Researchers at Rice University have developed lab-grown diamond coatings that can naturally resist scale formation without constant intervention. The nitrogen-terminated diamond surface accumulated significantly less scale than other surfaces, making it a promising anti-scaling material for water desalination and energy systems.
A team of scientists at Pohang University of Science & Technology has developed a novel approach to enhance thermoelectric efficiency by controlling oxygen vacancies. By precisely controlling the number of oxygen vacancies in materials, they achieved a remarkable 91% improvement in thermoelectric performance.
A research team at Zhejiang University has demonstrated a simple method to overcome the problem of Auger recombination in perovskite lasers, leading to record-setting performance for near-continuous operation. By suppressing this process, researchers were able to sustain carrier densities required for efficient stimulated emission.
Researchers have developed highly polycrystalline WxV1-xO2 films that exhibit exceptional dynamic radiative properties, paving the way for innovative thermal management systems. The films can modulate infrared radiation in response to temperature changes, allowing buildings and devices to optimize heat loss or retention adaptively.
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Researchers introduced hydrogen into high-quality Ge thin films, reducing hole density by three orders of magnitude. Low-temperature annealing repaired surface defects, further improving device performance and applicability.
Advanced computer simulations reveal shear deformations and internal mechanical stresses play a crucial role in grain growth and evolution. This discovery helps explain why real polycrystals behave differently than predicted and offers insights into designing stronger materials.
Scientists have developed a novel CT-ICT system that utilizes a pyrazinacene derivative to facilitate reversible color-changing properties. The system, which co-crystallizes with naphthalene, demonstrates a dramatic color shift from greenish-blue to red-violet.
A Lehigh University team developed a novel machine learning method to predict abnormal grain growth in materials, enabling the creation of stronger, more reliable materials. The model successfully predicted abnormal grain growth in 86% of cases, with predictions made up to 20% of the material's lifetime.
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By reducing the thickness of a commonly-used piezoelectric ceramic material, researchers at Indian Institute of Science (IISc) show that its efficacy can be dramatically increased, resulting in improved strain values. The team discovered that removing oxygen vacancies in lead-free piezoceramics also boosts electrostrain to 1% or higher.
Researchers have developed a new X-ray technique called XL-DOT that visualizes crystal grains, grain boundaries, and defects in materials, enabling previously inaccessible insights into functional materials. The technique uses polarized X-rays to probe the orientation of structural domains in three dimensions.
Researchers discovered five distinct grain boundary structures composed of different arrangements of icosahedral cage units, enabling dense packing of iron atoms. The formation of these quasicrystalline-like phases can be used to tailor material behavior and make materials more resilient against degradation processes.
A team of researchers at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz has developed a new method to study the interior of crystalline drops using monochromatic illumination. This approach exploits the color-dependent scattering of light and reveals the density profile of the drop, including initial rapid expansion due to particle repulsion befo...
Grain boundaries, common defects in polycrystalline materials, can migrate unidirectionally without a net driving force, exhibiting directionality. This phenomenon, similar to the unidirectional rotation of a Brownian ratchet, challenges traditional views on grain boundary mobility.
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Researchers at UC Irvine have made the first-ever atomic-scale observations of grain rotation in polycrystalline materials. They discovered that grain rotation occurs through disconnection propagation along grain boundaries.
A team of GIST researchers developed a new defect passivation strategy for polycrystalline perovskites, leading to improved power conversion efficiency and long-term operational stability. The strategy uses a chemically identical polytype of perovskite to suppress defects in the crystal structure.
Scientists create high-throughput automation to calculate surface properties of crystalline materials using established laws of physics. This accelerates the search for relevant materials for applications in energy conversion, production, and storage.
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Researchers at Nagoya University used AI to analyze image data of polycrystalline silicon and discovered staircase-like structures that cause dislocations during crystal growth. The study sheds light on the formation of dislocations in polycrystalline materials, which can affect electrical conduction and overall performance.
Researchers developed a novel polycrystalline silicon tunnelling recombination layer that significantly enhances the efficiency of perovskite/tunnel oxide passivating contact tandem solar cells, achieving a remarkable 29.2% photoelectric conversion rate and high stability.
Researchers at Nagoya University developed an AI-based technique to predict crystal orientation in polycrystalline materials, revolutionizing the industry. The method uses optical photographs and reduces measurement time from 14 hours to 1.5 hours, enabling large-area materials analysis.
Researchers found that two outermost electrons from each nickel ion behaved differently, cancelling each other out in a phenomenon called a spin singlet. This led to the discovery of two families of propagating waves at dramatically different energies, contradicting expectations of local excitations.
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Researchers review numerical simulations for ultra-precision diamond cutting, exploring properties and microstructures of workpiece materials and their impact on the cutting process. The study provides guidelines for numerical simulations to predict machining responses for various materials.
A team led by Xueyan Song at West Virginia University has created an oxide ceramic material that solves a longstanding efficiency problem plaguing thermoelectric generators. The breakthrough achieved record-high performance, opening up new research directions to further increase performance and enabling large-scale waste heat recovery.
Researchers at MIT have developed a method to fabricate ever-smaller transistors from 2D materials by growing them on existing silicon wafers. The new method, called nonepitaxial, single-crystalline growth, enables the production of pure, defect-free 2D materials with excellent conductivity.
Researchers developed an isothermal chemical vapor transport (ICVT) method for growing high-quality monocrystals without temperature gradients. This technique simplifies the growth process and produces crystals with excellent crystallographic quality.
A team of researchers from Rice University has modeled the dynamics of grain boundaries in polycrystalline materials using a rotating magnetic field technique. The study shows that grain boundaries can change readily in response to shear stress, and voids in these structures can act as sources and sinks for their movement.
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Researchers at Tokyo Institute of Technology enhance the ZT of polycrystalline SnSe by introducing tellurium ions, increasing carrier concentration and reducing thermal conductivity. This breakthrough paves the way for high-performance thermoelectric materials.
Scientists at Georgia Institute of Technology observe unprecedented atomic processes that dictate mechanical behavior in metals. They develop novel methods to visualize grain boundary sliding, revealing previously unknown movements and accommodating transferred atoms through adjusting grain boundary structures.
Scientists have simulated the growth of ultra-thin polycrystalline diamond films with promising results. The two-dimensional simulations revealed interesting geometric structures and shed light on how to create robust materials. The research has implications for biomedical science, quantum devices, and other applications.
Researchers have found that a conventional model for predicting material microstructure does not apply to polycrystalline materials. They used near-field high energy diffraction microscopy (HEDM) to study grain boundaries, revealing that the model's predictions are inconsistent with experimental data.
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Scientists have developed a method to precisely map the polarization pattern in thin ferroelectric layers, revealing new insights into the physics of these objects. The technique, combined with machine learning, allows for the spatial resolution of ferroelectric domains below 10 nanometers.
Researchers from Paderborn University and Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research have successfully demonstrated Wannier-Stark localization in polycrystalline substances. This achievement marks a significant step towards developing affordable optical modulators with broad applications in telecommunications and other fields.
Lehigh University researchers are developing a model to understand the impact of grain growth on material properties. The project aims to create new materials informatics methods, innovative stochastic differential equations, and models of grain growth to improve material performance and reliability.
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Researchers have developed a high-performing thermoelectric material that converts heat to electricity with record-high efficiency, making it suitable for widespread industrial applications. The purified tin selenide in polycrystalline form overcomes earlier oxidation problems, enabling the production of low-cost and efficient devices.
A team from Osaka Prefecture University has developed a method to design and control the path of electron flow in a polycrystalline material, enabling high conductivity in a controllable direction. This breakthrough paves the way for the creation of next-generation thin-film smart devices.
Zirconia ceramics exhibit improved toughness due to phase changes, but real-time observation of these changes is challenging. Researchers employ time-resolved X-ray diffraction to visualize transformation toughening during dynamic fracture.
Researchers developed a new EBSD-based method to determine enantiomorph distribution in polycrystalline materials, including the chiral elemental structure β-Mn. This simplifies the preparation of materials with defined handedness.
Scientists from Japan and China create new materials by combining high entropy alloys with van der Waals materials, exhibiting superconductivity, magnetic ordering, and strong corrosion resistance. The discovery opens up a wide range of practical applications, including the design of heterogeneous catalysts.
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Scientists at Argonne National Laboratory developed a single-crystal electrode that provides a deeper understanding of charge-discharge processes in advanced batteries. The study reveals new information about the cathode chemistry, including the origin of extra capacity and the formation of detrimental phases during cycling.
Sangyeop Lee, a Pitt engineer, has received a $500K NSF CAREER Award to develop machine learning models that predict material conductive properties. The project aims to create more efficient heat management in electronic devices and energy storage systems.
Researchers from SISSA and UC Davis develop a new methodology that bridges different approaches for crystals and glasses, enabling predictive modelling of heat transport in complex disordered materials. This breakthrough empowers scientists to understand and design heat transport for various applications.
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Researchers observed grain refinement and structural changes in polycrystalline aluminum foil under laser-driven shock wave loading. The technique enables studying microstructural deformation from atomic to mesoscale level.
Researchers found highly efficient triplet pair state separation in polycrystalline films of dibenzopentalene derivatives, exceeding 100% yield. This breakthrough suggests feasibility of converting correlated singlet excited states to two free triplets efficiently for organic solar cells.
Researchers have developed a new approach to creating engineering components using additive manufacturing by mimicking polycrystalline microstructures in lattice structures. These meta-crystals exhibit high energy absorption and can withstand up to seven times the energy before failure compared to single-crystal materials.
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Scientists developed a technique to integrate single-crystal hybrid perovskites into electronics, enabling flexible devices with reduced manufacturing costs. The advance opens new research avenues for applications in solar cells, LEDs, and photodetectors.
IGZO TFTs have a high electron mobility of 10 times that of hydrogenated amorphous silicon, allowing for high-resolution energy-efficient displays. These displays are used in smartphones, tablets, and large OLED televisions, which were previously thought to be impossible.
Researchers found superstructures at general grain boundaries that affect the performance of polycrystalline engineering alloys. The discovery could enable the engineering of alloyed materials with superior properties and greater ductility and strength.
At randomly selected high-angle general grain boundaries in a nickel-bismuth polycrystalline alloy, researchers found that interfacial reconstruction can form ordered superstructures. These segregation-induced superstructures enrich theories and fundamental understandings of grain boundary segregation and liquid metal embrittlement.
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Researchers control crystallization patterns in semiconductors by varying film thickness, enabling fine control over crystal orientation and position. This breakthrough facilitates high-quality, tailored polycrystal semiconductors for optoelectronics, photovoltaics and printed electronic components.
Berkeley Lab scientists found that polycrystalline graphene is strong but has low toughness, a property necessary for structural reliability in applications. The researchers developed a statistical model to predict failure in the material, revealing its fracture resistance.
A team at HZB has developed an alternative method for representing microstructures in polycrystalline materials, utilizing Raman microspectroscopy. This non-invasive technique allows for orientation distribution mapping without specimen preparation, enabling analysis under ambient conditions.
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A University of Texas at Arlington research team has developed a new method to fabricate transparent nanoscintillators that could advance medical safety and homeland security. The resulting scintillator material has better energy resolution than currently used materials, making it more effective for radiation detection.
Researchers at UT Austin have grown centimeter-size single graphene crystals on copper using surface oxygen, increasing crystal size by 10,000 times. The crystals exhibit exceptional electrical properties, including high carrier mobility, which is crucial for electronic devices.
Daniel Lewis, a young Rensselaer professor, has received the prestigious NSF CAREER Award to study grain growth in metallic and ceramic materials. His research aims to understand how environmental factors affect material properties and behavior.
Researchers at NIST have discovered a striking similarity between the behavior of polycrystalline materials like metals and glasses. The findings could lead to better predictions of material failure and improve understanding of crystal formation.
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Researchers at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute developed a measurement technique to map nanomaterials as they grow, enhancing material efficiency. The new method allows for faster discovery of optimal nanomaterial structures, leading to potential breakthroughs in solar panels and magnetic data storage.
Researchers from the University of Michigan have discovered that metal alloys can degrade due to diffusion, a process where atoms hop through the material, changing its structure. This finding has significant implications for the development of longer-lasting alloys, particularly in electronic materials like solder.
A team from Penn State University and the University of Southampton created a single-crystal semiconductor inside an optical fiber, overcoming performance degradation between fibers and devices. The new device enables faster and more efficient electronic signals, opening up potential for next-level applications in various fields.
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Researchers at Colorado School of Mines and Northeastern University report a new computational methodology to quantify interface mobility, overcoming limitations of past studies. The method efficiently addresses the effect of impurities, revealing a more severe impact on interface motion than previously thought.
Researchers developed a new technique to study energetic materials, such as explosives, at the nanoscale. They mapped temperature and length-scale factors that influence their behavior, providing insights into melting, evaporation, and decomposition.
Carnegie Mellon's Materials Research Science and Engineering Center will focus on creating super-efficient materials, including those with greatly increased strength or resistance to corrosion. The center aims to enable manufacturers to produce smaller, faster computer chips and safer power plants.