Novel approach to fabricating artificial graphene nanoribbons with embedded pentagon carbon

Jun 16, 2023 (Nanowerk News) Graphene nanoribbons (GNRs) have attracted much attention due to their unique electronic structures with high tunability of physical structures. However, the fabrication feasibility of artificially tuned GNRs intrinsically associated with their external properties brings considerable challenges in the synthesis of GNRs and their utilization in...

The unique properites of metal nanoclusters for applications from catalysis to biomedicine

Jun 16, 2023 (Nanowerk News) In a recent comprehensive review article in Nature Reviews Materials ("Understanding ligand-protected noble metal nanoclusters at work"), researchers from the Nanoscience Center at the University of Jyväskylä, Finland, discuss the unique properties of nanometer-size metal clusters that make them suitable for various applications in catalysis,...

To boost supply chains, scientists are looking at ways to recover valuable materials from water

Jun 16, 2023 (Nanowerk News) For many materials critical to supply chains that will help enable America’s decarbonization transition, resources are limited. Traditional mining is fraught with challenges, so advancing clean energy depends on finding new ways to reliably access critical materials.    Promoting national security and economic competitiveness will...

When materials discovery glitters

Jun 15, 2023 (Nanowerk News) Thomas Edison famously tried hundreds of materials and failed thousands of times before discovering that carbonized cotton thread burned long and bright in an incandescent light bulb. Experiments are often time consuming (Edison’s team spent 14 months) and expensive (the winning combination cost about $850,000...