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Sep 13, 2024

Wave scattering simulation unlocks potential metamaterials

Posted by in categories: materials, particle physics

A new software package developed by researchers at Macquarie University can accurately model the way waves—sound, water or light—are scattered when they meet complex configurations of particles.

Sep 12, 2024

New supramolecular polymer shows spontaneous unfolding and aggregation

Posted by in category: materials

In polymers, the competition between the folding and aggregation of chains, both at an individual level and between chains, can determine the mechanical, thermal, and conductive properties of such materials. Understanding the interplay of folding and aggregation presents a significant opportunity for the development and discovery of polymeric materials with tailored properties and functionalities.

Sep 11, 2024

Overcoming magnetic disorder: Toward low-energy topological electronics

Posted by in categories: energy, materials

Yet, the current flow along these topologically protected, one-dimensional edges has proven to be far from robust. With the QAHE breaking down in magnetically doped topological insulators at temperatures higher than 1 Kelvin, well below the temperatures predicted by theory.

A new class of materials, known as intrinsic magnetic topological insulators (MTIs), for example MnBi2Te4, possess both non-trivial topology and intrinsic magnetism and are predicted to offer more robust QAHE at higher temperatures than magnetically doped topological insulators.

In MnBi2Te4 it has been shown that the QAHE can survive up to 1.4 K, and interestingly, this can rise to 6.5 K with the application of stabilizing magnetic fields, providing hints at the mechanisms that are driving the breakdown of topological protection.

Sep 11, 2024

Unprecedented spin properties revealed in new artificial materials

Posted by in categories: materials, particle physics

In conjunction with research staff from the Charles University of Prague and the CFM (CSIC-UPV/EHU) center in San Sebastian, CIC nanoGUNE’s Nanodevices group has designed a new complex material with emerging properties in the field of spintronics. This discovery, published in the journal Nature Materials, opens up a range of fresh possibilities for the development of novel, more efficient and more advanced electronic devices, such as those that integrate magnetic memories into processors.

Sep 10, 2024

Biohybrid robots controlled by electrical impulses — in mushrooms

Posted by in categories: materials, robotics/AI

Building a robot takes time, technical skill, the right materials – and sometimes, a little fungus.

In creating a pair of new robots, Cornell researchers cultivated an unlikely component, one found not in the lab but on the forest floor: fungal mycelia. By harnessing mycelia’s innate electrical signals, the researchers discovered a new way of controlling “biohybrid” robots that can potentially react to their environment better than their purely synthetic counterparts.

The team’s paper, “Sensorimotor Control of Robots Mediated by Electrophysiological Measurements of Fungal Mycelia,” published Aug. 28 in Science Robotics. The lead author is Anand Mishra, a research associate in the Organic Robotics Lab led by Rob Shepherd, professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering in Cornell Engineering, and the paper’s senior author.

Sep 8, 2024

Researchers develop approach to fabricate highly performing transistors based on 2D semiconductors

Posted by in categories: computing, materials

Two-dimensional (2D) semiconducting materials have distinct optoelectronic properties that could be advantageous for the development of ultra-thin and tunable electronic components. Despite their potential advantages over bulk semiconductors, optimally interfacing these materials with gate dielectrics has so far proved challenging, often resulting in interfacial traps that rapidly degrade the performance of transistors.

Researchers at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Soochow University and other institutes worldwide recently introduced an approach that could enable the fabrication of better performing transistors based on 2D semiconductors. Their proposed design, outlined in a paper in Nature Electronics, entails the use of hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) dielectrics and metal gate electrodes with a high cohesive energy.

“Initially, we found that when we use platinum (Pt) as an anode, the h-BN stack is less likely to trigger breakdown,” Yaqing Shen, first author of the paper, told Tech Xplore. “Based on this finding, we designed our experiments and found that Pt/h-BN gate stacks show 500-times lower leakage current than Au/h-BN gate stacks and exhibit a high dielectric strength of at least 25 MV/cm. This gave us the idea of using CVD h-BN as a gate dielectric in 2D transistors.”

Sep 7, 2024

This super-dense cosmic ‘pasta’ is the strongest material in the Universe

Posted by in categories: materials, particle physics

By the ‘strength’ of a material, we usually mean the degree to which it can withstand deformation by an external force. So, the strongest materials are generally those with high densities because the closer the constituent atoms are, the greater the resistance they have to further compression.

Sep 6, 2024

Researchers advance new class of quantum critical metal that could advance electronic devices

Posted by in categories: materials, quantum physics

A new study led by Rice University’s Qimiao Si has unveiled a new class of quantum critical metal, shedding light on the intricate interactions of electrons within quantum materials. Published in Physical Review Letters on Sept. 6, the research explores the effects of Kondo coupling and chiral spin liquids within specific lattice structures.

Sep 6, 2024

Scientists Found Dark Electrons: a Secret Quantum State Hidden in Solid Matter

Posted by in categories: materials, quantum physics

Researchers have just found evidence of “dark electrons”—electrons you can’t see using spectroscopy—in solid materials.

Sep 6, 2024

Fish scale-inspired design boosts concrete crack resistance by 63%

Posted by in categories: materials, robotics/AI

Humans are still learning from nature.

Researchers mimicked ancient fish scales for a 3D-printed concrete structure:

Continue reading “Fish scale-inspired design boosts concrete crack resistance by 63%” »

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