Sep 25, 2024 (Nanowerk News) In the process of oil extraction, hard mineral buildup inside the pipes and equipment can cause serious operational damage, safety issues such as pipe explosion and significant economic losses. The current methods for descaling mineral buildup, however, can adversely impact the environment. Penn State researchers...
Nanoengineered manganese cathodes could boost lithium-ion batteries
Sep 25, 2024 (Nanowerk News) Rechargeable lithium-ion batteries are growing in adoption, used in devices like smartphones and laptops, electric vehicles, and energy storage systems. But supplies of nickel and cobalt commonly used in the cathodes of these batteries are limited. New research led by the Department of Energy’s Lawrence...
Ultra-high speed camera captures attosecond electron transfer in organic molecules
Sep 25, 2024 (Nanowerk News) In nature, photosynthesis powers plants and bacteria; within solar panels, photovoltaics transform light into electric energy. These processes are driven by electronic motion and imply charge transfer at the molecular level. The redistribution of electronic density in molecules after they absorb light is an ultrafast...
Nanomembrane allows efficient sieving of ions from liquids
Sep 25, 2024 (Nanowerk News) Everyone knows it from their childhood days in the sandpit: sand is filtered using a sieve. Larger stones get stuck, while fine sand can fall through the sieve. The same principle is used when making coffee: water and aromatic substances can pass through unhindered, while...
‘Writing’ with atoms could transform materials fabrication for quantum devices
Sep 25, 2024 (Nanowerk News) A new technology to continuously place individual atoms exactly where they are needed could lead to new materials for devices that address critical needs for the field of quantum computing and communication that cannot be produced by conventional means, say scientists who developed it. A...
The popcorn planet WASP-107b unveils new atmospheric details
Sep 25, 2024 (Nanowerk News) The "popcorn planet" is back in the spotlight! Using NASA's James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), a team of international astronomers has discovered new atmospheric details on WASP-107b, an exoplanet with a puffed-up atmosphere due to tidal heating. Previously described as an extremely low-density "popcorn planet"...