Latest science news in Physics & Chemistry
Customizable smart window technology could improve energy efficiency of buildings
Scientists combined solar cell technology with a novel optimization approach to develop a smart window prototype that maximizes design across a wide range of criteria.
Tale of the tape: Sticky bits make better batteries
Scientists use an industrial laser to turn adhesive tape into a component for safer, anode-free lithium metal batteries.
Scientists solve a durability issue in fuel cells for hydrogen cars
When a bicycle gets wet in the rain, the frame and chain become corroded or rusty, which shortens the life of the bike. Oil needs to be regularly applied to...
Review of progress towards advanced Lithium-sulfur batteries
How should one design porous carbon materials for advanced Li-S batteries cathodes? What electrolytes are extensively studied for high-safety Li-S batteries? In a paper published in Nano, a group of...
Particulate plutonium released from the Fukushima Daiichi meltdowns
Small amounts of plutonium (Pu) were released from the damaged Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant (FDNPP) reactors into the environment during the site's 2011 nuclear disaster. However, the physical, chemical,...
Perovskite solar cells record highest power conversion
A team of researchers has created a perovskite solar mini module that has recorded the highest power conversion efficiency of any perovskite-based device larger than 10 cm2.
Hammer-on technique for atomic vibrations in a crystal
Vibrations of atoms in a crystal of the semiconductor gallium arsenide (GaAs) are impulsively shifted to a higher frequency by an optically excited electric current. The related change in the...
Wireless aquatic robot could clean water and transport cells
Researchers have developed a tiny plastic robot, made of responsive polymers, which moves under the influence of light and magnetism. In the future this 'wireless aquatic polyp' should be able...
Scientists investigate radiolabeling of calcium carbonate particles in vivo
Сalcium carbonate particles are among the most promising bioactive compounds. However, before their use for drug delivery, their toxicity should be established, as well as their distribution inside laboratory animals....
Six innovations to tackle coronavirus
by Chris Pate From bioluminescent testing kits to disinfecting robots, Horizon examines six innovations and technologies currently being developed to tackle the coronavirus. 1. Coronavirus-popping surface coating An anti-microbial coating that...
Quantum body scanner? What happens when vector vortex beams meet scattering media
Propagate light through any kind of medium – be it free space or biological tissue – and light will scatter. Robustness to scattering is a common requirement for communications and for imaging systems. Structured...
Hammer-on technique for atomic vibrations in a crystal
Vibrations of atoms in a crystal of the semiconductor gallium arsenide (GaAs) are impulsively shifted to a higher frequency by an optically excited electric current. The related change in the...
Producing spoke wheels automatically and flexibly from composite materials
Even frescos of ancient Egypt depict them: spoke wheels—and their basic form hasn't changed at all. They can be found on bicycles, cars, and in industry. In sports, spoke wheels...
Chemical engineer develops styrene-free bio-renewable resins
Research at Michigan State University is developing new styrene-free bio renewable resins with broad applicability in the construction of countertops, bathroom fixtures, windmill blades, and boats.
This bird can fly 160 kilometres without flapping its wings
A new study sheds light on just how efficiently the world's largest soaring bird rides air currents to stay aloft for hours without flapping its wings.
Exchange bias in van der Waals heterostructures
NUS scientists have discovered the exchange bias phenomenon in van der Waals CrCl3/Fe3GeTe2 heterostructures. The exchange bias phenomenon has a number of applications in magnetic sensors and magnetic reading heads,...
Molecularly thin interface between polymers for efficient carbon dioxide capture membrane
Climate breakdown caused by carbon dioxide (CO2) emission into the atmosphere is a major existential problem confronting humanity. The most acceptable solution would be complete termination of the use of...
Synthesizing an alternative fuel for muscle could lead to medical advances
A chemist and kinesiologist got on a bus, but this isn't the set-up to a joke. Instead, kinesiologist and lead author Ned Debold and chemist Dhandapani Venkataraman, "DV," began talking...
Study finds that special filters in glasses can help the color blind see colors better
A new UC Davis Eye Center study, conducted in collaboration with France's INSERM Stem Cell and Brain Research Institute, found that special patented glasses engineered with technically advanced spectral notch...
The new tattoo: Drawing electronics on skin
One day, people could monitor their own health conditions by simply picking up a pencil and drawing a bioelectronic device on their skin. In a new study, engineers demonstrated that...
Special filters in glasses can help the color blind see colors better, study finds
A new study found that special patented glasses engineered with technically advanced spectral notch filters enhance color vision for those with the most common types of red-green color vision deficiency...
New long-lasting solar-flow battery sets efficiency record
U.S. chemists working with Australian researchers have created a long-lasting solar-flow battery that set a record for efficiency.
Lasers etch an efficient way to address global water crisis
Researchers use sunlight and a laser-etched metal surface to evaporate and purify water for safe drinking at greater than 100 percent efficiency. The method could help relieve water shortages in...
New solar material could clean drinking water
Providing clean water to soldiers in the field and citizens around the world is essential, and yet one of the world's greatest challenges. Now a new super-wicking and super-light-absorbing aluminum...
Researchers develop new technique for production of plasmonics devices
Research laboratories are constantly developing new materials that are expected to exhibit novel properties bound to revolutionize this or that technology. But it's not enough to simply create these materials;...
Researchers present concept for a new technique to study superheavy elements
Merging methodologies from physics and chemistry for the optical spectroscopy of superheavy elements.
Power of DNA to store information gets an upgrade
A team of interdisciplinary researchers has discovered a new technique to store in DNA information—in this case "The Wizard of Oz," translated into Esperanto—with unprecedented accuracy and efficiency. The technique...
Scientists have discovered a new physical paradox
Researchers from the Peter the Great St.Petersburg Polytechnic University (SPbPU) have discovered and theoretically explained a new physical effect: amplitude of mechanical vibrations can grow without external influence. The scientific...