Tag: materials science and engineering

UCI-led team creates new ultralightweight, crush-resistant tensegrity metamaterials

sarah JonasResearch Results

Irvine, Calif., March 11, 2021 – Catastrophic collapse of materials and structures is the inevitable consequence of a chain reaction of locally confined damage – from solid ceramics that snap after the development of a small crack to metal space trusses that give way after the warping of a single strut. In a study published this week in Advanced Materials, engineers at the University of California, Irvine and the Georgia Institute of Technology describe the creation of a new class of mechanical metamaterials that delocalize deformations to prevent failure.

YOUNG INVESTIGATOR AWARD

sarah JonasAnnouncement

The University of Delaware’s Stephanie Law is being recognized as a leading expert in molecular beam epitaxy, a technique used to make promising, novel materials precisely designed for use in many applications, such as ultra-sensitive gas sensing or new qubits for quantum computing. Law received the Young Investigator Award from the 21st International Conference on Molecular Beam Epitaxy 2020.

UCI scientists measure local vibrational modes at individual crystalline faults

sarah JonasResearch Results

Irvine, Calif., Jan. 11, 2021 – Often admired for their flawless appearance to the naked eye, crystals can have defects at the nanometer scale, and these imperfections may affect the thermal and heat transport properties of crystalline materials used in a variety of high-technology devices. Employing newly developed electron microscopy techniques, researchers at the University of California, Irvine and other institutions have, for the first time, measured the spectra of phonons – quantum mechanical vibrations in a lattice – at individual crystalline faults, and they discovered the propagation of phonons near the flaws.

Hanging by a colored thread

sarah JonasResearch Results

High-performance fibres that have been exposed to high temperatures usually lose their mechanical properties undetected and, in the worst case, can tear precisely when lives depend on them. For example, safety ropes used by fire brigades or suspension ropes for heavy loads on construction sites. Empa researchers have now developed a coating that changes color when exposed to high temperatures through friction or fire.

Better together: Scientists discover far-reaching applications of nanoparticles made of multiple elements

sarah JonasResearch Results

As catalysts for fuel cells, batteries and processes for carbon dioxide reduction, alloy nanoparticles that are made up of five or more elements are shown to be more stable and durable than single-element nanoparticles.

Nikhil Tiwale: Practicing the Art of Nanofabrication

sarah JonasFeature

Applying his passions for science and art, Nikhil Tiwale—a postdoc at Brookhaven Lab’s Center for Functional Nanomaterials—is fabricating new microelectronics components.

Exploring Blended Materials Along Compositional Gradients

sarah JonasResearch Results

A new platform could accelerate the development of blended materials with desired properties.

Toward an Ultrahigh Energy Density Capacitor

sarah JonasResearch Results

Researchers at Berkeley Lab and UC Berkeley have demonstrated that a common material can be processed into a top-performing energy storage material. Their discovery could improve the efficiency, reliability, and robustness of personal electronics, wearable technologies, and car audio systems.

Berkeley Lab Part of Multi-Institutional Team Awarded $60M for Solar Fuels Research

sarah JonasAnnouncement

The Department of Energy has awarded $60 million to a new solar fuels initiative – called the Liquid Sunlight Alliance (LiSA) – led by Caltech in close partnership with Berkeley Lab. LiSA will build on the foundational work of the Joint Center for Artificial Photosynthesis (JCAP).

ReCell Center could save costly nickel and cobalt, transform battery recycling worldwide

sarah JonasFeature

Argonne’s ReCell Center has already made pivotal discoveries as scientists create and test new recycling processes and battery designs. These discoveries will help grow a globally competitive U.S. recycling industry.

Exemplary Student Research Program inspires our next generation of researchers

sarah JonasFeature

Every year, the Exemplary Student Research Program welcomes students from Chicagoland high schools to complete research projects at Argonne’s scientific facilities. The program inspires and trains the next generation of researchers.

Surfaces That Grip Like Gecko Feet Could Be Easily Mass-Produced

sarah JonasResearch Results

The science behind sticky gecko’s feet lets gecko adhesion materials pick up about anything. But cost-effective mass production of the materials was out of reach until now. A new method of making them could usher the spread of gecko-inspired grabbers to assembly lines and homes.

Coupled magnetic materials show interesting properties for quantum applications

sarah JonasResearch Results

In a new study led by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Argonne National Laboratory, researchers have uncovered a novel way in which the excitations of magnetic spins in two different thin films can be strongly coupled to each other through their common interface.

New $21.4 million U.S.-Israel center aims to develop water-energy technologies

sarah JonasAnnouncement

A U.S.-Israel team that includes researchers from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Argonne National Laboratory has received $21.4 million to develop new technologies to help solve global water challenges.

Scientists pioneer new generation of semiconductor neutron detector

sarah JonasResearch Results

In a new study, scientists have developed a new type of semiconductor neutron detector that boosts detection rates by reducing the number of steps involved in neutron capture and transduction.

ORNL, University of Toledo to collaborate on advanced materials, manufacturing research for vehicle applications

sarah JonasResearch Results

The U.S. Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory and The University of Toledo have entered into a memorandum of understanding for collaborative research into the advanced design and manufacturing of high-strength, intelligent, lightweight materials for use by the automotive sector.