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How to simulate softness

A team of engineers and psychologists at UC San Diego discovered clever tricks to design materials that replicate different levels of perceived softness. The findings provide fundamental insights into designing tactile materials and haptic interfaces that can recreate realistic touch sensations.

SourceUniversity of California - San Diego·JournalScience Advances·DateAug 30, 2019

Weyl fermions discovered in another class of materials

Researchers at Paul Scherrer Institute successfully prove existence of Weyl fermions in a paramagnetic material with slow magnetic fluctuations, expanding possibilities for spintronics and future electronics. This discovery could lead to more efficient transportation of information, potentially revolutionizing computer technology.

SourcePaul Scherrer Institute·JournalScience Advances·DateJul 12, 2019

Is glue the answer to climate change?

Researchers at Swansea University have developed a new material capable of capturing carbon dioxide (CO2) using a common epoxy resin. The material shows high CO2 uptake and could potentially be used to capture CO2 from industrial flue gas streams or from the air.

SourceSwansea University·JournalChemistry of Materials·DateJun 19, 2019

Concert of magnetic moments

Scientists have identified a unique chiral coupling that allows spins in different magnetic layers to interact over long distances, even if they are not adjacent. This discovery opens up novel opportunities for engineering complex magnetic configurations to store and process data more efficiently.

SourceForschungszentrum Juelich·JournalNature Materials·DateJun 13, 2019

New material also reveals new quasiparticles

Scientists at PSI investigate a novel material exhibiting electronic properties never seen before, including Rarita-Schwinger fermions and quadruple topological Fermi arcs. The crystal is a chiral topological semimetal with exotic physical phenomena, such as phase transitions at its surface.

SourcePaul Scherrer Institute·JournalNature Physics·DateMay 7, 2019

Fullerenes bridge conductive gap in organic photovoltaics

Scientists create novel polymeric material with fullerenes, boosting power conversion efficiency of organic solar cells by three-fold. The new interlayer material improves device stability and electrode performance, overcoming intrinsic problems related to combining hard and soft materials.

SourceWiley·JournalAngewandte Chemie International Edition·DateMar 27, 2019

Spin devices rev up

Researchers from University of Tokyo discover magnetic spin Hall effect in non-collinear antiferromagnet Mn3Sn, enabling efficient spin current transfer. This could lead to high-speed and high-capacity devices with improved power efficiency.

SourceUniversity of Tokyo·JournalNature·DateMar 5, 2019