Breaking boundaries in quantum photonics: Groundbreaking nanocavities unlock new frontiers in light confinement

In a significant leap forward for quantum nanophotonics, a team of European and Israeli physicists, introduces a new type of polaritonic cavities and redefines the limits of light confinement. This pioneering work, detailed in a study published today in Nature Materials, demonstrates an unconventional method to confine photons, overcoming the traditional limitations in nanophotonics.

Scientists take an important step towards using quantum computers to advance materials science

A team of scientists from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Ames National Laboratory demonstrated a way to advance the role of quantum computing in materials research with an adaptive algorithm for simulating materials. Quantum computers have potential capabilities far beyond today’s computers, and using an adaptive algorithm allows them to produce solutions quickly and accurately.

When Material Goes Quantum, Electrons Slow Down and Form a Crystal

Moiré patterns can occur when scientists stack two-dimensional crystals with mismatched atomic spacings. Moiré superlattices display exotic physical properties that are absent in the layers that make up the patterns. Researchers have discovered a new property in the moiré superlattices formed in tungsten diselenide/tungsten disulfide crystals, in which the electrons “freeze” and form an ordered array.

Blind spots in the monitoring of plastic waste

Whether in drinking water, food or even in the air: plastic is a global problem – and the full extent of this pollution may go beyond of what we know yet. Researchers at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), together with partners from the Netherlands and Australia, have reviewed conventional assumptions for the transport of plastic in rivers.

Biochemistry: Peptide “Fingerprint” Enables Earlier Diagnosis of Alzheimer’s Disease

Neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s disease or Parkinson’s disease are caused by folding errors (misfolding) in proteins or peptides, i.e. by changes in their spatial structure. This is the result of minute deviations in the chemical composition of the biomolecules. Researchers at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) have developed a simple and effective method for detecting such misfolding at an early stage of the disease. Misfolding is revealed by the structure of dried residue from protein and peptide solutions.

Photovoltaics: Fully Scalable All-Perovskite Tandem Solar Modules

Researchers at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) have developed a prototype for fully scalable all-perovskite tandem solar modules. These modules have an efficiency of up to 19.1 percent with an aperture area of 12.25 square centimeters. This result, the first of its kind reported worldwide, was made possible by improving efficiency with optimized light paths, high-throughput laser scribing, and the use of established industrial coating methods. The researchers present their results in the journal Nature Energy. (DOI: 10.1038/s41560-022-01059-w)

Urban Timber Construction: Colored Façades Increase Acceptance

Wood as a building material has deep roots in the cultural memory of many regions. A study by Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) now shows how much future building with wood opens up. Considering the cultural, technical, and design aspects of building with wood, the study examines how timber construction can make a comeback in cities. Its proposition is that more color is the key to greater acceptance. The reference project for the study is “Vinzent,” a residential and office building with colorful, planted wooden façades in Munich’s Neuhausen district.

Tabletop Magnetic Resonance Units to Revolutionize Diagnostics and Materials Analysis

In the HyPERiON CRC coordinated by the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), researchers from KIT and the universities of Kaiserslautern, Konstanz and Stuttgart are jointly developing technology for compact high-performance magnetic resonance units. In the future, the devices could be used in the chemical and pharmaceutical industries, in medical practices or at border checkpoints. The German Research Foundation is funding the interdisciplinary group with more than 10.6 million euros for four years starting on July 1, 2022.

Researchers “Watch” Molten Salts Carve Tiny Nooks and Tunnels into Metal Alloys in 3D

A multidisciplinary team of scientists has used the National Synchrotron Light Source II (NSLS-II), a U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science User facility located at the DOE’s Brookhaven National Laboratory, to investigate how high-temperature molten salts corrode metal alloys.

Finding What Makes Catalysts Tick

Computational chemist Samantha Johnson, who is searching for combinations to bolster energy future, is among the PNNL scientists preparing to move into the Energy Sciences Center. The new $90 million, 140,000-square-foot facility, is under construction on the PNNL campus and will accelerate innovation in energy research using chemistry, materials science, and quantum information sciences to support the nation’s climate and clean energy research agenda.

Material scientists learn how to make liquid crystal shape-shift

A new 3D-printing method will make it easier to manufacture and control the shape of soft robots, artificial muscles and wearable devices. By controlling the printing temperature of liquid crystal elastomer, researchers have shown they can control the material’s stiffness and ability to contract.

Unlocking Promising Properties to Create Future Technologies

At Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, researchers working at the intersection of materials science, chemical engineering, and physics are uncovering new and innovative ways to unlock those promising and useful abilities using light, temperature, pressure, or magnetic fields.
The groundbreaking discovery of an optical version of quantum hall effect (QHE), published today in Physical Review X, demonstrates the leadership of Rensselaer in this vital research field.

New silk materials can wrinkle into detailed patterns, then unwrinkle to be “reprinted”

Engineers developed silk materials that can wrinkle into nanotextured patterns – including words, textures and images as intricate as a QR code or a fingerprint. The patterns are stable, but can be erased by flooding the surface of the silk with vapor, allowing the it to be printed again. Researchers see many applications in optical electronics