Physicists convert beams of light into frictionless supersolid, first step toward advanced quantum materials and future photonic technologies
Category: materials – Page 42
Small-scale laser systems enable high energy proton accelerator on a table-top
Laser ion acceleration uses intense laser flashes to heat electrons of a solid to enormous temperatures and propel these charged particles to extreme speeds. These have recently gained traction for applications in selectively destroying cancerous tumor cells, in processing semiconductor materials, and due to their excellent properties for imaging and fusion-relevant conditions.
Massive laser systems with several joules of light energy are needed to irradiate solids for the purpose. This produces a flash of ions which are accelerated to extreme speeds. Thus, emulating large million-volt accelerators is possible within the thickness of a hair strand.
Such lasers are typically limited to a few flashes per second to prevent overheating and damage to laser components. Thus, laser-driven ion accelerators are limited to demonstrative applications in large experimental facilities. This is far from real-world applications, where the flashes of high-velocity ions are ideally available much more frequently.
Scientists wash away mystery behind why foams are leakier than expected
Researchers from Tokyo Metropolitan University have solved a long-standing mystery behind the drainage of liquid from foams. Standard physics models wildly overestimate the height of foams required for liquid to drain out the bottom. Through careful observation, the team found that the limits are set by the pressure required to rearrange bubbles, not simply push liquid through a static set of obstacles.
Their approach highlights the importance of dynamics to understanding soft materials. The study is published in the Journal of Colloid and Interface Science.
When you spray foam on a wall, you will often see droplets of liquid trailing out the bottom. That is because foams are a dense collection of bubbles connected by walls of liquid, forming a complex labyrinth of interconnected paths. It is possible for liquid to travel along these paths, either leaving the foam or sucking in liquid which is brought into contact with the foam.
Mysteriously Perfect Sphere Spotted in Space by Astronomers
Our Milky Way galaxy is home to some extremely weird things, but a new discovery has astronomers truly baffled.
In data collected by a powerful radio telescope, astronomers have found what appears to be a perfectly spherical bubble. We know more or less what it is – it’s the ball of expanding material ejected by an exploding star, a supernova remnant – but how it came to be is more of a puzzle.
A large international team led by astrophysicist Miroslav Filipović of Western Sydney University in Australia has named the object Teleios, after the ancient Greek for “perfection”. After an exhaustive review of the possibilities, the researchers conclude that we’re going to need more information to understand how this object formed.
A new strategy to fabricate highly performing thin-film tin perovskite transistors
Tin-halide perovskites, a class of tin-based materials with a characteristic crystal structure that resembles that of the compound calcium titanate, could be promising alternatives to commonly used semiconductors. Past studies have explored the possibility of using these materials to fabricate p-channel thin-film transistors (TFTs), devices used to control and amplify the flow of charge carriers in electronics devices.
So far, however, the reliable fabrication and integration of thin-film perovskites into commercially available electronics has proved challenging. This is in part due to difficulties encountered when trying to produce uniform perovskite films with consistent electronic properties using scalable and industry-compatible methods.
Researchers at Pohang University of Science and Technology recently introduced a new promising strategy for the fabrication of highly performing TFTs based on tin-halide perovskites. Their approach, outlined in a paper published in Nature Electronics, relies on thermal evaporation and the use of lead chloride (PbCl2) as a reaction initiator.
Better than stitches: Researchers develop biocompatible patch for soft organ injuries
University of California, Los Angeles and University of California, San Diego researchers developed an injectable sealant for rapid hemostasis and tissue adhesion in soft, elastic organs.
Formulated with methacryloyl-modified human recombinant tropoelastin (MeTro) and Laponite silicate nanoplatelets (SNs), the engineered hydrogel demonstrated substantial improvements in tissue adhesion strength and hemostatic efficacy in preclinical models involving lung and arterial injuries.
Injuries to soft tissues such as lungs, heart, and blood vessels complicate surgical closure due to their constant motion and elasticity. Sutures, wires, and staples are mechanically fixed, risking blood loss when applied to tissues that expand and contract with each breath or heartbeat. Existing hemostatic agents, including fibrin-based sealants, aim to stem blood flow but may trigger intense coagulation responses in patients with clotting disorders.
Subtle ligand modifications in aluminum complexes unlock enhanced solid-state light emission
Artificial light, once a luxury, has become central to modern life, with its evolution spanning from fire to LEDs. Now, researchers have developed a new class of efficient light-emitting materials as promising candidates to be applied to lighten the darkness. They demonstrated easily accessible aluminum-based organometallic complexes that have the potential to be applied in optoelectronic devices.
The research team is from the Institute of Physical Chemistry, Polish Academy of Sciences in Warsaw and Warsaw University of Technology led by Prof. Janusz Lewiński in collaboration with Prof. Andrew E. H. Wheatley from Cambridge University. The paper is published in the journal Angewandte Chemie International Edition.
Growing demand for artificial light spurred the development of energy-efficient solutions like fluorescent lamps and, later, light-emitting diodes (LEDs). Once production costs dropped, LEDs became ubiquitous in homes and portable devices.
Study reveals new way to control magnons for efficient electronics
A new study by University of Kentucky researchers is helping change how scientists understand and control magnetic energy—and it could lead to faster, more efficient electronic devices.
Led by Ambrose Seo, Ph.D., a professor in the University of Kentucky Department of Physics and Astronomy in the College of Arts and Sciences, the study was recently published in Nature Communications.
The research focuses on magnons—tiny waves that carry magnetic energy through materials.
Princeton Engineers Develop “Metabot” That Is Both a Material and a Robot
This material can expand, change shape, move, and respond to electromagnetic commands like a remotely controlled robot, even though it has no motor or internal gears. In a study that echoes scenes from the Transformers movie franchise, engineers at Princeton University have developed a material c