May 12, 2023 (Nanowerk News) Getting something for nothing doesn’t work in physics. But it turns out that, by thinking like a strategic gamer, and with some help from a demon, improved energy efficiency for complex systems like data centers might be possible. In computer simulations, Stephen Whitelam of the...
New surface coating technology increases materials’ electron emission seven-fold
May 12, 2023 (Nanowerk News) An international research group has developed a new surface coating technology that is capable of significantly increasing electron emission in materials (Applied Physics Letters, "Work function lowering of LaB6 by monolayer hexagonal boron nitride coating for improved photo- and thermionic-cathodes"). Their breakthrough is expected to...
Soaking it up: Nanoparticle sponge boosts photocatalysis
May 12, 2023 (Nanowerk News) Exciton Science researchers have created a new type of highly absorbent material that could help to increase the efficiency of photocatalysis for hydrogen production and water purification. Based at RMIT University, the team combined silver nanoparticles with molecular organic cages to develop a new material...
Astronomers discover twisted fields around mysterious fast radio burst
May 12, 2023 (Nanowerk News) Fast Radio Bursts (FRBs), characterized as the most luminous millisecond-duration celestial detonations within the radio spectrum, have long presented perplexing questions to the realms of astronomy and physics due to their enigmatic origin. The Commensal Radio Astronomy FAST Survey (CRAFTS), a seminal program of the...
Boosting solar efficiency with nano matchsticks
May 12, 2023 (Nanowerk News) Researchers in Australia have demonstrated a highly efficient mechanism for extracting energy from metal nanocrystals, with potential benefits in photovoltaics, photocatalysis and optoelectronics. Based at RMIT University and CISRO, the Exciton Science-led team created nanometre-sized ‘matchsticks’ – tiny structures made with gold nanorods and cadmium...
Astronomers reveal the largest cosmic explosion ever seen
May 12, 2023 (Nanowerk News) A team of astronomers led by the University of Southampton have uncovered the largest cosmic explosion ever witnessed. The explosion is more than ten times brighter than any known supernova and three times brighter than the brightest tidal disruption event, where a star falls into...
a sweet solution for overcrowded circuitry in quantum computer chips
May 11, 2023 (Nanowerk News) The silicon microchips of future quantum computers will be packed with millions, if not billions of qubits – the basic units of quantum information – to solve the greatest problems facing humanity. And with millions of qubits needing millions of wires in the microchip circuitry,...