Borophene is the name for atomically thin, two-dimensional (2D) sheets of boron. Whereas boron is a nonmetallic semiconductor in its bulk form, it becomes a metallic conductor in 2D, even at a thickness of only one atomic layer.
Lire la suiteLithium-ion batteries are ubiquitous in today’s electronic devices such as smart phones and laptops. Even NASA uses rechargeable batteries in many missions to provide electrical power for survival during eclipse periods on solar-powered missions…
Lire la suiteRadiative cooling is a passive cooling strategy for lowering the temperature of an object without consuming energy or emitting pollution.
Lire la suiteBy varying the energy and dose of tightly-focused electron beams, researchers have demonstrated the ability to both etch away and deposit high-resolution nanoscale patterns on two-dimensional layers of graphene oxide.
Lire la suiteAn unusual form of superconductivity, which could help develop powerful quantum computers, has been found at the interface between two thin films by RIKEN physicists (Nature Communications, « Nonreciprocal charge transport at topological insulator/superconductor interface »).
Lire la suiteTwo-dimensional (2D) materials could offer new building blocks for future technologies — but only if scientists can control growth and properties. Strain, caused by “stretching” or “bunching” the atomic structure as a crystal grows, is one way to control these properties.
Lire la suiteA special class of materials known as “Weyl semimetals” have unusual physical properties. In these materials, researchers can separate electrons by their “handedness.” That’s whether the electrons’ magnetic moment is in the same direction as the electrons’ movement or the opposite direction.
This results in a host of unique phenomena that researchers can use to turn infrared light into electricity and develop very fast electronic circuits.
Researchers have created a unique device which will unlock the elusive terahertz wavelengths and make revolutionary new technologies possible.
Lire la suiteResearchers at Seoul National University and Inha University in South Korea developed photo-sensitive artificial nerves that emulated functions of a retina by using 2-dimensional carbon nitride (C3N4) nanodot materials.
Lire la suite