Latest science news in Physics & Chemistry
Look: Fugitive parrot captured after three days on the loose in Illinois
A macaw parrot that led its owners on a three-day chase through a Chicago suburb was recaptured with help from police, public works employees and a bucket truck.
Trapping and controlling light at the interface of atomically thin nanomaterials
Scientists propose a new method to confine light in an atomically thin graphene layer by leveraging topological phenomena that occur at the interface of specially designed nanomaterials.
Researchers shed light on the building blocks for next-generation LED displays
Three teams of researchers at Clemson University have joined forces to unravel some of the mysteries surrounding perovskite nanocrystals, which are semiconductors with numerous applications, including LEDs, lasers, solar cells...
Graphene sensors find subtleties in magnetic fields
As with actors and opera singers, when measuring magnetic fields it helps to have range.
No more playing with fire: Study offers insight into 'safer' rechargeable batteries
Lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) are a common type of rechargeable batteries. Their versatile nature and numerous applications in all sorts of electronic devices—from mobile phones to cars—makes them seem too good...
Trapping and controlling light at the interface of atomically thin nanomaterials
Light can partake in peculiar phenomena at the nanoscale. Exploring these phenomena can unlock sophisticated applications and provide useful insights into the interactions between light waves and other materials.
Toward an Ultrahigh Energy Density Capacitor
Capacitors that rapidly store and release electric energy are key components in modern electronics and power systems. However, the most commonly used ones have low energy densities compared to other storage...
Biomorphic batteries could provide 72x more energy for robots
Like biological fat reserves store energy in animals, a new rechargeable zinc battery integrates into the structure of a robot to provide much more energy, a team led by the...
Light harvesting in oxygenic photosynthesis: Structural biology meets spectroscopy
Oxygenic photosynthesis is the main process that drives life on earth. It starts with the harvesting of solar photons that, after transformation into electronic excitations, lead to charge separation in...
Covalent surface modifications and superconductivity of two-dimensional metal carbide MXenes
Versatile chemical transformations of surface functional groups in two-dimensional transition-metal carbides (MXenes) open up a previously unexplored design space for this broad class of functional materials. We introduce a general...
Attosecond spectroscopy of liquid water
Electronic dynamics in liquids are of fundamental importance, but time-resolved experiments have so far remained limited to the femtosecond time scale. We report the extension of attosecond spectroscopy to the...
Asymmetric remote C-H borylation of aliphatic amides and esters with a modular iridium catalyst
Site selectivity and stereocontrol remain major challenges in C–H bond functionalization chemistry, especially in linear aliphatic saturated hydrocarbon scaffolds. We report the highly enantioselective and site-selective catalytic borylation of remote...
Shaping colloidal bananas to reveal biaxial, splay-bend nematic, and smectic phases
Understanding the impact of curvature on the self-assembly of elongated microscopic building blocks, such as molecules and proteins, is key to engineering functional materials with predesigned structure. We develop model...
A quantum thermometer to measure the coldest temperatures in the universe
Physicists have proposed a thermometer based on quantum entanglement that can accurately measure temperatures a billion times colder than those in outer space.
A touch of gold sends crystals electric with excitement
A touch of gold - or another noble metal - can change the structure of a crystal and its intrinsic properties, physicists have demonstrated in a display of modern-day alchemy.
A new iron based superelastic alloy capable of withstanding extreme temperatures
Researchers have discovered a novel iron-based superelastic alloy (SEA) capable of withstanding extreme temperatures--both high and low.
Aerogel: the micro structural material of the future
Aerogel is an excellent thermal insulator. So far, however, it has mainly been used on a large scale, for example in environmental technology, in physical experiments or in industrial catalysis....
Scientists invent new sensing eye mask
From the team that invented physiology-sensing pajamas at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, now comes a new, lightweight eye mask that can unobtrusively capture pulse, eye movement and sleep signals,...
Breakthrough in blue quantum dot technology
There are many things quantum dots could do, but the most obvious place they could change our lives is to make the colors on our TVs and screens more pristine....
Aerogel: The micro structural material of the future
Aerogel is an excellent thermal insulator. So far, however, it has mainly been used on a large scale, for example in environmental technology, in physical experiments or in industrial catalysis....
A quantum thermometer to measure the coldest temperatures in the universe
Physicists from Trinity College Dublin have proposed a thermometer based on quantum entanglement that can accurately measure temperatures a billion times colder than those in outer space.
Scientists create water filtration membranes that can clean themselves
Scientists at the Department of Energy's (DOE) Argonne National Laboratory have developed a light-activated coating for filtration membranes—the kind used in water treatment facilities, at semiconductor manufacturing sites and within...
Classic short-scale electric guitars you can buy right now
Start with a strum. (Thomas Millot via Unsplash/)In the world of electric guitar, short scale guitars have carved out a reputation for offering players a leaner, snappier, and overall easier playing experience. While...
Self-excited dancing droplets
Controlling the movement of liquid droplets is important in many applications that generate heat, from power plant condensers to personal computers. Techniques to control droplets on surfaces today include using...
Challenges in the development of electrocatalysts
Regenerative energy harvesting often generates more electricity than is directly needed. Electrochemical processes could be used to store the excess energy or make it usable. Although intensive research on the...
Science Says: People stoking brew that makes California burn
If you want to build a fire, you need three things: Ignition, fuel and oxygen. But wildfire in California is a much more complex people-stoked witch's brew.
The factory of the future, batteries not included
Many analysts have predicted an explosion in the number of industrial “internet of things” (IoT) devices that will come online over the next decade. Sensors play a big role in those forecasts. Unfortunately,...
Liquid sulfur changes shape and goes critic under pressure
Scientists have found the proof for a liquid-to-liquid transition in sulfur and of a new kind of critical point ending this transition.