The Spallation Neutron Source (SNS) has reached a record power level of 1.3 megawatts, achieving 94 percent accelerator beam availability. This milestone establishes a new baseline for operation and paves the way for researchers to conduct faster analyses using neutrons on various materials.
The Center for the Science of Synthesis Across Scales (CSSAS) brings together researchers to understand how molecular interactions control assembly and create new materials with revolutionary properties. The research focuses on protein-based building blocks, inorganic nanoparticles, and hierarchical synthesis.
Assistant Professor Madhab Neupane has discovered a new material with multiple quantum properties, which could become the foundation for quantum computers and long-lasting memory devices. The discovery is expected to increase computing power and reduce energy consumption for electronics.
Researchers at Goethe University Frankfurt have created a new process to produce highly functionalized organochlorosilanes, ideal crosslinkers for various applications. The process enables the production of inorganic-organic hybrid materials with unique properties.
The ARDITEC project from the University of Seville has developed an open-source computing tool to calculate CO2 emissions in each phase of a building project. This allows for a global picture of a building's carbon footprint and informs sustainable construction decisions.
Researchers at Kyoto University have developed a new approach to create soft, porous materials with controlled porosity. By controlling the self-assembly of molecules, they were able to form an ultralight aerogel with permanent porosity, opening up potential applications in building insulation, energy storage and aerospace technologies.
Researchers at NIST have developed a new material for making nickels that is 40% less expensive to produce, reducing the cost of materials from seven cents to five cents per coin. The new design uses an integrated computational materials engineering framework and advanced alloys to achieve this cost reduction.
Researchers have discovered a new tungsten boride that surpasses the widely used 'pobedit' material in terms of hardness and fracture toughness. The new compound, WB5, can be synthesized at normal pressure and has potential applications in various fields including drilling and machine building.
A new study finds that Vancouver's construction cycle is leading to increased emissions, even with energy-efficient new homes. The study estimates that new single-family home construction will result in one to three million tonnes of added emissions between 2017-2050.
Researchers at DESY's PETRA III facility have created a novel, ultra-strong bio-material made from cellulose nanofibres. The material boasts exceptional tensile stiffness of 86 GPa and strength of 1.57 GPa, outperforming steel and even dragline spider silk.
Researchers explore creating self-assembling microscopic particles to manufacture materials in space with tailored nanostructures. The ability to create self-assembling and potentially self-repairing materials could be key to surviving deep space destinations.
Scientists at Lomonosov Moscow State University developed a new material that can detect oxalate ions in food products, even at low concentrations. The material uses a dye agent to identify the presence of harmful ions, making it a highly sensitive tool for monitoring food safety.
Researchers have created a new material made from specially arranged nano-sized cellulose fibers that surpasses steel in strength. The material's unique structure and organization have led to significant improvements in its mechanical properties, making it suitable for various load-bearing applications.
Researchers at NIST have combined wood pulp and dried-up pieces of an invasive exotic pest to form a new composite material that is flexible, sustainable, nontoxic, and UV light-reflective. The material could be used in various applications, including food packaging, biomedical devices, and building construction.
Researchers have designed and synthesized molecules that can interact together to assemble complex molecular structures at the nanoscale. By mimicking biological self-assembly processes, chemists can learn new methods of chemical synthesis for nano/micro-structures.
Research reveals that green roof species arrive by hitching lifts on birds or riding air currents, underscoring the importance of adapting soil biology to these environments. The study recommends improving soil engineering to ensure long-term sustainability and encourages further research to connect green roofs to ground-level soils.
A Yale-led study found that GDP remains linked to metal use even as affluence grows, with a 1% rise in GDP increasing the nation's metal footprint by 1.9%. This challenges the long-held theory that metal use plateaus when GDP reaches $15,000 per person.
A new process enables 3D biofabrication of hollow and complex objects with excellent fidelity, facilitating the development of sustainable materials and biomedical applications. The method uses superhydrophobic interfaces to engineer bacterial access to oxygen in three dimensions.
Researchers at North Carolina State University have developed a method to identify the presence of radioactive materials like uranium and plutonium in building materials. The technique uses brick samples to detect the presence of these materials and can be done in days, not weeks.
Researchers from Graz University of Technology have developed a holistic solution using geopolymer concrete to resist microbial induced concrete corrosion (MICC), a common issue in wastewater treatment facilities. This approach has shown promising results in reducing the lifespan of damaged systems and extending their service life.
The Lehigh University team is building a new High Pressure Spatial chemical vapor deposition (HPS-CVD) reactor to create new materials with extreme conditions. The device will enable the growth of III-nitride and oxynitride semiconductors, paving the way for sustainable energy solutions and innovative technologies.
Researchers found naturally occurring circular rotation in an atomic monolayer crystal of tungsten diselenide, a promising candidate for valleytronics. Controlling this rotation could provide a stable mechanism to carry and store information. The discovery opens possibilities for creating rotors at the molecular scale.
Researchers at Oak Ridge National Laboratory have developed a novel method to create supertough renewable plastic with improved manufacturability. Quantum computers are expected to use dramatically less energy than current supercomputers, reducing energy usage by more than one million kilowatt hours.
An international team has developed a new approach to produce complex materials from simple organic building blocks through self-organization. The researchers successfully created a semiregular 3.4.6.4 tessellation with large hexagonal meshes, exhibiting unusual properties and potential applications.
Researchers from Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology (EMPA) have developed a new insulating material using microscopic bubbles, creating an ultra-insulating brick called Aerobrick. This innovation outperforms traditional insulation methods by up to 35%.
Researchers at Technical University of Munich use biofilms to guide microorganisms in creating tailor-made templates for new materials. This process utilizes light, heat, and other stimuli to control the movement of microbes, enabling the creation of complex networks with natural structures.
Researchers found glacial polish is a thin, deposited layer that helps explain its resistance to weathering. It can influence glacier speed and provide an archive for dating the material.
A new study by U.S. and Chinese scientists found that coal ash from high-uranium deposits in China contains radiation levels 43 times higher than UN safety standards. The use of such ash in residential building materials is not suitable due to potential human health risks.
Researchers have developed a device using graphene that could provide conclusive evidence for the existence of non-Abelian anyons, a key component of topological quantum computing. The device achieves extremely low disorder and tunability, allowing for the study of these particles in a controlled environment.
The study proposes a remote evaluation method to determine the feasibility of using local resources for contingency base construction. By analyzing available data and proximity factor analysis, planners can optimize CB site plans and locations to maximize indigenous resource utilization.
Researchers at Tohoku University have developed a cheaper production method to create single-crystal metals, known for their shape memory properties. This breakthrough could lead to mass-produced materials with improved elasticity and strength, ideal for building structures that can withstand earthquakes.
A team of researchers from Northeastern University has discovered a new mechanism that causes cracks to behave strangely in brittle materials, leading to catastrophic failure. The study's findings have the potential to help designers create stronger materials by understanding how fragile materials like glass and bone break.
A BYU research team has developed a machine learning approach to analyze grain boundaries in metals, enabling the prediction of material strength and corrosion resistance. By analyzing massive data sets, their algorithm provides insight into physical structures associated with specific mechanisms and properties.
A new study found that installing 'cool roofs' in Southern California could lead to small increases in ozone and fine particulate pollution levels. The predicted increase can be minimized by requiring more comprehensive performance standards for cool-roofing materials.
A team of researchers has discovered that copper and other metals can never form perfectly flat nanoscale films due to grain rotation. This discovery has significant implications for designing materials with improved electrical, thermal, and mechanical properties.
Researchers developed self-disposing supramolecular materials with tunable lifetimes, mimicking biological processes. These materials autonomously degrade after added energy is exhausted, enabling reusable cycles and diverse applications such as drug delivery and tissue stabilization.
Researchers at KIT discovered how fungi grow by extending tubular cells, contrary to conventional cell division. The growth process is controlled by calcium concentration and involves the transport of construction materials on rails.
Scientists at Northwestern University have developed a lightweight, porous crystal with unprecedented structural complexity using uranium and organic linkers. The new material has a high surface area, pore volume, and water stability, making it suitable for separating small molecules and enzymes.
Researchers create novel two-dimensional quantum materials with breakthrough electrical and magnetic attributes, enabling faster and more powerful computers. The materials, which push the speed of electronic signals to nearly the speed of light, have potential applications in next-generation quantum computers.
MIT researchers have designed a system that can 3-D print the basic structure of an entire building, enabling faster, cheaper, and more adaptable construction. The system uses a robotic arm to direct various construction nozzles and can construct objects of any size.
Sharon C. Glotzer received the 2017 MRS Communications Lecture Award for her work on polymer-tethered nanoparticles. Her paper, published in MRS Communications, demonstrates the use of computational tools to design and assemble functional materials nanostructures.
Researchers at Northwestern University have developed a novel 3D printing method that uses simulants of Martian and lunar dust to create flexible, elastic, and tough structures. The method, known as 3D-painting, enables the creation of functional objects such as habitats and building blocks using local resources.
The Resilient Materials 4 Life (RM4L) project aims to create smart materials that adapt, develop immunity, and self-heal. This research has the potential to revolutionize infrastructure maintenance costs and protect the UK's built environment.
Researchers have found that treating sulfate soils with magnesium-based additives can significantly improve their mechanical properties. The study showed that the treated materials exhibit greater resistances and dimensional stability compared to traditional lime-based applications.
Researchers at ORNL studied tungsten degradation under reactor-relevant conditions, discovering that lower-energy bombardment produces finer, smoother tendrils. The study aims to engineer robust materials for fusion reactors, which pose significant challenges due to plasma exposure.
Digital fabrication in architecture promises substantial contributions to sustainability and productivity, enabling new forms of architectural expression. Researchers are developing interdisciplinary research connections to form a digital building culture, leveraging domain-specific robotic technology and advanced materials.
Researchers at UBC Okanagan campus found that safety codes can result in overly reinforced bridges, wasting materials and increasing construction expenses. The study suggests a new approach to seismic design, prioritizing self-centering capability and reducing the need for costly demolitions.
Limpets' shells can be repaired to match their original strength after damage, but they still face weaknesses from multiple impacts called spalling. This biomimetic discovery could inspire solutions for engineering problems like concrete failure.
Researchers at The University of Manchester developed a braiding technique to create tighter and more complex molecular knots, leading to potential breakthroughs in material strength and elasticity. This achievement has the possibility of generating new types of materials, such as lighter and more flexible polymers.
Scientists at the University of Surrey achieved record power conversion efficiencies for large area organic solar cells, outperforming traditional inorganic solar cells. The innovative cells can be printed in different colors and shapes, making them ideal for powering devices on-the-go, such as Internet of Things applications.
Researchers at the University of Delaware are using the International Space Station's U.S. National Laboratory to study self-assembly in microgravity, with a focus on creating new types of colloidal materials that can be used in various applications such as phononic bandgap materials and ultra-low thermal conductivity coatings.
Researchers at the University of Melbourne develop a novel approach to assemble nano-objects into complex architectures using polyphenol-coated building blocks. The technique enables the creation of 3D superstructures with enhanced chemical diversity and structural flexibility.
Scientists have created peptide-based materials that can reorganize their sequences to adapt to their environment, paving the way for new product possibilities including drug delivery, food science, and cosmetics. The method allows for unbiased discovery of optimized structures through self-selection.
Scientists at Technical University of Munich successfully measured base-pair bonding strength for the first time on single base pairs. The results may help understand mechanical aspects of biological processes and aid in constructing precise molecular machines out of DNA.
Researchers at IBS Centre for Correlated Electron Systems have revised existing theories on iron-based superconductors. By doping electrons onto the surface of a material, they found no correlation between the transition temperature and the nesting effect, challenging current understanding of these materials.
Researchers at Tel Aviv University have created a new approach to manufacturing mechanical metamaterials that can deform in a complex manner. This breakthrough may lead to more comfortable and user-friendly prosthetics, as well as applications in soft robotics and wearable technologies.
Researchers have developed self-assembling particles that can change shape in response to light, mimicking natural transformations. The team engineered particles a micrometer in width, enabling the creation of exotic colloidal geometries.
Researchers at Jülich have found a way to produce nanomagnets with low zero-point energy, leading to higher stability. They investigated the connection between atomic properties and magnetic fluctuations caused by zero-point energy.
The Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) will establish 20 new Collaborative Research Centres (CRCs), receiving €174 million in funding. The CRCs will investigate various topics, including quantum systems and the adaptability of plants.
A collaborative research centre at the University of Konstanz is studying directional properties of particles and their superstructures. The SFB 1214 aims to create a new generation of materials with tailor-made properties by controlling particle arrangement.