Chemistry: General Chemistry: Inorganic Chemistry Energy: Batteries Engineering: Nanotechnology
Published

Batteries: Passivation layer mystery solved      (via sciencedaily.com) 

In our daily lives, lithium-ion batteries have become indispensable. They function only because of a passivation layer that forms during their initial cycle. As researchers found out via simulations, this solid electrolyte interphase develops not directly at the electrode but aggregates in the solution. Their findings allow the optimization of the performance and lifetime of future batteries.

Chemistry: Inorganic Chemistry Computer Science: Quantum Computers Physics: General Physics: Quantum Computing Physics: Quantum Physics
Published

Surprise in the quantum world: Disorder leads to ferromagnetic topological insulator      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Magnetic topological insulators are an exotic class of materials that conduct electrons without any resistance at all and so are regarded as a promising breakthrough in materials science. Researchers have achieved a significant milestone in the pursuit of energy-efficient quantum technologies by designing the ferromagnetic topological insulator MnBi6Te10 from the manganese bismuth telluride family. The amazing thing about this quantum material is that its ferromagnetic properties only occur when some atoms swap places, introducing antisite disorder.

Chemistry: General Chemistry: Inorganic Chemistry Engineering: Nanotechnology Offbeat: Computers and Math Offbeat: General
Published

'Inkable' nanomaterial promises big benefits for bendable electronics      (via sciencedaily.com) 

An international team of scientists is developing an inkable nanomaterial that they say could one day become a spray-on electronic component for ultra-thin, lightweight and bendable displays and devices.

Chemistry: General Chemistry: Inorganic Chemistry Energy: Batteries Energy: Technology
Published

High-energy-density, long life-cycle rechargeable lithium metal batteries      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Research shows promise for developing high-energy-density rechargeable lithium-metal batteries and addressing the electrochemical oxidation instability of ether-based electrolytes.

Chemistry: Inorganic Chemistry Physics: General Physics: Quantum Physics
Published

First detection of neutrinos made at a particle collider      (via sciencedaily.com) 

A team including physicists has for the first time detected subatomic particles called neutrinos created by a particle collider, namely at CERN's Large Hadron Collider (LHC). The discovery promises to deepen scientists' understanding of the nature of neutrinos, which are among the most abundant particles in the universe and key to the solution of the question why there is more matter than antimatter.

Anthropology: Early Humans Anthropology: General Archaeology: General Biology: Botany Biology: Evolutionary Biology: General Ecology: Animals Geoscience: Environmental Issues Paleontology: Climate
Published

Genome research: Origin and evolution of vine      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Cultivation and growth of grapevines have strongly influenced European civilizations, but where the grapevine comes from and how it has spread across the globe has been highly disputed so far. In an extensive genome project, researchers have determined its origin and evolution from the wild vine to today's cultivar by analyzing thousands of vine genomes collected along the Silk Road from China to Western Europe.

Chemistry: Biochemistry Chemistry: General Chemistry: Inorganic Chemistry Chemistry: Organic Chemistry
Published

Can synthetic polymers replace the body's natural proteins?      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Scientists developing new biomaterials often try to mimic the body's natural proteins, but a chemist shows that simpler polymers -- based on a handful of plastic building blocks -- also work well. Using AI, her team was able to design polymer mixtures that replicate simple protein functions within biological fluids. The random heteropolymers dissolve and stabilize proteins and can support cells' normal protein-making machinery. The technique could speed the design of materials for biomedical applications.

Chemistry: Biochemistry Chemistry: Inorganic Chemistry Engineering: Graphene
Published

Another crystalline layer on crystal surface as a precursor of crystal-to-crystal transition      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Ice surfaces have a thin layer of water below its melting temperature of 0 degrees Celsius. Such premelting phenomenon is important for skating and snowflake growth. Similarly, liquid often crystallizes into a thin layer of crystal on a flat substrate before reaching its freezing temperature, i.e. prefreezing. The thickness of the surface layer usually increases and diverges as approaching the phase transition (such as melting and freezing) temperature. Besides premelting and prefreezing, whether similar surface phenomenon exists as a precursor of a phase transition has rarely been explored. Scientists now propose that a polymorphic crystalline layer may form on a crystal surface before the crystal-crystal phase transition and names it pre-solid-solid transition.

Chemistry: General Chemistry: Inorganic Chemistry Chemistry: Organic Chemistry Engineering: Graphene
Published

Nano cut-and-sew: New method for chemically tailoring layered nanomaterials could open pathways to designing 2D materials on demand      (via sciencedaily.com) 

A new process that lets scientists chemically cut apart and stitch together nanoscopic layers of two-dimensional materials -- like a tailor altering a suit -- could be just the tool for designing the technology of a sustainable energy future. Researchers have developed a method for structurally splitting, editing and reconstituting layered materials, called MAX phases and MXenes, with the potential of producing new materials with very unusual compositions and exceptional properties.

Chemistry: Inorganic Chemistry Physics: General Physics: Optics Physics: Quantum Physics
Published

Displays with more brilliant colors through a fundamental physical concept      (via sciencedaily.com) 

New research has shown that a strong coupling of light and material increases the colour brilliance of OLED displays. This increase is independent of the viewing angle and does not affect energy efficiency.

Chemistry: Biochemistry Chemistry: General Chemistry: Inorganic Chemistry Environmental: Water Geoscience: Geochemistry
Published

New approach to harvesting aerial humidity with organic crystals      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Researchers have reported a novel method of harvesting water from naturally occurring sources such as fog and dew.

Anthropology: Cultures Anthropology: General Archaeology: General
Published

Cyprus's copper deposits created one of the most important trade hubs in the Bronze Age      (via sciencedaily.com) 

The coveted metal copper and a sheltered location turned the Cypriot village of Hala Sultan Tekke into one of the most important trade hubs of the Late Bronze Age. Recent excavations confirm the importance of the Bronze Age city in the first period of international trade in the Mediterranean.

Chemistry: Biochemistry Chemistry: General Chemistry: Inorganic Chemistry Chemistry: Organic Chemistry Mathematics: Modeling Physics: General Physics: Quantum Computing Physics: Quantum Physics
Published

Modelling superfast processes in organic solar cell material      (via sciencedaily.com) 

In organic solar cells, carbon-based polymers convert light into charges that are passed to an acceptor. Scientists have now calculated how this happens by combining molecular dynamics simulations with quantum calculations and have provided theoretical insights to interpret experimental data.

Anthropology: Cultures Anthropology: General Archaeology: General Geoscience: Geography Paleontology: Fossils
Published

Indigenous Ashaninka DNA helps geneticists write new chapters of pre-colonial history in South America      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Geneticists have written new chapters in the reconstruction of pre-colonial Americas history after using DNA from the indigenous Ashaninka people from Amazonian Peru. They have discovered previously unexpected levels of genetic variation in this group and uncovered a strong hint that these people were involved in a South-to-North migration that led to the transition from an archaic to ceramic culture in the Caribbean islands.

Chemistry: General Chemistry: Inorganic Chemistry Offbeat: General Offbeat: Space Physics: General Space: Astrophysics Space: Cosmology Space: General
Published

Spatial patterns in distribution of galaxies      (via sciencedaily.com) 

In an unlikely pairing, a chemist and an astrophysicist applied the tools of statistical mechanics to find similarities in spatial patterns across length scales.

Anthropology: Cultures Anthropology: General Archaeology: General
Published

Lasers and chemistry reveal how ancient pottery was made -- and how an empire functioned      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Peru's first great empire, the Wari, stretched for more than a thousand miles over the Andes Mountains and along the coast from 600-1000 CE. The pottery they left behind gives archaeologists clues as to how the empire functioned. In a new study researchers showed that rather than using 'official' Wari pottery imported from the capital, potters across the empire were creating their own ceramics, decorated to emulate the traditional Wari style. To figure it out, the scientists analyzed the pottery's chemical make-up, with help from laser beams.

Chemistry: Inorganic Chemistry Physics: Optics
Published

Observations open door to improved luminous efficiency of organic LEDs      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Scientists succeeded in directly observing how LECs -- which are attracting attention as one of the post-organic LEDs -- change their electronic state over time during field emission by measuring their optical absorption via lamp light irradiation for the first time. This research method can be applied to all light-emitting devices, including not only LECs but also organic LEDs. This method is expected to reveal detailed electroluminescence processes and lead to the early detection of factors that reduce the efficiency of electroluminescence.

Biology: Evolutionary Biology: Microbiology Chemistry: Biochemistry Chemistry: Inorganic Chemistry Engineering: Nanotechnology
Published

Scientists transform algae into unique functional perovskites with tunable properties      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Scientists have transformed single-cell algae into functional perovskite materials. The team has converted mineral shells of algae into lead halide perovskites with tunable physical properties. The new perovskites have unique nano-architectures unachievable by conventional synthetic production. The method can be applied to the mass production of perovskites with tunable structural and electro-optical properties from single-celled organisms.

Chemistry: General Chemistry: Inorganic Chemistry Chemistry: Organic Chemistry Energy: Batteries Energy: Technology Engineering: Graphene Engineering: Nanotechnology Physics: General
Published

3D internal structure of rechargeable batteries revealed      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Researchers have pioneered a technique to observe the 3D internal structure of rechargeable batteries. This opens up a wide range of areas for the new technique from energy storage and chemical engineering to biomedical applications.