Graphical abstract. Credit: Joule (2024). DOI: 10.1016/j.joule.2024.01.025 Topics: Applied Physics, Chemistry, Energy, Green Tech, Materials Science, Photovoltaics The energy transition is progressing, and photovoltaics (PV) is playing a key role in this. Enormous capacities are to be added over the next few decades. Experts expect several tens of terawatts by the middle of the century. That’s 10Continue reading “PV Caveats…”
Category Archives: Materials Science
Super Strength…
A sample of the new titanium lattice structure 3D printed in cube form. Credit: RMIT. New titanium lattice structure 3D printed in cube form. Credit: RMIT Topics: 3D Printing, Additive Manufacturing, Materials Science, Metamaterials A 3D printed ‘metamaterial’ boasting levels of strength for weight not normally seen in nature or manufacturing could change how weContinue reading “Super Strength…”
Limit Shattered…
TSMC is building Two New Facilities to Accommodate 2nm Chip Production Topics: Applied Physics, Chemistry, Electrical Engineering, Materials Science, Nanoengineering, Semiconductor Technology Realize that Moore’s “law” isn’t like Newton’s Laws of Gravity or the three laws of Thermodynamics. It’s simply an observation based on experience with manufacturing silicon processors and the desire to continually makeContinue reading “Limit Shattered…”
Boltwood Estimate…
Credit: Public Domain Topics: Applied Physics, Education, History, Materials Science, Philosophy, Radiation, Research We take for granted that Earth is very old, almost incomprehensibly so. But for much of human history, estimates of Earth’s age were scattershot at best. In February 1907, a chemist named Bertram Boltwood published a paper in the American Journal of Science detailing a novelContinue reading “Boltwood Estimate…”
On-Off Superconductor…
A team of physicists has discovered a new superconducting material with unique tunability for external stimuli, promising advancements in energy-efficient computing and quantum technology. This breakthrough, achieved through advanced research techniques, enables unprecedented control over superconducting properties, potentially revolutionizing large-scale industrial applications. Topics: Applied Physics, Materials Science, Solid-State Physics, Superconductors Researchers used the Advanced PhotonContinue reading “On-Off Superconductor…”
Black Silicon…
Fluorine gas etches the surface of silicon into a series of angular peaks that, when viewed with a powerful microscope, look much like the pyramid pattern in the sound-proofing foam shown above. Researchers at PPPL have now modeled how these peaks form in silicon, creating a material that is highly light absorbent. Credit: Pixabay/CC0 PublicContinue reading “Black Silicon…”
10x > Kevlar…
Scientists have developed amorphous silicon carbide, a strong and scalable material with potential uses in microchip sensors, solar cells, and space exploration. This breakthrough promises significant advancements in material science and microchip technology. An artist’s impression of amorphous silicon carbide nanostrings testing to its limit tensile strength. Credit: Science Brush Topics: Applied Physics, Chemistry, MaterialsContinue reading “10x > Kevlar…”
Scandium and Superconductors…
Scandium is the only known elemental superconductor to have a critical temperature in the 30 K range. This phase diagram shows the superconducting transition temperature (Tc) and crystal structure versus pressure for scandium. The measured results on all the five samples studied show consistent trends. (Courtesy: Chinese Phys. Lett. 40 107403) Topics: Applied Physics, Chemistry, Condensed Matter Physics,Continue reading “Scandium and Superconductors…”
Cooling Circuitry…
Illustration of a UCLA-developed solid-state thermal transistor using an electric field to control heat movement. Credit: H-Lab/UCLA Topics: Applied Physics, Battery, Chemistry, Electrical Engineering, Energy, Thermodynamics A new thermal transistor can control heat as precisely as an electrical transistor can control electricity. From smartphones to supercomputers, electronics have a heat problem. Modern computer chips suffer from microscopicContinue reading “Cooling Circuitry…”
The “Tiny Ten”…
Researchers are working to overcome challenges related to nanoscale optoelectronic interconnects, which use light to transmit signals around an integrated circuit. IMAGE: PROVIDED BY NCNST Topics: Biology, Materials Science, Nanoengineering, Nanomaterials, Nanotechnology, Quantum Mechanics The promise of nanotechnology, the engineering of machines and systems at the nanoscale, is anything but tiny. Over the past decade alone,Continue reading “The “Tiny Ten”…”
Physics and Nano 