Discover Top Posts Tagged with #layered materials

Nickelate superconductors share a common electronic fingerprint

Superconductors, materials that conduct electricity with zero electrical resistance at specific temperature ranges, have proved very promising for the development of quantum computers and other cutting-edge technologies. While most of these materials become superconducting at very low temperatures, others exhibit superconductivity at higher temperatures. Two types of materials that are known to be high-temperature semiconductors are cuprates (i.e., compounds containing negatively charged copper ions) and nickelates (i.e., compounds that contain negatively charged nickel-oxygen ions). While cuprates have been known to be superconductors for decades, nickelates were only recently found to exhibit superconductivity at unusually high temperatures.

Contact between 2D and 3D perovskites reshapes crystal order, lifting efficiency to 26.25%

Perovskites, a class of material with a characteristic crystal structure that can convert light into electricity, have proved to be promising for the development of more affordable, flexible, and efficient solar cells than the silicon cells on the market today. Despite their potential, perovskite solar cells have not yet reached their full potential and still exhibit some limitations, particularly in terms of operational stability and durability over time. The ability of these cells to efficiently produce electricity from sunlight, without rapidly deteriorating over time, is known to rely on the quality of underlying perovskite films. Researchers at Korea University, University of Toledo, and Seoul National University recently devised a new approach to attain high-quality perovskite layers with fewer imperfections and a regular atomic arrangement. Halide perovskite films created with strategy, introduced in a paper published in Nature Energy, were found to boost both the efficiency and stability of solar cells.

Cellulose-based composite sheet exhibits simultaneous adsorption and shielding of radioactive elements

Researchers at University of Tsukuba have developed a cellulose-based composite sheet that integrates paper pulp with starch, polyaniline (a conductive polymer), Prussian blue (a coordination compound), and alginic acid (a natural polysaccharide). These components were assembled into layered structures using a traditional papermaking technique. The resulting sheet exhibits efficient simultaneous adsorption and immobilization of radioactive elements, including cesium, iodine, and strontium. By incorporating functional polymers into cellulose fibers or through chemical modification of cellulose at the molecular level, composite materials with a wide range of practical applications can be produced, such as oil-resistant food packaging, filtration media, and electromagnetic shielding sheets. In a study published in the journal Composite Interfaces, four cellulose-based composites were prepared by combining paper pulp individually with starch, polyaniline, Prussian blue, and alginic acid.

Synthetic materials mimic seashells to enhance energy absorption

Millions of years of evolution have enabled some marine animals to grow complex protective shells composed of multiple layers that work together to dissipate physical stress. In a new study, engineers have found a way to mimic the behavior of this type of layered material, such as seashell nacre, by programming individual layers of synthetic material to work collaboratively under stress. The new material design is poised to enhance energy-absorbing systems such as wearable bandages and car bumpers with multistage responses that adapt to collision severity. Many past studies have focused on reverse engineering to replicate the behavior of natural materials like bone, feathers and wood to reproduce their nonlinear responses to mechanical stress. A new study, led by the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign civil and environmental engineering professor Shelly Zhang and professor Ole Sigmund of the Technical University of Denmark, looked beyond reverse engineering to develop a framework for programmable multilayered materials capable of responding to local disturbances through microscale interconnections.

Scientists develop new method to create novel layered inorganic materials

A research team led by Prof. Huang Qing from the Ningbo Institute of Materials Technology and Engineering (NIMTE) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences has developed a new way to "edit" the internal layers of certain advanced materials, called MAX phases, in a breakthrough that could lead to entirely new kinds of two-dimensional (2D) layered materials with valuable technological uses. MAX phases get their name from their general chemical formula, Mn+1AXn, where M is an early transition metal like titanium, A is a main-group element like aluminum or silicon, and X is carbon or nitrogen. The name is significant because it reflects the layered structure of these materials: sheets of strong metal–carbon/nitrogen layers interleaved with more weakly bonded "A" layers. This layered nature is what makes them promising starting points for producing 2D materials.

The art of custom-intercalating 42 metals into layered titanates

A research team affiliated with UNIST has reported a novel synthesis strategy that enables the direct intercalation of a wide range of metal cations into the interlayer spaces of layered titanate (LT) structures. This approach opens new possibilities for designing highly tailored catalysts and energy storage materials for specific industrial applications. Professors Seungho Cho (Department of Materials Science and Engineering), Kwangjin An (School of Energy and Chemical Engineering), and Hu Young Jeong (Graduate School of Semiconductor Materials and Devices Engineering) at UNIST, in collaboration with Professor Jeong Woo Han from Seoul National University, report this advancement in Advanced Materials.

Bilayer Graphene Slides into Action

Sliding one layer of bilayer graphene over the other provides a powerful way to tune the material’s electronic properties. [...] For the past 15 years, physicists have been fascinated by twisted bilayer graphene, a structure formed by stacking two sheets of graphene and rotating one relative to the other. Depending on the twist angle, this material can exhibit magnetism, superconductivity, and various other electronic phenomena (see Trend: Bilayer Graphene’s Wicked, Twisted Road). Now Zhe Wang at Xi’an Jiaotong University in China and his colleagues have demonstrated an alternative way to adjust the electronics of bilayer graphene [1]. Their technique involves sliding one sheet over the other without rotation and could be applied to a wide range of 2D material systems.

Scientists are unlocking the secrets of halide perovskites -- a material that's poised to reshape our future by bringing us closer to a new

University of Missouri scientists are unlocking the secrets of halide perovskites -- a material that's poised to reshape our future by bringing us closer to a new age of energy-efficient optoelectronics. Suchi Guha and Gavin King, two physics professors in Mizzou's College of Arts and Science, are studying the material at the nanoscale: a place where objects are invisible to the naked eye. At this level, the extraordinary properties of halide perovskites come to life, thanks to the material's unique structure of ultra-thin crystals -- making it astonishingly efficient at converting sunlight into energy. Think solar panels that are not only more affordable but also far more effective at powering homes. Or LED lights that burn brighter and last longer while consuming less energy.

#layered materials

Trending Tags

Recently Viewed Tags

#layered materials