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Scientists have made a significant breakthrough in understanding and overcoming the challenges associated with Ni-rich cathode materials used in lithium-ion batteries.

While these materials can reach high voltages and capacities, their real-world usage has been limited by structural issues and oxygen depletion.

Their study revealed that ‘oxygen hole’ formation – where an oxygen ion loses an electron — plays a crucial role in the degradation of LiNiO₂ cathodes accelerating the release of oxygen which can then further degrade the cathode material.

NASA has issued a request for “lunar freezer” designs that can safely store materials taken from the moon during planned Artemis missions.

According to a request for information (RFI) posted to the federal contracting website SAM.gov, the freezer’s primary use will be transporting scientific and geological samples from the moon to Earth. These samples, the post specifies, will be ones collected during the Artemis program.

A crystalline reflective coating being considered for future gravitational-wave detectors exhibits peculiar noise features at cryogenic temperatures.

Provided manufacturers can find enough raw materials to make them | Science & technology.

Researchers highlight the potential of cobalt-tin-sulfur in spintronic devices, revealing its capability to reduce energy consumption and heralding a new era in electronics.

A team of researchers has made a significant breakthrough that could revolutionize next-generation electronics by enabling non-volatility, large-scale integration, low power consumption, high speed, and high reliability in spintronic devices.

Details of their findings were published recently in the journal Physical Review B.

X-ray technology plays a vital role in medicine and scientific research, providing non-invasive medical imaging and insight into materials. Recent advancements in X-ray technology enable brighter, more intense beams and imaging of increasingly intricate systems in real-world conditions, like the insides of operating batteries.

To support these advancements, scientists are working to develop X-ray detector materials that can withstand bright, high-energy X-rays—especially those from large X-ray synchrotrons—while maintaining sensitivity and cost-effectiveness.

A team of scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Argonne National Laboratory and their colleagues have demonstrated exceptional performance of a new material for detecting high energy X-ray scattering patterns. With excellent endurance under ultra-high X-ray flux and relatively low cost, the detector material may find wide application in synchrotron-based X-ray research.

In research that could jumpstart interest into an enigmatic class of materials known as quasicrystals, MIT scientists and colleagues have discovered a relatively simple, flexible way to create new atomically thin versions that can be tuned for important phenomena. In work reported in Nature they describe doing just that to make the materials exhibit superconductivity and more.

The research introduces a new platform for not only learning more about quasicrystals, but also exploring exotic phenomena that can be hard to study but could lead to important applications and new physics. For example, a better understanding of superconductivity, in which electrons pass through a material with no resistance, could allow much more efficient electronic devices.

The work brings together two previously unconnected fields: quasicrystals and twistronics. The latter was pioneered at MIT only about five years ago by Pablo Jarillo-Herrero, the Cecil and Ida Green Professor of Physics at MIT and corresponding author of the paper.

This lightweight material surpasses the strength of steel.

There is a high demand for strong yet lightweight materials across diverse industries, including defense, medical devices, and automotive sectors, among others.

Material scientists have been investigating the possibilities of unconventional components in order to meet this growing demand and enhance technological advancements.

The robot can drive on various surfaces such as concrete or packed soil and carry up to three times its own weight in equipment such as a camera or sensors.

Imagine a tiny robot that can move on its own, powered by light and radio waves. It can carry a camera, a sensor, or a Bluetooth device and transmit data over long distances. It can navigate through different terrains and environments and follow light sources to keep going. It sounds like science fiction, right?

Source: Mark Stone/University of Washington.

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