Tandem Solar Cells with Perovskite: Nanostructures Help in Many Ways
Tandem solar cells made of perovskite and silicon enable significantly higher efficiencies than silicon solar cells alone. Tandem cells from HZB have already achieved several world records. Most recently, in November 2021, HZB research teams achieved a certified efficiency of 29.8 % with a tandem cell made of perovskite and silicon. This was an absolute world record that stood unbeaten at the top for eight months. It was not until the summer of 2022 that a Swiss team at EPFL succeeded in surpassing this value. READ FULL ARTICLE.
Media credits: P.Tockhorn/HZB
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The 'Dense' Potential of Nanostructured Superconductors
By Shibaura Institute of Technology in phys.org
From superfast magnetic levitation trains and computer chips to magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) machines and particle accelerators, superconductors are electrifying various aspects of our life. Superconductivity is an interesting property that allows materials to transfer moving charges without any resistance, below a certain critical point. This implies that superconducting materials can transfer electrical energy in a highly efficient manner without loss in the form of heat, unlike many conventional conductors. READ FULL ARTICLE.
Media credits: Muralidhar Miryala from SIT, Japan and Prof. Jacques G. Noudem from UN, France
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How Viruses Outwit Cellular Immune Systems
We're used to thinking of the immune system as a separate entity, almost a distinct organ, but the truth is much more complicated. Breakthroughs in recent years—some resulting from research performed in Prof. Rotem Sorek's lab at the Weizmann Institute of Science's Molecular Genetics Department—have shown that individual bacterial cells possess their own autonomous, innate immune system that can identify, locate and deal with intruders. READ FULL ARTICLE.
Media credits: Prof. Graham Beards
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High Entropy Alloys: Structural Disorder and Magnetic Properties
High entropy alloys or HEAs consist of five or more different metallic elements and are an extremely interesting class of materials with a great diversity of potential applications. Since the macroscopic properties of HEAs are strongly dependent on interatomic interactions, researchers can probe their local structure and structural disorder around each individual element by element-specific techniques. READ FULL ARTICLE.
Media credits: A. Kuzmin/University of Latvia and A. Smekhova/HZB
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New Data Transmission Record Set Using a Single Laser and a Single Optical Chip
An international group of researchers from Technical University of Denmark (DTU) and Chalmers University of Technology in Gothenburg, Sweden have achieved dizzying data transmission speeds and are the first in the world to transmit more than 1 petabit per second (Pbit/s) using only a single laser and a single optical chip. 1 petabit corresponds to 1 million gigabits. READ FULL ARTICLE.
Media credits: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain
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Cats Distinguish Between Speech Directed at Them and Humans
A small study has found that cats may change their behavior when they hear their owner's voice talking in a tone directed to them, the cats, but not when hearing the voice of a stranger or their owner's voice directed at another person. The study of 16 cats is published in the journal Animal Cognition and adds to evidence that cats may form strong bonds with their owners. READ FULL ARTICLE.
Media credits: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain
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Superconducting Hardware Could Scale Up Brain-Inspired Computing
Scientists have long looked to the brain as an inspiration for designing computing systems. Some researchers have recently gone even further by making computer hardware with a brain-like structure. These "neuromorphic chips" have already shown great promise, but they have used conventional digital electronics, limiting their complexity and speed. As the chips become larger and more complex, the signals between their individual components become backed up like cars on a gridlocked highway and reduce computation to a crawl. READ FULL ARTICLE.
Media credits: J. Chiles and J. Shainline/NIST
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How Advanced Optical Tweezers Revolutionized Cell Manipulation
Optical tweezers (OTs), also known as optical traps, are highly focused laser beams that can be used to trap and manipulate microscopic objects with a noncontact force. Employed in a wide range of nano and micro-scale operations, OTs have become particularly useful in the manipulation of biological objects including human cells. READ FULL ARTICLE.
Media credits: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain
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Increased Spacing of Solar Panels Comes with Benefits
Moving rows of solar panels farther apart can increase efficiency and improve economics in certain instances by allowing greater airflow to whisk away some heat, according to a new analysis. Solar panels work by capturing sunlight and converting that to electricity, but the accompanying heat can decrease their power output slightly. The analysis looked beyond current operating assumptions that considered only the amount of sunlight, wind speed, and ambient temperature. READ FULL ARTICLE.
Media credits: Werner Slocum, NREL
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Research Team Discovers Atomic Configuration of Two-Atomic-Layer-Thick Paraelectric Materials
A team of researchers including scientists from the U of A's Department Physics have discovered the atomic configuration of two-atom-thick paraelectric materials. "Ferroelectric materials are all around us, most commonly within capacitors in our cellphones, televisions and any other electronic device," said Salvador Barraza-Lopez, associate professor of physics and theory lead for the team. READ FULL ARTICLE.
Media credits: Salvador Barraza-Lopez
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Development of High-Time-Resolution Measurement of Electron Temperature and Density in a Magnetically Confined Plasma
By National Institutes of Natural Sciences in phys.org
Fusion power generation uses the energy generated by fusion reactions in high-temperature plasma. To achieve this, it is necessary to precisely measure the fast-changing high-temperature plasma to understand and control the physical phenomena. READ FULL ARTICLE.
Media credits: National Institute for Fusion Science
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A Reinforcement Learning-Based Four-Legged Robotic Goalkeeper
Researchers at the Hybrid Robotics Group at UC Berkeley, Simon Fraser University and Georgia Institute of Technology have recently created a reinforcement learning model that allows a quadrupedal robot to efficiently play soccer in the role of goalkeeper. The model introduced in a paper pre-published on arXiv, improves the robot's skills over time, through a trial-and-error process. READ FULL ARTICLE.
Media credits: Huang et al.
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A Catalyst Alloying Platinum with a Rare Earth Element Could Slash Fuel Cell Costs
By Tsinghua University Press in phys.org
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Researchers have devised a method for combining high-cost platinum and a low-cost rare earth element, lanthanum, as an alloy to serve as a catalyst in the next generation of fuel cells that will improve their performance and slash their cost. The development should make it easier to decarbonize those heavy transport vehicles that are less suitable to the use of batteries. READ FULL ARTICLE.
Media credits: Nano Research, Tsinghua University Press
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Physicists Probe 'Astonishing' Morphing Properties of Honeycomb-Like Material
A series of buzzing, bee-like "loop-currents" could explain a recently discovered, never-before-seen phenomenon in a type of quantum material. The findings from researchers at the University of Colorado Boulder may one day help engineers to develop new kinds of devices, such as quantum sensors or the quantum equivalent of computer memory storage devices. READ FULL ARTICLE.
Media credits: Oak Ridge National Laboratory
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An Optical Fiber Sensor-Based Mouthguard to Operate Devices by Bite Force
Conventional interfaces for computers and other electronics only allow humans to operate devices using their fingers. Recent technological advancements, however, have opened valuable opportunities for the development of alternative interfaces that use voice, eye blinks, facial movements, or other body movements. These alternative interfaces could transform the lives of people with disabilities that prevent them from freely moving their hands. READ FULL ARTICLE.
Media credits: National University of Singapore
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Nanomaterial from the Middle Ages
To gild sculptures in the late Middle Ages, artists often applied ultra-thin gold foil supported by a silver base layer. For the first time, scientists at the Paul Scherrer Institute PSI have managed to produce nanoscale 3D images of this material, known as Zwischgold. The pictures show this was a highly sophisticated medieval production technique and demonstrate why restoring such precious gilded artifacts is so difficult. READ FULL ARTICLE.
Media credits: Nanoscale (2022). DOI: 10.1039/D2NR03367D
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Medical Optical Imaging Using the World's First 'Ultrasound-Induced Tissue Transparency' Technology
By DGIST (Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology) in phys.org
A joint research team from DGIST has developed the world's first laser scanning microscopy technology that enables deeper and more detailed observation of biological tissues using gas bubbles that are temporarily produced by ultrasound. Optical imaging and therapeutic technologies are widely utilized in life science research and clinical practice. However, due to the occurrence of optical scattering in the tissue, the light transmission is low. READ FULL ARTICLE.
Media credits: Nature Photonics (2022). DOI: 10.1038/s41566-022-01068-x
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Engineers Develop Sensors for Face Masks That Help Gauge Fit
Wearing a mask can help prevent the spread of viruses such as SARS-CoV-2, but a mask's effectiveness depends on how well it fits. Currently, there are no simple ways to measure the fit of a mask, but a new sensor developed at MIT could make it much easier to ensure a good fit. The sensor, which measures physical contact between the mask and the wearer's face, can be applied to any kind of mask. READ FULL ARTICLE.
Media credits: MIT
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