Headline: 'Smart' coating can be precisely applied to make fabric into protective gear

■ Release Date: 2023.1.9

■ Published by: Dartmouth College

■ Keywords: copper, reusable materials, coating

■ Abstract:

A new durable copper-based coating can be precisely integrated into fabric to create responsive and reusable materials such as protective equipment, environmental sensors, and smart filters. The coating responds to the presence of toxic gases in the air by converting them into less toxic substances that become trapped in the fabric, according to a new report.

Headline: New battery could prevent post-hurricane electric vehicle fires

■ Release Date: 2023.1.10

■ Published by: University of Central Florida

■ Keywords: battery, electric vehicle, lithium-ion

■ Abstract:

A researcher has developed technology that could prevent electric vehicle fires, like those caused by saltwater flooding from Hurricane Ian. The technology, an aqueous battery, replaces the volatile and highly flammable organic solvents found in electric vehicle lithium-ion batteries with saltwater to create a battery that is safer, faster charging, just as powerful and won't short circuit during flooding.

Headline: Nanopore-based sensing device explores neurodegenerative diseases

■ Release Date: 2023.1.10

■ Published by: American Institute of Physics

■ Keywords: silicon nitride, nanopore, sensing device

■ Abstract:

Researchers present a special silicon nitride nanopore-based sensing device that is designed to provide volume information about tau and tubulin protein molecules and their aggregation states. To create the sensor, the team explored how the proteins change the current and voltage flowing through a nanopore system. An electric voltage drives ions' flow through the nanopore, and when a charged protein molecule is near, it is also driven into the nanopore and blocks the flow of some ions. This causes the open pore current to drop and provides useful information.

Headline: Converting temperature fluctuations into clean energy with novel nanoparticles and heating strategy

■ Release Date: 2023.1.11

■ Published by: City University of Hong Kong

■ Keywords: pyro-catalytic, clean energy, hydrogen

■ Abstract:

Pyroelectric catalysis (pyro-catalysis) can convert environmental temperature fluctuations into clean chemical energy, like hydrogen. However, compared with the more common catalysis strategy, such as photocatalysis, pyro-catalysis is inefficient due to slow temperature changes in the ambient environment. Recently, a team has triggered a significantly faster and more efficient pyro-catalytic reaction using localized plasmonic heat sources to rapidly and efficiently heat up the pyro-catalytic material and allow it to cool down. The findings open up new avenues for efficient catalysis for biological applications, pollutant treatment and clean energy production.

Headline: Discovery of a new form of carbon called Long-range Ordered Porous Carbon (LOPC)

■ Release Date: 2023.1.11

■ Published by: Institute for Basic Science

■ Keywords: graphite, graphene, fullerenes

■ Abstract:

The most well-known forms of carbon include graphite and diamond, but there are other more exotic nanoscale allotropes of carbon as well. These include graphene and fullerenes, which are sp2 hybridized carbon with zero (flat-shaped) or positive (sphere-shaped) curvatures. Researchers now report the discovery of a new form of carbon formed by heating fullerenes with lithium nitride.

Headline: A big step toward 'green' ammonia and a 'greener' fertilizer

■ Release Date: 2023.1.11

■ Published by: University of California - Berkeley

■ Keywords: ammonia, fertilizer, porous materials 

■ Abstract:

Synthesizing ammonia, the key ingredient in fertilizer, is energy intensive and a significant contributor to greenhouse gas warming of the planet. Chemists designed and synthesized porous materials -- metal-organic frameworks, or MOFs -- that bind and release ammonia at more moderate pressures and temperatures than the standard Haber-Bosch process for making ammonia. The MOF doesn't bind to any of the reactants, making capture and release of ammonia less energy intensive and greener.

Headline: Turning abandoned mines into batteries

■ Release Date: 2023.1.12

■ Published by: International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis

■ Keywords: energy storage, battery, mines

■ Abstract:

A novel technique called Underground Gravity Energy Storage turns decommissioned mines into long-term energy storage solutions, thereby supporting the sustainable energy transition.

Headline: Optical coating approach prevents fogging and unwanted reflections

■ Release Date: 2023.1.12

■ Published by: Optica

■ Keywords: silicon dioxide, polymer, sensor

■ Abstract:

Researchers combine a polymer coating with silicon dioxide nanostructures to create a coating to prevent fogging and unwanted reflections. The technique solves a common problem for sensors such as lidar used in autonomous cars.

Headline: Enabling nanoscale thermoelectrics with a novel organometallic molecular junction

■ Release Date: 2023.1.12

■ Published by: Tokyo Institute of Technology

■ Keywords: ruthenium, thermoelectric, sensor

■ Abstract:

Multinuclear organometallic junctions might be the key to realizing high-performance thermoelectric devices at the nanoscale. The unique electronic structure of organometallic ruthenium alkynyl complexes allowed the researchers to achieve unprecedented heat-to-electricity conversion performance in molecular junctions, paving the way to molecular-scale temperature sensors and thermal energy harvesters.