September 22, 2020: Electrochemical reactions, which will play an important role in the future of energy supply, can now be explained in detail, thanks to measurements carried out by TU Wien and DESY. A special material made of lanthanum, strontium, iron and oxygen can be switched back and forth between two different states: In one state the material is catalytically extremely active, in the other less so.
September 22, 2020: PSI scientists have gained a fundamental understanding of a highly promising material that could be suited to future data storage applications. Their experiments with strontium-iridium oxide, Sr2IrO4, investigated both the magnetic and electronic properties of the material as a thin film. The study was enabled by sophisticated X-ray scattering, a technology where PSI researchers are amongst the world experts. The results are published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
September 22, 2020: The term “quantum materials” was introduced to highlight the exotic properties of unconventional superconductors, heavy-fermion systems and multifunctional oxides, but the definition has broadened in recent times. With this in mind, "The 2020 Quantum Materials Roadmap" review has been published in Journal of Physics: Materials.
October 1, 2020: Technion researchers have developed accurate radiation sources that are expected to lead to breakthroughs in a variety of fields, including the analysis of chemicals and biological materials, medical imaging, X-ray equipment for security screening, and other uses of accurate X-ray sources.
October 1, 2020: A Hokkaido University research group has successfully demonstrated that carbon-carbon (C-C) covalent bonds expand and contract flexibly in response to light and heat. The team found bond flexibility by designing and synthesizing an organic compound that self-assembles into a cage-like structure when exposed to light. They then focused on the bond length between two particular carbon atoms at the molecule’s core using X-ray analysis and Raman spectroscopy, and found this cyclization process had contracted this bond.
October 1, 2020: Materials scientists at Imperial College have contributed to two Henry Royce Institute-led roadmaps detailing how to reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.
October 14, 2020: Researchers from POSTECH demonstrate a novel physical phenomenon by controlling variations of the atomic structure. They have revealed the mechanism behind making materials used in new memory devices by using artificial intelligence.
October 15, 2020: Magnesium silicide (Mg2Si) is a thermoelectric material that can convert heat into electricity. Though it is known that adding antimony impurities enhances the performance of Mg2Si, the mechanisms underlying this effect are unclear. Now, scientists from Japan shed light on the effects of these impurities at the atomic level, taking us closer to arriving at a practical way of efficiently harvesting waste heat from cars and thermal power plants to produce clean energy.
October 16, 2020: A research group led by Prof. Zhang Yongsheng from the Institute of Solid State Physics, Hefei Institutes of Physical Science successfully explained the novel physical mechanisms behind pyrite-type ZnSe2.
October 13, 2020: Researchers at Penn State and the University of Cincinnati received a $500,000 National Science Foundation (NSF) grant to advance quality control methods for parts produced through additive manufacturing, or 3D printing. The grant will support three years of experimental research and model development.
