New Phases of Water Detected
Scientists at the University of Cambridge have discovered that water in a one-molecule layer acts like neither a liquid nor a solid, and that it becomes highly conductive at high pressures. Much is known about how "bulk water" behaves: it expands when it freezes, and it has a high boiling point. But when water is compressed to the nanoscale, its properties change dramatically. READ FULL ARTICLE.
Media credits: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain
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First Light at the Most Powerful Laser in the US
The laser that will be the most powerful in the United States is preparing to send its first pulses into an experimental target at the University of Michigan. Called ZEUS, the Zetawatt-Equivalent Ultrashort pulse laser System, it will explore the physics of the quantum universe as well as outer space, and it is expected to contribute to new technologies in medicine, electronics and national security. READ FULL ARTICLE.
Media credits: Marcin Szczepanski, Michigan Engineering
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High-Resolution Images of the Sun Show Its Chromosphere in Vivid Detail
New images of the sun's chromosphere—the lower region of the solar atmosphere—have been released, and to say they are "stellar" is an understatement. Simply, they are stunning. The high-resolution images were taken with the now-fully-operational Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope, located on the summit of Haleakala, Maui, in Hawai'i. Scientists say the new observatory—with its large 4-meter (13-ft) primary mirror—will enable a new era of solar science, and provide a leap forward in understanding the sun and its impacts on our planet. READ FULL ARTICLE.
Media credits: NSO/AURA/NSF
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Building Better Quantum Sensors
Usually, a defect in a diamond is a bad thing. But for engineers, miniscule blips in a diamond's otherwise stiff crystal structure are paving the way for ultrasensitive quantum sensors that push the limits of today's technologies. Now, researchers at the University of Chicago's Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering (PME) have developed a method to optimize these quantum sensors, which can detect tiny perturbations in magnetic or electric fields, among other things. READ FULL ARTICLE.
Media credits: PRX Quantum (2022). DOI: 10.1103/PRXQuantum.3.030330
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NASA's Webb Catches Tarantula Nebula
A stellar nursery nicknamed the Tarantula Nebula has been captured in crisp detail by NASA's Webb telescope, revealing hitherto unseen features that deepen scientific understanding. Officially known as 30 Doradus, the region of space is characterized by its dusty filaments that resemble the legs of a hairy spider, and has long been a favorite for astronomers interested in star formation. READ FULL ARTICLE.
Media credits: NASA
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Developing Coating Materials That Could Make Windows Better Insulators
A French-Japanese research collaboration has fabricated metal nanocomposite coatings that improve the insulating properties of window glasses. The new coating prevents a significant portion of near-infrared (NIR) and ultraviolet rays (UV) from passing through, while at the same time admitting visible light. READ FULL ARTICLE.
Media credits: Science and Technology of Advanced Materials
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Breaking an Optical Rule: Engineers Find a Way to Manipulate Light at the Nanoscale
If you're going to break a rule with style, make sure everybody sees it. That's the goal of engineers at Rice University who hope to improve screens for virtual reality, 3D displays and optical technologies in general. They found a way to manipulate light at the nanoscale that breaks the Moss rule, which describes a trade-off between a material's optical absorption and how it refracts light. READ FULL ARTICLE.
Media credits: The Naik Lab
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Conversion to LED Lighting Brings New Kind of Light Pollution to Europe
A team of researchers at the University of Exeter has found that the slow conversion of outdoor lighting to LEDs across much of Europe has led to the development of a new kind of light pollution. The group describes their study of photographs taken from the International Space Station. Prior research has shown that artificial light in natural environments adversely impacts wildlife and humans. READ FULL ARTICLE.
Media credits: Science Advances (2022). DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abl6891
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Weaving Atomically Thin Seams of Light with In-Plane Heterostructures
Researchers from Tokyo Metropolitan University have developed a way to produce high quality monolayers of a selection of different transition metal dichalcogenides which meet over an atomically thin seam. By coating this layer with an ion gel, a mixture of an ionic liquid and a polymer, they could excite light emission along the seam. The light was also found to be naturally circularly polarized, a product of the customizable strain across the boundary. READ FULL ARTICLE.
Media credits: Tokyo Metropolitan University
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Science Uncovers the Secret to Superb Shots in Soccer
Soccer, also known as football, is the most popular sport in 57 countries, and its players are among the most highly paid athletes in the world; therefore, every shot is valuable. Knowing how to adjust foot orientation and swing when kicking the ball can help players understand how to improve their shots on goal, giving them a competitive edge. READ FULL ARTICLE.
Media credits: alphaspirit.it/Shutterstock
Originally published in Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Part P: Journal of Sports Engineering and Technology (2022). DOI: 10.1177/17543371221101234
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California Becomes First US State to Begin Ranking Extreme Heat Wave Events
California Gov. Gavin Newsom recently signed into law a heat wave ranking system bill aimed at preparing the state for dangerous extreme heat events. The law goes info effect in January 2023. The California Environmental Protection Agency has until Jan. 1, 2025, to create the yet-to-be-established statewide heat wave ranking system. Newsom also signed three other heat-related bills into law. READ FULL ARTICLE.
Media credits: CC0 Public Domain
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Data-Driven Discovery of NbOI2 as a High Performance Layered Piezoelectric
Piezoelectric materials can convert mechanical energy to electrical energy, and vice versa. In recent years, there has been growing interest in the search for two-dimensional (2D) layered piezoelectrics. Such layered van der Waals piezoelectrics are particularly useful for niche applications such as actuators with atomic-scale precision and wearable sensors. In addition, 2D piezoelectrics can function as nanoscale power generators for nanoscale devices. READ FULL ARTICLE.
Media credits: Nature Communications (2022). DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-29495-y
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Can We Live Longer? Physicist Makes Discovery About Telomeres
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With the aid of physics and a minuscule magnet, researchers have discovered a new structure of telomeric DNA. Telomeres are sometimes seen as the key to living longer. They protect genes from damage but get a bit shorter each time a cell divides. If they become too short, the cell dies. The new discovery will help us understand aging and disease. READ FULL ARTICLE.
Media credits: Fien Leeflang/Leiden University
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Artificial Skin Sweats on Command
Following the breakthrough with their first sweating artificial skin two years ago, Danqing Liu's multidisciplinary team hasn't been sitting still. Their goal: an artificial skin that sweats as naturally as possible. They have succeeded in this, as can be read in their article in Angewandte Chemie. There, they explain how they managed to be the first team in the world to be able to accurately control where, when and how much an artificial skin sweats and also where the liquid collects. READ FULL ARTICLE.
Media credits: Danqing Liu
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Researchers Give 2D Electronics a Performance Boost
Two dimensional (2D) semiconductors have a unique property that allows their thickness to be reduced to one or few atoms—and this property could potentially minimize the short channel effects that remain an issue in advanced silicon-based transistors, for example, turning on a transistor prematurely. Despite the potential that 2D semiconductors possess in replacing conventional semiconducting materials like silicon in future, one key challenge remains: their low carrier mobility at room temperature, caused by strong scattering between electrons and phonons. READ FULL ARTICLE.
Media credits: A*STAR's Institute of Materials Research and Engineering
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Educators Can Help Make STEM Fields Diverse: Practices That Can Encourage Students to Stay
Jen, a student I taught early in my career, stood head-and-shoulders above her peers academically. I learned she had started off as an engineering major but switched over to psychology. I was surprised and curious. Was she struggling with difficult classes? No. In fact, Jen's aptitude for math was so strong, she had been recruited as an engineering prospect. In her first year, her engineering classes were filled with faces of other women. But as she advanced, there were fewer and fewer women in her classes—until one day, she realized she was the only woman in a large lecture class of men. READ FULL ARTICLE.
Media credits: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain
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Tiny Motors Take a Big Step Forward
Motors are everywhere in our day-to-day lives—from cars to washing machines. A futuristic scientific field is working on tiny motors that could power a network of nanomachines and replace some of the power sources we use in devices today. In new research published recently, researchers created the first ever solid-state optical nanomotor. READ FULL ARTICLE.
Media credits: ACS Nano (2022). DOI: 10.1021/acsnano.1c09800
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A Thermal Management Material That Responds to Heat or Cold by Folding or Unfolding without Need for a Power Source
A team of researchers at Nankai University has developed a thermal management multi-layer material that responds to heat or cold by folding or unfolding itself without the need for an external power source. In their paper, the group describes how they came to develop the material and detail its performance when tested. READ FULL ARTICLE.
Media credits: Quan Zhang
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Technology Leadership Series
of the Americas Events
ATTEND | PRESENT | SPONSOR | EXHIBIT
The Technology Leadership Series of the Americas is a collection of eight major events representing the various technology communities in our industry. These programs connect 2,400+ member companies and over 1.3 million global professionals to advance the technology and business of electronics manufacturing and the design-supply chain.
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Society of Vacuum Coaters | PO Box 10628, Albuquerque, NM 87184
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