Low-dimensional materials exhibit excellent properties for use in next-generation electronic devices. Now, researchers have discovered an ideal platform for tuning between 1D and 2D physics, expanding the possibilities for device engineering and offering a versatile platform for the exploration of intriguing low-dimensional physics. Read more »
Scientists Grow Lead-Free Solar Material With a Built-In Switch
A new ferroelectric material—grown in the lab from cesium germanium tribromide (CGB)—opens the door to an easier approach to making solar cell devices. Unlike conventional solar materials, CGB crystals are inherently polarized, where one side of the crystal builds up positive charges and the other side builds up negative charges, no doping required. Read more »
Multilayer Stack Opens Door to Low-Power Electronics
Researchers found that a multilayer stack of ultrathin materials exhibits a phenomenon called negative capacitance, which reduces the voltage required for transistor operation. The material is fully compatible with today’s silicon-based technology and is capable of reducing power consumption without sacrificing transistor size or performance. Read more »
Disorder Drives Long-Range Order in “Tetris Ice” Nanomagnet Arrays
Long-range ordering is typically associated with a decrease in disorder, or entropy. Yet, it can also be driven by increasing entropy in certain special cases. In a recent DOE-funded study, researchers demonstrated that certain artificial spin-ice arrays—nanomagnets lithographically patterned to form Tetris-like shapes—can produce such entropy-driven order. Read more »
Ionic Conduction Mechanism and Design of Metal–Organic Framework Based Quasi-Solid-State Electrolytes
This cover image demonstrates the critical role of the solvent in the ion motion of intrinsically anionic metal–organic framework (MOF)–based quasi-solid-state electrolytes (QSSEs). Using hybrid theoretical and experimental approaches, we have identified solvent-assisted hopping as the dominant pathway for Li+ conduction in such materials, exemplified by MOF-688. Read more »
Designer Materials to Keep Plastic Out of Landfills
Scientists have designed a new material system to overcome one of the biggest challenges in recycling consumer products: mixed-plastic recycling. Their achievement will help enable a much broader range of fully recyclable plastic products and brings into reach an efficient circular economy for durable goods like automobiles. Read more »
Visualizing the Nanoscale Oxygen and Cation Transport Mechanisms during the Early Stages of Oxidation of Fe–Cr–Ni Alloy Using In Situ Atom Probe Tomography
Understanding the early stages of interactions between oxygen and material surfaces is beneficial for fields ranging from materials degradation to forensics and catalysis. In situ atom probe tomography (APT) is demonstrated to track the diffusion of oxygen and metal ions at nanoscale spatial resolution during the early stages of oxidation of a model Fe–Cr–Ni alloy. Read more »
A Topological-Insulator Sandwich for Efficient Microelectronics
Researchers synthesized a topological insulator between two ferromagnetic layers and found that it is electronically characterized by a large magnetic band gap. The results open a new path toward lossless charge transport and perfect spin polarization, which could lead to the development of ultralow-energy electronics and spintronics. Read more »
Infrared Probe of Ultrahigh-Quality Nanoribbon Resonators
Researchers found that ribbon-like thin films, grown through a bottom-up, self-assembly approach, can act as ultrahigh-quality nanoscale resonators of lattice vibrations at infrared frequencies. These ultrathin nanostructures are ideal platforms for applications that harness infrared light, such as thermal emission and molecular sensing. Read more »
Key to Coral Resilience Is Faster Skeletal Crystallization
In a new study, researchers show that the crystallization rate of coral skeletons differs across species and is correlated with their resilience to ocean acidification. The results have implications for predicting coral reef survival and developing mitigation strategies against having their bony skeletons weakened by ocean acidification. Read more »
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