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Categories: Chemistry: Inorganic Chemistry, Offbeat: Computers and Math
Published Making rechargeable batteries more sustainable with fully recyclable components
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Rechargeable solid-state lithium batteries are an emerging technology that could someday power cell phones and laptops for days with a single charge. Offering significantly enhanced energy density, they are a safer alternative to the flammable lithium-ion batteries currently used in consumer electronics -- but they are not environmentally friendly. Current recycling methods focus on the limited recovery of metals contained within the cathodes, while everything else goes to waste.
Published A new neural network makes decisions like a human would
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Researchers are training neural networks to make decisions more like humans would. This science of human decision-making is only just being applied to machine learning, but developing a neural network even closer to the actual human brain may make it more reliable, according to the researchers.
Published Producing hydrogen and fertilizer at the same time
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source This new concept could allow the needs of previously separate industries to be combined: the production of hydrogen and the production of fertilizer.
Published Crystals from radioactive metal actinium
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Researchers grew crystals containing actinium and illuminated them with X-rays to learn how the radioactive metal binds with other elements. That information could help design better cancer treatments.
Published Microbeads with adaptable fluorescent colors from visible light to near-infrared
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Researchers have successfully developed an environmentally friendly, microspherical fluorescent material primarily made from citric acid. These microbeads emit various colors of light depending on the illuminating light and the size of the beads, which suggests a wide range of applications. Furthermore, the use of plant-derived materials allows for low-cost and energy-efficient synthesis.
Published A chemical claw machine bends and stretches when exposed to vapors
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Scientists have developed a tiny 'claw machine' that is able to pick up and drop a marble-sized ball in response to exposure to chemical vapors. The findings point to a technique that can enable soft actuators--the parts of a machine that make it move--to perform multiple tasks without the need for additional costly materials. While existing soft actuators can be 'one-trick ponies' restricted to one type of movement, this novel composite film contorts itself in different ways depending on the vapor that it is exposed to.
Published Neural networks made of light
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Scientists propose a new way of implementing a neural network with an optical system which could make machine learning more sustainable in the future. In a new paper, the researchers have demonstrated a method much simpler than previous approaches.
Published Scientists create computer program that 'paints' the structure of molecules in the style of Piet Mondrian
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Scientists have created a computer program that 'paints' the structure of molecules in the style of famous Dutch artist, Piet Mondrian. Researchers are opening eyes and minds to the beauty of molecular structure, as well as posing new questions about the form and function of the molecules themselves.
Published Learning dance moves could help humanoid robots work better with humans
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Engineers have trained a humanoid robot to perform a variety of expressive movements, from simple dance routines to gestures like waving, high-fiving and hugging, all while maintaining a steady gait on diverse terrains. This work marks a step towards building robots that perform more complex and human-like motions.
Published Aperiodic approximants for relating quasicrystals and modulated structures
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source By constructing hexagonal metallic-mean approximants of the honeycomb lattice, scientists have linked incommensurately modulated structures and quasicrystals, two classes of aperiodic crystals. They found that a quasicrystal converges to a modulated honeycomb crystal on arranging tiles based on metallic means. This metallic-mean tiling pattern was also identified in polymer and colloidal systems in soft-matter self-assemblies, providing new insights into aperiodic crystals.
Published High-speed electron camera uncovers a new 'light-twisting' behavior in an ultrathin material
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Using an instrument for ultrafast electron diffraction (MeV-UED), researchers discovered how an ultrathin material can circularly polarize light. This discovery sets up a promising approach to manipulate light for applications in optoelectronic devices.
Published A new twist on artificial 'muscles' for safer, softer robots
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Engineers have developed a new soft, flexible device that makes robots move by expanding and contracting -- just like a human muscle. To demonstrate their new device, called an actuator, the researchers used it to create a cylindrical, worm-like soft robot and an artificial bicep. In experiments, the cylindrical soft robot navigated the tight, hairpin curves of a narrow pipe-like environment, and the bicep was able to lift a 500-gram weight 5,000 times in a row without failing.
Published BESSY II shows how solid-state batteries degrade
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Solid-state batteries have several advantages: they can store more energy and are safer than batteries with liquid electrolytes. However, they do not last as long and their capacity decreases with each charge cycle. But it doesn't have to stay that way: Researchers are already on the trail of the causes.
Published Moving from the visible to the infrared: Developing high quality nanocrystals
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Awarded the 2023 Nobel Prize in Chemistry, quantum dots have a wide variety of applications ranging from displays and LED lights to chemical reaction catalysis and bioimaging. These semiconductor nanocrystals are so small -- on the order of nanometers -- that their properties, such as color, are size dependent, and they start to exhibit quantum properties. This technology has been really well developed, but only in the visible spectrum, leaving untapped opportunities for technologies in both the ultraviolet and infrared regions of the electromagnetic spectrum.
Published Mining rare earth metals from electronic waste
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source A small molecule that naturally serves as a binding site for metals in enzymes also proves useful for separating certain rare earth metals from each other. In a proof of concept, the process extracts europium directly from fluorescent powder in used energy-saving lamps in much higher quantities than existing methods. The researchers are now working on expanding their approach to other rare earth metals. They are in the process of founding a start-up to put the recycling of these raw materials into practice.
Published It takes a cool microscope and antifreeze to really look at ice
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Ice in nature is surrounded by liquid most of the time, and therefore it is key to understand how ice and liquid interact. A new study has now directly observe the precise shape of ice at the interface between ice and liquid -- by using antifreeze and a refrigerated microscope.
Published Chemistry inspired by one-pot cooking
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Is it possible to create a new class of materials from very different substances using the 'one-pot synthesis' approach? Chemists explain how they enable the synthesis of such novel materials.
Published Visualizing short-lived intermediate compounds produced during chemical reactions
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Immobilizing small synthetic molecules inside protein crystals proves to be a promising avenue for studying intermediate compounds formed during chemical reactions, scientists report. By integrating this method with time-resolved serial femtosecond crystallography, they successfully visualized reaction dynamics and rapid structural changes occurring within reaction centers immobilized inside protein crystals. This innovative strategy holds significant potential for the intelligent design of drugs, catalysts, and functional materials.
Published Ionic liquids: 'Don't shake it'
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Chemists have develop innovative ionic liquid synthesis and purification technology.
Published Scientists discover way to 'grow' sub-nanometer sized transistors
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source A research team has implemented a novel method to achieve epitaxial growth of 1D metallic materials with a width of less than 1 nm. The group applied this process to develop a new structure for 2D semiconductor logic circuits. Notably, they used the 1D metals as a gate electrode of the ultra-miniaturized transistor.