Dec 27, 2023 (Nanowerk Spotlight) Researchers have long sought to maximize the efficiency of perovskite solar cells while minimizing production costs. Thinner solar cell films enable low-cost production but limit efficiency. Thicker films boost efficiency but are prone to defects that undermine performance. However, prior attempts at micron-scale perovskite films...
The big potential of MOFs in tackling fundamental problems
Dec 27, 2023 (Nanowerk News) Metal organic frameworks (MOFs) are advanced porous materials with multifunctional tunable properties. Discovered approximately 20 years ago, these sponge-like molecule structures are being improved today by scientists determinately to make positive change in the world. For example, these frameworks can capture water molecules in the...
Researchers develop selective transfer printing technology for microLEDs
Dec 27, 2023 (Nanowerk News) MicroLEDs are a light source for next-generation displays that utilize inorganic LED chips with a size of less than 100 µm. MicroLEDs have attracted a great deal of attention due to their superior electrical/optical properties, reliability, and stability compared to conventional displays such as LCD,...
Shedding light on the origin of the photovoltaic effect in organic-inorganic perovskites
Dec 26, 2023 (Nanowerk News) A team led by RIKEN researchers has investigated how special crystals convert light into electricity (Angewandte Chemie, "Bulk photovoltaic effect along the nonpolar axis in organic-inorganic hybrid perovskites"). Their findings will help inform efforts to improve their efficiency, which could lead to the crystals being...
Nanofabrication meets Internet-of-Things for advanced smart farming
Dec 26, 2023 (Nanowerk Spotlight) Researchers have long sought to enhance food and agricultural practices through advanced technologies like sensors and wireless data transfer. Persistent challenges around efficiently monitoring crop and food quality have slowed progress. Now, emerging nanomanufacturing techniques and Internet of Things (IoT) connectivity may soon unlock smarter,...
Turning plastic trash into chemistry treasure
Dec 25, 2023 (Nanowerk News) Single-use plastics are a major environmental concern, but now, rather than being disposed of as garbage, used plastic bags from the grocery store could be utilized to carry out a reaction that can detoxify hazardous chemicals. A team led by researchers at the Institute for...
Novel all-silicon metamaterials enhances control of terahertz polarization
Dec 25, 2023 (Nanowerk News) Researchers are working to unlock the immense potential of terahertz waves for applications ranging from medical imaging to wireless communications. However, efficiently controlling the polarization state of these high-frequency electromagnetic waves has remained an enduring challenge. Conventional approaches relying on natural birefringent crystals or dielectric...
New material allows for better hydrogen-based batteries and fuel cells
Dec 25, 2023 (Nanowerk News) Researchers led by Genki Kobayashi at the RIKEN Cluster for Pioneering Research in Japan have developed a solid electrolyte for transporting hydride ions (H−) at room temperature. This breakthrough means that the advantages of hydrogen-based solid-state batteries and fuel cells are within practical reach, including...
AI system autonomously designs stable novel 2D compounds
Dec 25, 2023 (Nanowerk Spotlight) Two-dimensional (2D) materials like graphene have attracted great interest across science and industry for their remarkable electronic, optical, and mechanical properties. Yet despite intense study, fewer than 100 distinct 2D materials have been successfully synthesized in labs. This severely limits their practical use in transistors,...
Astronomers detect seismic ripples in ancient galactic disk
Dec 22, 2023 (Nanowerk News) A new snapshot of an ancient, far-off galaxy could help scientists understand how it formed and the origins of our own Milky Way. The study has been published in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society ("Detecting a disk bending wave in a barred-spiral galaxy...