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February 5, 2020
UC Berkeley and Berkeley Lab researchers created a new crystal built of a spiraling stack of atomically thin germanium sulfide sheets.
Crystal with a Twist: Researchers Grow Spiraling New Material
Researchers create spiraling inorganic crystals that could hold unique properties.
February 5, 2020
Researchers demonstrate novel multiprobe microscopy techniques to measure electron spin transport and evaluate the conductive potential of quantum materials.
Channeling Electrons for Ultrafast Spin Conductivity
Assessing the spin properties of electrons in advanced materials.
February 4, 2020
A false-color scanning electron micrograph of the array used to create deterministic single photon sources in epitaxial tungsten diselenide. The inset shows the Hanbury-Brown Twiss interferometry measurement proving quantum emission.
No Strain, No Gain! Breakthrough in 2D Material that Produces Single Photons
Single-photon emission breakthrough opens a new path toward all-optical quantum computers and other quantum technologies.
February 4, 2020
Twisting two graphene sheets at a magic angle forms a moiré pattern (similar to overlapping chicken wire). Superconductivity, the flow of electricity with no loss of energy as heat, emerges in this lattice for a range of electron concentrations.
When Electrons Follow New Interaction Rules, Superconductivity Ensues
Experiments reveal how electron interactions play a role in a new type of superconductor made up of just two sheets of twisted graphene.
February 4, 2020
Controlling magnetic moments of electrons is critical for many commercial applications. The orange points represent magnetic ions in a “quantum spin liquid.” The ions’ magnetic orientations (arrows) compete with each other instead of aligning as expected.
Discovering the Elusive Quantum Spin Liquid State
Scientists discovered evidence of a long-sought quantum spin liquid state that can be controlled with magnetic fields
February 4, 2020
Infrared light shining on a metamaterial whose geometric parameters were selected with machine learning. The designed metamaterials effectively absorb low energy light, providing a route to new devices that turn heat into electricity.
Machine Learning Accelerates Metamaterial Design
Modeling technique calculates material design in 23 hours instead of 2000 years
February 4, 2020
Atomic resolution image of a highly branched ruthenium nanoparticle, taken using an aberration-corrected transmission electron microscope (AC-TEM) at the Center for Integrated Nanotechnologies (CINT).
Improved Catalyst Branches Out and Out-Performs
Improved nanocatalyst used for hydrogen fuel production has record-high stability and activity.
January 30, 2020
Localizing the strain in an atomically-thin crystalline film regulated light emission. This approach patterned donut shapes in an array on a silicon dioxide support. A triangular crystal of tungsten disulfide grew over the donut shaped obstacles.
Stretched to the Limit and Sparkling on Curved Surfaces
Growing two-dimensional crystals on curved surfaces introduces strain to control the crystal’s light emission.
January 30, 2020
A famous metaphor for a qubit is Schrodinger’s hypothetical cat that can be both dead and alive. A flux qubit, a ring made of superconducting material, can have electric current flowing clockwise and counterclockwise simultaneously with an external field.
Half-Quantum Step Toward Quantum Advantage
Physicists show unconventional pairing in a new type of superconductor that could be useful for quantum computing.
January 30, 2020
When tantalum arsenide (a new material developed by scientists) absorbs light, it generates electricity, similar to a solar cell. When researchers varied the polarization of infrared light, they discovered it created unusual effects in this material.
If You Want to Catch More Light, Twist It
New material is 10 times more efficient at converting light to electricity than other materials.
January 30, 2020
A designed coiled-coil heterodimer, with halves colored green and purple. A DNA double-helix (gold), for which particular sequences have the same property of forming specific pairs, is superimposed to show scale.
Breaking Through Computational Barriers to Create Designer Proteins
Using advanced computing, scientists designed protein pairs that perfectly complement each other.
January 30, 2020
The illustrations show how the correlation between lattice distortion and proton binding energy in a material affects proton conduction in different environments.
Simulations Identify Importance of Atomic-Level Distortions in Certain Fuel Cell Materials
Researchers determine how to design better materials for energy storage.
December 20, 2019
At left, a tiny bead struck by a laser produces optical modes that circulate around the interior of the bead. At right, a simulation of how the optical field inside a 5-micron (5 millionths of a meter) bead is distributed.
Scientists Create Tiny Lasers from Nanoparticles and Plastic Beads
The right mix of crystals and light activate unique laser properties in 5-micron spheres of interest to computing and medical experts.
December 20, 2019
An x-ray image of sound waves.
Sound Waves Carry Information Between Quantum Systems
Towards connecting and manipulating quantum states of matter with sound waves.
December 20, 2019
Listeria bacteria transport electrons through their cell wall into the environment as tiny currents, assisted by ubiquitous flavin molecules (yellow dots).
Gut Bacteria Found to Have a Shocking Secret
Scientists discovered that a common diarrhea-causing bacterium produces electricity & that hundreds of other bacterial species use this same process.
December 20, 2019
Learning from plant biology, hydrogel materials containing chloroplasts extracted from spinach demonstrate a self-healing mechanism controlled by carbon dioxide fixing.
Growth and Repair from Carbon Dioxide in Air
A new class of material absorbs and fixes atmospheric carbon dioxide to help it grow, get denser, and repair itself using sunlight.
December 17, 2019
The interactions between electron spin and an external magnetic field allowed control how the material can dissipate energy – like controlling the drag on a car as it drives into head versus side winds.
A New Twist on Controlling Magnetic Properties
By rotating materials commonly used in computer storage devices, scientists found a new way to change their intrinsic properties.
December 6, 2019
Researchers discovered that iron-oxide nanocrystals (red) and metal-organic frameworks (green) self-assemble into an unusual configuration that resembles a Chinese pastry. The inset (upper right) mimics the transmission electron microscopy image.
Tiny Crystals Work Better When They Double Up With Designer Frameworks
Researchers develop design rules that guide the self-assembly of crystals and frameworks into thin sheets for energy storage and other uses.
December 6, 2019
Researchers demonstrated the first use of electron microscopy for non-destructive isotope tracking in an amino acid.
Getting a Closer Look Inside Biomolecules
Novel isotope tracking brings nanoscale chemistry into view.
December 6, 2019
A breakthrough technique for overcoming instrument-based crosstalk in nanoscale measurements eliminates artifacts that lead to errors in biomaterials.
Pushing the Precision of Nanoscale Mapping
Novel microscopy method cuts instrument crosstalk, boosts accuracy.
December 3, 2019
Forward image created by coarse-grained molecular dynamics simulation. It depicts a superlattice of nanoparticles (yellow) stabilized by ligands (blue). Background image of the superlattice taken by optical microscopy.
Super Nanoparticle Superlattices
Ligands allow fine tuning of nanoparticle superstructure properties.
December 3, 2019
Scanning electron microscopy image of a micro-mechanical X-ray mirror after removing mass on either side by focused ion beam (FIB) milling. Removing mass reduces its moment of inertia and increases its resonant frequency.
Ultrafast X-ray Optics
New optics technology can bring hard X-ray pulses down to a mere 300 picoseconds each.
December 3, 2019
Unassembled peptoids (artificial versions of small proteins) are generally found in the trans configuration, but after self-assembly into nanosheets, they switch to the cis configuration.
Shape-Shifters: Small Proteins Unexpectedly Shift Their Shape When Coming Together
Team of researchers discovered that peptoids can change shape when they form a nanosheet, which has potential to improve chemical sensors & much more.
November 25, 2019
The atomic structure of magnesium chloride changes shape after exposure to an electron beam. Using pulsed electron beams, researchers were able to image its structure at atomic scale resolution and picosecond time resolution without alteration.
Pulsed Electron Beams Provide a Softer Touch for Atomic-Scale Imaging
A new electron microscopy technique brings to light a plastic material’s atomic structure and has implications for renewable plastic.
November 25, 2019
3D-printed cone and sphere microstructures showcase customizable options for implantable electrodes used in neurotransmitter detection applications.
3D Printing Improves Tiny Electrodes for Medical Sensors
3D printing enables new shapes and sizes for biomedical devices.