Researchers at EPFL have developed a new way to 3D print ultra-strong metals and ceramics using hydrogels.
Category: materials – Page 5
Bandages Made From Living Fungi Could Be The Future of Wound Healing
Fungi are best known for returning dead, organic matter to the Earth, but materials scientists are exploring whether they could someday help our bodies repair, in the form of special hydrogels.
To play a role in biomedical settings, a hydrogel needs a multilayered structure like our own skin, cartilage and muscles. While some engineers are working on synthetic versions that mimic biology, University of Utah scientists have found a hydrogel that literally has a life of its own.
Marquandomyces marquandii is a common species of soil mold, and a promising candidate for the job. This fungus has had a bit of an identity crisis, being misclassified as Paecilomyces marquandii until it was reassigned to its own genus in 2020. Soon, it may be able to add the role of ‘bio-integrated hydrogel’ to its resume.
Next-generation memory: Tungsten-based SOT-MRAM achieves nanosecond switching and low-power data storage
The ability to reliably switch the direction of magnetic alignment in materials, a process known as magnetization switching, is known to be central to the functioning of most memory devices. One known strategy to achieve entails the creation of a rotational force (i.e., torque) on electron spins via an electric current; a physical effect known as spin-orbit torque (SOT).
Information storage devices that rely on this effect are called spin-orbit torque magnetic random-access memories (SOT-MRAMs). These memory systems have been found to have various notable advantages, such as the ability to retain data even when their electrical power is turned off, fast switching compared to other various existing memory solutions and low power consumption.
Researchers at National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, the Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, the Industrial Technology Research Institute and other institutes recently developed a new SOT-MRAM based on composite materials that contain the heavy metal tungsten, which is known for its strong spin-orbit coupling. Their memory device, introduced in a paper published in Nature Electronics, could be fabricated via existing processes for the large-scale production of semiconductors.
Event Horizon Telescope images reveal new dark matter detection method
According to a new Physical Review Letters study, black holes could help solve the dark matter mystery. The shadowy regions in black hole images captured by the Event Horizon Telescope can act as ultra-sensitive detectors for the invisible material that makes up most of the universe’s matter.
Dark matter makes up roughly 85% of the universe’s matter, but scientists still don’t know what it actually is. While researchers have proposed countless ways to detect it, this study introduces black hole imaging as a fresh detection method—one that comes with some distinct benefits.
The Event Horizon Telescope’s stunning images of supermassive black holes have revealed more than just the geometry of spacetime; they’ve opened an unexpected window into the search for dark matter.
Self-assembled microdevices driven by muscle
Current procedures for manual extraction of mature muscle tissue in micromechanical structures are time consuming and can damage the living components. To overcome these limitations, we have devised a new system for assembling muscle-powered microdevices based on judicious manipulations of materials phases and interfaces. In this system, individual cells grow and self-assemble into muscle bundles that are integrated with micromechanical structures and can be controllably released to enable free movement. Having realized such an assembly with cardiomyocytes we demonstrate two potential applications: a force transducer able to characterize in situ the mechanical properties of muscle and a self-assembled hybrid (biotic/abiotic) microdevice that moves as a consequence of collective cooperative contraction of muscle bundles. Because the fabrication of silicon microdevices is independent of the subsequent assembly of muscle cells, this system is highly versatile and may lead to the integration of cells and tissues with a variety of other microstructures.
Densifying argyrodite could prevent dendrite formation in all-solid-state batteries
All-solid-state batteries are emerging energy storage solutions in which flammable liquid electrolytes are substituted by solid materials that conduct lithium ions. In addition to being safer than lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) and other batteries based on liquid electrolytes, all-solid-state batteries could exhibit greater energy densities, longer lifespans and shorter charging times.
Despite their potential, most all–solid-state batteries introduced to date do not perform as well as expected. One main reason for this is the formation of so-called lithium dendrites, needle-like metal structures that form when the lithium inside the batteries is unevenly deposited during charging.
These structures can pierce solid electrolytes, which can adversely impact the performance of batteries and potentially elicit dangerous reactions. Identifying strategies to prevent the formation of dendrites in solid electrolytes, while also achieving high energy densities and overall battery performance is thus of key importance to enable the commercialization and widespread deployment of all-solid-state batteries.
Researchers demonstrate substrate design principles for scalable superconducting quantum materials
Silicides—alloys of silicon and metals long used in microelectronics—are now being explored again for quantum hardware. But their use faces a critical challenge: achieving phase purity, since some silicide phases are superconducting while others are not.
The study, published in Applied Physics Letters by NYU Tandon School of Engineering and Brookhaven National Laboratory, shows how substrate choice influences phase formation and interfacial stability in superconducting vanadium silicide films, providing design guidelines for improving material quality.
The team, led by NYU Tandon professor Davood Shahrjerdi, focused on vanadium silicide, a material that becomes superconducting (able to conduct electricity without resistance) when cooled below its transition temperature of 10 Kelvin, or about −263°C. Its relatively high superconducting transition temperature makes it attractive for quantum devices that operate above conventional millikelvin temperatures.