When injecting pure spin into chiral materials, direction matters
The direction in which spin information is injected into chiral materials affects its ability to pass through them. These chiral 'gateways' could be used to design energy-efficient spintronic devices for data storage, communication and computing.
Categories: Global Energy News (news-and-events/news)
Tweaking isotopes sheds light on promising approach to engineer semiconductors
Scientists have demonstrated that small changes in the isotopic content of thin semiconductor materials can influence their optical and electronic properties, possibly opening the way to new and advanced designs with the semiconductors.
Categories: Global Energy News (news-and-events/news)
Stretchable e-skin could give robots human-level touch sensitivity
A stretchy electronic skin could equip robots and other devices with the same softness and touch sensitivity as human skin, opening up new possibilities to perform tasks that require a great deal of precision and control of force.
Categories: Global Energy News (news-and-events/news)
Towards transparent and antimicrobial surfaces for touch displays
Researchers report the development of a durable and transparent antimicrobial surface containing copper nanoparticles. The nanostructured surface was obtained by dewetting ultrathin metal copper films on a glass substrate.
Categories: Global Energy News (news-and-events/news)
New Nevada experiments will improve monitoring of nuclear explosions
On an October morning in 2023, a chemical explosion detonated in a tunnel under the Nevada desert was the launch of the next set of experiments by the National Nuclear Security Administration, with the goal to improve detection of low-yield nuclear explosions around the world.
Categories: Global Energy News (news-and-events/news)
New eco-friendly lubricant additives protect turbine equipment, waterways
Scientists have developed lubricant additives that protect both water turbine equipment and the surrounding environment.
Categories: Global Energy News (news-and-events/news)
Physicists arrange atoms in extremely close proximity
Physicists developed a technique to arrange atoms in much closer proximity than previously possible, down to 50 nanometers. The group plans to use the method to manipulate atoms into configurations that could generate the first purely magnetic quantum gate -- a key building block for a new type of quantum computer.
Categories: Global Energy News (news-and-events/news)
Cost-effective, high-capacity, and cyclable lithium-ion battery cathodes
Charge-recharge cycling of lithium-superrich iron oxide, a cost-effective and high-capacity cathode for new-generation lithium-ion batteries, can be greatly improved by doping with readily available mineral elements.
Categories: Global Energy News (news-and-events/news)
Path to easier recycling of solar modules
The use of femtosecond lasers to form glass-to-glass welds for solar modules would make the panels easier to recycle, according to a proof-of-concept study.
Categories: Global Energy News (news-and-events/news)
Scientists test for quantum nature of gravity
A new study reports on a deep new probe into the interface between the theories of gravity and quantum mechanics, using ultra-high energy neutrino particles detected by a particle detector set deep into the Antarctic glacier at the south pole.
Categories: Global Energy News (news-and-events/news)
Sugar-based catalyst upcycles carbon dioxide
New catalyst is made from an inexpensive, abundant metal and table sugar. Catalyst converts carbon dioxide (CO2) into carbon monoxide, a building block for producing a variety of useful chemicals including syngas. With recent advances in carbon capture technologies, post-combustion carbon capture is becoming a plausible option to help tackle the global climate change crisis. But how to handle the captured carbon remains an open-ended question. The new catalyst potentially could provide one solution for disposing the potent greenhouse gas by converting it into a more valuable product.
Categories: Global Energy News (news-and-events/news)
Random robots are more reliable
New algorithm encourages robots to move more randomly to collect more diverse data for learning. In tests, robots started with no knowledge and then learned and correctly performed tasks within a single attempt. New model could improve safety and practicality of self-driving cars, delivery drones and more.
Categories: Global Energy News (news-and-events/news)
Significant new discovery in teleportation research -- Noise can improve the quality of quantum teleportation
Researchers succeeded in conducting an almost perfect quantum teleportation despite the presence of noise that usually disrupts the transfer of quantum state.
Categories: Global Energy News (news-and-events/news)
New approach in the synthesis of complex natural substances
Many natural substances possess interesting characteristics, and can form the basis of new active compounds in medicine. Terpenes, for example, are a group of substances, some of which are already used in therapies against cancer, malaria or epilepsy. They are found as fragrances in cosmetics or as flavorings in food, and form the basis of new medications: Terpenes are natural substances that occur in plants, insects and sea sponges. They are difficult to produce synthetically. However, chemists are now introducing a new method of synthesis.
Categories: Global Energy News (news-and-events/news)
New sensor detects errors in MRI scans
A new prototype sensor is capable of detecting errors in MRI scans using laser light and gas. The new sensor can thereby do what is impossible for current electrical sensors -- and hopefully pave the way for MRI scans that are better, cheaper and faster.
Categories: Global Energy News (news-and-events/news)
Toxic chemicals can be detected with new AI method
Researchers have developed an AI method that improves the identification of toxic chemicals -- based solely on knowledge of the molecular structure. The method can contribute to better control and understanding of the ever-growing number of chemicals used in society, and can also help reduce the amount of animal tests.
Categories: Global Energy News (news-and-events/news)
Researchers create new chemical compound to solve 120-year-old problem
Chemists have created a highly reactive chemical compound that has eluded scientists for more than 120 years. The discovery could lead to new drug treatments, safer agricultural products, and better electronics.
Categories: Global Energy News (news-and-events/news)
Unveiling a polarized world -- in a single shot
Researchers have developed a compact, single-shot polarization imaging system that can provide a complete picture of polarization. By using just two thin metasurfaces, the imaging system could unlock the vast potential of polarization imaging for a range of existing and new applications, including biomedical imaging, augmented and virtual reality systems and smart phones.
Categories: Global Energy News (news-and-events/news)
This highly reflective black paint makes objects more visible to autonomous cars
Driving at night might be a scary challenge for a new driver, but with hours of practice it soon becomes second nature. For self-driving cars, however, practice may not be enough because the lidar sensors that often act as these vehicles' 'eyes' have difficulty detecting dark-colored objects. New research describes a highly reflective black paint that could help these cars see dark objects and make autonomous driving safer.
Categories: Global Energy News (news-and-events/news)
The big quantum chill: Scientists modify common lab refrigerator to cool faster with less energy
Scientists have dramatically reduced the time and energy required to chill materials to temperatures near absolute zero. Their prototype refrigerator could prove a boon for the burgeoning quantum industry, which widely uses ultracold materials.
Categories: Global Energy News (news-and-events/news)