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Growing ultrathin semiconductors directly on electronics could eliminate a fragile manufacturing step

A team of materials scientists at Rice University has developed a new way to grow ultrathin semiconductors directly onto electronic components.

The method, described in a study published in ACS Applied Electronic Materials, could help streamline the integration of two-dimensional materials into next-generation electronics, neuromorphic computing and other technologies demanding ultrathin high-speed semiconductors.

The researchers used (CVD) to grow tungsten diselenide, a 2D semiconductor, directly onto patterned gold electrodes. They next demonstrated the approach by building a functional, proof-of-concept transistor. Unlike conventional techniques that require transferring fragile 2D films from one surface to another, the Rice team’s method eliminates the transfer process entirely.

Why do some people age faster than others? Study identifies genes at play

It’s a fact of life: Some people age better than others. Some ease into their 90s with mind and body intact, while others battle diabetes, Alzheimer’s or mobility issues decades earlier. Some can withstand a bad fall or bout of the flu with ease, while others never leave the hospital again.

New University of Colorado Boulder-led research, published in Nature Genetics, sheds light on why that is.

In it, an international team of co-authors identifies more than 400 genes associated with accelerated aging across seven different sub-types. The study reveals that different groups of genes underlie different kinds of disordered aging, a.k.a. frailty, ranging from cognitive decline to mobility issues to social isolation.

Ultrabroadband laser ‘comb’ can enable rapid identification of chemicals with extreme precision

Optical frequency combs are specially designed lasers that act like rulers to accurately and rapidly measure specific frequencies of light. They can be used to detect and identify chemicals and pollutants with extremely high precision.

Weak points in diamond fusion fuel capsules identified

Scientists at the University of California San Diego have uncovered how diamond—the material used to encase fuel for fusion experiments at the National Ignition Facility (NIF) in Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory—can develop tiny structural flaws that may limit fusion performance.

At the NIF, powerful lasers compress diamond capsules filled with deuterium and tritium to the extreme pressures needed for . This process must be perfectly symmetrical to achieve maximum energy output.

By using a high-power pulsed laser to simulate these extreme conditions, researchers found that diamonds can form a series of defects, ranging from subtle crystal distortions to narrow zones of complete disorder, or amorphization. These imperfections can disrupt the implosion symmetry, which in turn can reduce energy yield or even prevent ignition.

New model describes result of non-reciprocal interactions between two non-linear molecules

Asymmetric interactions between different species of molecules have previously been demonstrated to result in self-organized patterns and functions. If one species A is attracted to B, but in turn, B is repelled by A, run-and-chase dynamic emerges.

Optical resonator enables a new kind of microscope for ultra-sensitive samples

Everyone who ever took a photo knows the problem: if you want a detailed image, you need a lot of light. In microscopy, however, too much light is often harmful to the sample—for example, when imaging sensitive biological structures or investigating quantum particles. The aim is therefore to gather as much information as possible about the object under observation with a given amount of light.

From pitcher plants to printing presses, study shows how sticky films can be tamed

A recent Cambridge study reveals why sticky liquids don’t always spread evenly, knowledge that could help cut waste, improve product quality and make everyday technologies more reliable.

The research, led by Ph.D. student Saksham Sharma in the Particles, Soft Solids and Surfaces research group, has shown that there is a critical thickness where a retreating liquid film becomes unstable. Below this thickness, the film breaks apart and leaves evenly spaced lines of liquid as it retreats.

The study, published in Physical Review Fluids last month, highlights a delicate balance of forces. The properties of the liquid, the surface it is drawn across and the speed at which it recedes all combine to decide whether a film will stay smooth or split.

Falling water forms beautiful fluted films

When water drains from the bottom of a vertical tube, it is followed by a thin film of liquid that can adopt complex and beautiful shapes. KAUST researchers have now studied exactly how these “fluted films” form and break up, developing a mathematical model of their behavior that could help improve the performance, safety, and efficiency of industrial processes.

Researchers develop novel miniaturized lidar technology based on cross dual-microcomb

Optical frequency combs, as a time and frequency “ruler,” have important applications in precision ranging. Conventional dual-comb ranging schemes utilize the optical Vernier effect to achieve long-distance measurements, and they typically require asynchronously secondary sampling, either after changing the repetition rates or swapping dual-comb roles.

These approaches have a commonly overlooked issue: When considering real-time distance variations induced by target motion or atmospheric turbulence in practical measurement scenarios, the asynchronously secondary sampling will introduce substantial absolute distance measurement error, namely asynchronous measurement error (AME).

In a study published in Science Advances, Prof. Zhang Wenfu’s team from the Xi’an Institute of Optics and Precision Mechanics (XIOPM) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences proposed an on-chip cross dual-microcomb (CDMC) ranging method based on dispersion interferometry. This method resolves the AME issue by eliminating secondary measurements through one-shot spectral sampling of cross dual-microcomb carrying distance information in the frequency domain.

Deep beneath the French Alps, scientists hunt for dark matter

The mysterious substance called dark matter is intrinsically invisible. It cannot be directly observed—rather, its presence is inferred by its gravitational influence on the universe, such as binding galaxy clusters together and moving stars around their galaxy faster than they should.

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