Automated calculation of surface properties in crystals

Mar 28, 2024 (Nanowerk News) The surface properties of complex crystalline materials can be calculated reliably and automatically using only the fundamental laws of physics, thanks to a new computer-based method. The method could speed up the search for new materials for important technologies such as photovoltaics, batteries or data...

New simulation framework guides design of high-performance semitransparent organic solar cells

Mar 28, 2024 (Nanowerk Spotlight) In the pursuit of sustainable energy solutions, organic solar cells (OSCs) have emerged as a promising technology for semitransparent applications, such as building-integrated photovoltaics and greenhouses. The ability to fine-tune the optical properties of OSCs by manipulating the light-absorbing materials, known as donors and acceptors,...

Can metalenses be commercialized at a fraction of the cost?

Mar 28, 2024 (Nanowerk News) Metalenses, nano-artificial structures capable of manipulating light, offer a technology that can significantly reduce the size and thickness of traditional optical components. Particularly effective in the near-infrared region, this technology holds great promise for various applications such as LiDAR which is called the ‘eyes of...

The most complete portrait of a supernova

Mar 28, 2024 (Nanowerk News) Humankind has long turned to the skies in search of answers. Accounts of supernovae – exploding stars – go back thousands of years, but while we know today that these events create the building blocks of life itself, the conditions that cause a star to...

Scientists propose a new way to search for dark matter

Mar 28, 2024 (Nanowerk News) Ever since its discovery, dark matter has remained invisible to scientists, despite the launch of multiple ultra-sensitive particle detector experiments around the world over several decades. Now, physicists at the Department of Energy’s (DOE) SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory are proposing a new way to look...