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Categories: Chemistry: General, Energy: Technology
Published Researchers reveal the origins of zirconium nitride's superior performance
(via sciencedaily.com) A group of researchers have unraveled the mysteries behind a recently identified material -- zirconium nitride (ZrN) -- that helps power clean energy reactions. Their proposed framework will help future designs for transition metal nitrides, paving a path for generating cleaner energy.
Published One-atom-thick ribbons could improve batteries, solar cells and sensors
(via sciencedaily.com) Researchers created nanoribbons made of phosphorus and tiny amounts of arsenic, which they found were able to conduct electricity at temperatures above -140 degrees Celsius, while retaining the highly useful properties of the phosphorus-only ribbons.
Published Material would allow users to 'tune' windows to block targeted wavelengths of light
(via sciencedaily.com) Researchers have demonstrated a material for next generation dynamic windows, which would allow building occupants to switch their windows between three modes: transparent, or 'normal' windows; windows that block infrared light, helping to keep a building cool; and tinted windows that control glare while maintaining the view.
Published Making contact: Researchers wire up individual graphene nanoribbons
(via sciencedaily.com) Researchers have developed a method of 'wiring up' graphene nanoribbons (GNRs), a class of one-dimensional materials that are of interest in the scaling of microelectronic devices. Using a direct-write scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) based process, the nanometer-scale metal contacts were fabricated on individual GNRs and could control the electronic character of the GNRs. The researchers say that this is the first demonstration of making metal contacts to specific GNRs with certainty and that those contacts induce device functionality needed for transistor function.
Published Sustainable energy for aviation: What are our options?
(via sciencedaily.com) Scientists and industry leaders worldwide are looking for answers on how to make aviation sustainable by 2050 and choosing a viable sustainable fuel is a major sticking point. Aerospace engineers took a full inventory of the options to make a data-driven assessment about how they stack up in comparison. He reviewed over 300 research projects from across different sectors, not just aerospace, to synthesize the ideas and draw conclusions to help direct the dialogue about sustainable aviation toward a permanent solution.
Published Efficient next-generation solar panels on horizon following breakthrough
(via sciencedaily.com) A scientific breakthrough brings mass production of the next generation of cheaper and lighter perovskite solar cells one step closer.
Published New Si-based photocatalyst enables efficient solar-driven hydrogen production and biomass refinery
(via sciencedaily.com) A research team has achieved a significant breakthrough in the development of a hybrid silicon photocatalyst.
Published Imaging the smallest atoms provides insights into an enzyme's unusual biochemistry
(via sciencedaily.com) A team has used neutron crystallography to image all of the atoms in a radical intermediate of a copper amine oxidase enzyme. They disclosed previously unknown details, such as precise conformational changes, that help to explain the enzyme's biochemistry. This work might help researchers engineer enzymes that facilitate unusual chemistry or are highly efficient at room temperature that are useful in chemical industry.
Published Electrons take flight at the nanoscale
(via sciencedaily.com) A study showing how electrons flow around sharp bends, such as those found in integrated circuits, has the potential to improve how these circuits, commonly used in electronic and optoelectronic devices, are designed.
Published Fast-track strain engineering for speedy biomanufacturing
(via sciencedaily.com) Using engineered microbes as microscopic factories has given the world steady sources of life-saving drugs, revolutionized the food industry, and allowed us to make sustainable versions of valuable chemicals previously made from petroleum. But behind each biomanufactured product on the market today is the investment of years of work and many millions of dollars in research and development funding. Scientists want to help the burgeoning industry reach new heights by accelerating and streamlining the process of engineering microbes to produce important compounds with commercial-ready efficiency.
Published New recipes for origin of life may point way to distant, inhabited planets
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Life on a faraway planet -- if it's out there -- might not look anything like life on Earth. But there are only so many chemical ingredients in the universe's pantry, and only so many ways to mix them. Scientists have now exploited those limitations to write a cookbook of hundreds of chemical recipes with the potential to give rise to life. Their ingredient list could focus the search for life elsewhere in the universe by pointing out the most likely conditions -- planetary versions of mixing techniques, oven temperatures and baking times -- for the recipes to come together.
Published Precisely arranging nanoparticles
(via sciencedaily.com) In the incredibly small world of molecules, the elementary building blocks -- the atoms -- join together in a very regular pattern. In contrast, in the macroscopic world with its larger particles, there is much greater disorder when particles connect. A research team has now succeeded in achieving the same precise arrangement of atoms shown in molecules, but using nanometer-sized particles, known as 'plasmonic molecules' -- combinations of nanoscale metallic structures that have unique properties.
Published Combustion powers bug-sized robots to leap, lift and race
(via sciencedaily.com) Researchers combined soft microactuators with high-energy-density chemical fuel to create an insect-scale quadrupedal robot that is powered by combustion and can outrace, outlift, outflex and outleap its electric-driven competitors.
Published Cheap and efficient catalyst could boost renewable energy storage
(via sciencedaily.com) Storing renewable energy as hydrogen could soon become much easier thanks to a new catalyst based on single atoms of platinum.
Published Engineers grow full wafers of high-performing 2D semiconductor that integrates with state-of-the-art chips
(via sciencedaily.com) Researchers have grown a high-performing 2D semiconductor to a full-size, industrial-scale wafer. In addition, the semiconductor material, indium selenide (InSe), can be deposited at temperatures low enough to integrate with a silicon chip.
Published How wind turbines react to turbulence
(via sciencedaily.com) The output of wind turbines can rise or fall by 50 per cent in a matter of seconds. Such fluctuations in the megawatt range put a strain on both power grids and the turbines themselves. A new study presents a new stochastic method that could help to mitigate these sudden swings and achieve a more consistent electricity production.
Published Scientists develop method to detect deadly infectious diseases
(via sciencedaily.com) Researchers have developed a way of detecting the early onset of deadly infectious diseases using a test so ultrasensitive that it could someday revolutionize medical approaches to epidemics. The test is an electronic sensor contained within a computer chip. It employs nanoballs -- microscopic spherical clumps made of tinier particles of genetic material -- and combines that technology with advanced electronics.
Published Crucial third clue to finding new diamond deposits
(via sciencedaily.com) Researchers studying diamond-rich rocks from Western Australia's Argyle volcano have identified the missing third key ingredient needed to bring valuable pink diamonds to the Earth's surface where they can be mined, which could greatly help in the global hunt for new deposits.
Published Predictive model could improve hydrogen station availability
(via sciencedaily.com) Consumer confidence in driving hydrogen-fueled vehicles could be improved by having station operators adopt a predictive model that helps them anticipate maintenance needs, according to researchers.
Published Golden future for thermoelectrics
(via sciencedaily.com) Researchers discover excellent thermoelectric properties of nickel-gold alloys. These can be used to efficiently convert heat into electrical energy.