoustic microfluidic method offers opportunities to conduct experiments with swimming cells and microorganisms. With it, ultrasonic waves like those used for imaging are able to hold a cell’s body in place without affecting the way it swims.

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Researchers at Kanazawa University report in ACS Nano how ultrathin layers of tin disulfide can be used to accelerate the chemical reduction of carbon dioxide — a finding that is highly relevant for our quest towards a carbon-neutral society.

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The NOMAD Laboratory researchers have recently elucidated on fundamental microscopic mechanisms that offer to tailor materials for heat insulation. This development advances the ongoing efforts to enhance energy efficiency and sustainability.

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A research team led by Xiaoxing Zhang of Hubei University of Technology in China and scientists from Wuhan University, Southeast University, North China Electric Power University, Université de Toulouse, Xi’an University of Technology, Schneider Electric and South China University of Technology recently summarized the advances in Eco-friendly gas insulating medium for next-generation SF6-free equipment. The review report was published in the journal iEnergy as the cover article on March 31, 2023.

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Scientists from the Department of Energy’s Ames National Laboratory made an intriguing discovery while characterizing the magnetism in a dilute magnetic topological insulator. Despite this material’s ferromagnetism, they discovered strong antiferromagnetic interactions between some pairs of magnetic defects that play a key role in several families of magnetic topological insulators.

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At a time when wool production in the Mountain State is declining, West Virginia University Extension and Davis College of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Design researchers are exploring new ways to support sheep farmers and wool producers in the region.

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A team led by University of Minnesota Twin Cities researchers discovered a new method for tuning the thermal conductivity of materials, achieving a record-high range of tunability that will open a door to developing more energy-efficient and durable electronic devices.

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The Korea Institute of Machinery and Materials(KIMM) has established the infrastructure including the equipment necessary for evaluating the compatibility of materials for storing liquid hydrogen used for vessels, and has also proposed the evaluation process for the first time in the country.

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Stan David, retired scientist and Corporate Fellow Emeritus at the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory, was awarded the Joining and Welding Science Award from the Joining and Welding Research Institute at Osaka University, Japan.

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Scientists at the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory have invented a coating that could dramatically reduce friction in common load-bearing systems with moving parts, from vehicle drive trains to wind and hydroelectric turbines.

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Researchers at the University at Albany’s RNA Institute have demonstrated a new approach to DNA nanostructure assembly that does not require magnesium. The method improves the biostability of the structures, making them more useful and reliable in a range of applications.

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A University of Minnesota Twin Cities-led team has developed a more energy-efficient, tunable superconducting diode—a promising component for future electronic devices—that could help scale up quantum computers for industry and improve artificial intelligence systems.

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The key to developing an electric vehicle battery that can charge as quickly as it takes to fill a car with gasoline lies within its materials.

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Rigoberto Advincula, a renowned scientist at the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory and professor of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at the University of Tennessee, has won the Netzsch North American Thermal Analysis Society (NATAS) Fellows Award for 2023.