Technology

Researchers have developed a solar-powered reactor to break down hard-to-recycle forms of plastic waste—such as drink bottles, nylon textiles and polyurethane foams—using acid recovered from old car batteries, and converting it into clean hydrogen fuel and valuable industrial chemicals. The results are reported in the journal Joule.... Read more

Electrons have three intrinsic properties: spin, charge and orbital angular momentum. Researchers have long studied how to use spin to more efficiently create an electrical current. But the field of orbitronics—which is based upon using an electron's orbital angular momentum, rather than its spin, to create a current flow—remains relatively... Read more

A major problem with quantum computers is memory, as the information they contain can be quickly lost. Quantum computers are not yet fully reliable—they are far too unstable. However, all around the world, people are trying to improve them—some of whom are based in Norway.... Read more

A research team at Tohoku University and Future University Hakodate has demonstrated that living biological neurons can be trained to perform a supervised temporal pattern learning task previously carried out by artificial systems. By integrating cultured neuronal networks into a machine learning framework, the team showed that these biological systems... Read more

While technology has made the world "smaller," it has also pulled individuals apart, thanks to mobile phones and other devices that command our attention. Cornell University researchers are using technology, in the form of a mirror-equipped robot, to help bring people together. Members of the Architectural Robotics Lab, led by... Read more

The effectiveness of air disinfection devices may now be measured in minutes, rather than hours, with a new technique from University of Michigan Engineering. This is important for researchers developing better antiviral air purifiers, helping to mitigate outbreaks of viral respiratory diseases and prepare for the next pandemic.... Read more

Imagine a paint that changes color depending on how hard its surface is hit. It could be used on football helmets to monitor concussion-level impacts, to record the handling history of shipped packages, or placed on insoles to analyze an orthopedic patient's gait.... Read more

A study by the EHU-University of the Basque Country shows how biomass can be used as an alternative in commercial batteries, thus making them more sustainable. The research is published in the Journal of Power Sources. Dr. Nekane Nieto of the EHU's Materials and Solid-State Group has proven that batteries... Read more

Researchers at the University of Massachusetts Amherst have unveiled a tool to combat climate change, fossil-fuel dependency, skyrocketing home-heating bills, and gentrification all at once—a simple fabric treated with a special photothermal dye that, when placed on outside walls, can help keep a home 8.64ºF warmer over the course of... Read more

A team led by Rutgers University researchers has developed a security system that could change how people log in to virtual and augmented reality platforms by eliminating passwords, personal identification numbers and eye scans and replacing them with something far more seamless.... Read more

Researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have developed a new way to package photonic integrated circuits—tiny chips that convey information using light instead of electricity—so they can survive and operate in extreme environments, from scorchingly hot industrial settings to ultracold vacuum chambers and the depths of... Read more

Nano- and microplastics are increasingly being detected in the human body. However, their detection remains challenging, often relying on invasive techniques and specialized equipment. Researchers at the Institute of Computer Science at the University of Tartu are developing a device that can measure plastic in the human body. Their research... Read more

In biology, defects are generally bad. But in materials science, defects can be intentionally tuned to give materials useful new properties. Today, atomic-scale defects are carefully introduced during the manufacturing process of products like steel, semiconductors, and solar cells to help improve strength, control electrical conductivity, optimize performance, and more.... Read more

Consider the chief difference between living systems and electronics: The first is generally soft and squishy while the latter is hard and rigid. Now, in work that could impact human-machine interfaces, biocompatible devices, soft robotics and more, MIT engineers and colleagues have developed a soft, flexible gel that dramatically changes... Read more

Machining, involving the precise cutting and shaping of materials, is a key manufacturing process. As industries increasingly adopt the use of high-performance materials with high strength and hardness, traditional machining methods often fall short in delivering the required precision.... Read more

A soft material developed by researchers at QUT can convert body heat into electricity, opening the door to self-powered wearable devices and more sustainable energy technologies. Published in Angewandte Chemie International Edition, the research found that the flexible hydrogel captured wasted heat and turned it into usable electrical power with... Read more

Concrete may be one of the world's most familiar materials, yet much is still unknown about its inner microbial world. Researchers from Hiroshima University and Kyoto University found that once concrete hardens, microbes introduced through raw materials are sealed inside, forming interior communities largely isolated from those on the surface—and... Read more

Perovskite solar cells are among the most promising technologies for making solar power cheaper and more efficient. Working with partners from the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), DESY (Deutsches Elektronen-Synchroton), and the KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm, the team uncovered the microscopic mechanisms behind the deterioration of the... Read more

Perovskites are semiconducting materials that have rapidly transformed the field of optoelectronics, demonstrating outstanding performance in light-emitting diodes (LEDs) and photodiodes. For their unique properties, they have also gained attention in photovoltaics. After almost two decades of intensive research, this "wonder" class of materials could provide a cost-effective route to... Read more

Wood laminates are used in many different ways, for example, in the manufacture of skis and snowboards or in components for vehicle interiors. However, their weight advantages for lightweight construction also have disadvantages. They are significantly less resilient perpendicular to the grain and when force is applied perpendicular to the... Read more

An optical principle discovered more than a century ago may soon find new applications in such areas as monitoring atmospheric turbulence, tracking airborne objects, and mapping the environment, thanks to researchers at the Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI).... Read more

Created from noise-resistant, conductive threads, a high-tech new smart fabric could find uses in health monitoring, sports performance and rehabilitation. The work is published in the journal Science Advances.... Read more

In the fight against climate change, solar power is a promising alternative to fossil fuels. Every second, Earth receives an enormous amount of energy from the sun. Yet solar cells capture only a fraction of it, constrained by a "physical ceiling" that seemed impossible to break.... Read more

The next time you're scrolling on your phone, take a moment to appreciate the feat: The seemingly mundane act is possible thanks to the coordination of 34 muscles, 27 joints, and over 100 tendons and ligaments in your hand. Indeed, our hands are the most nimble parts of our bodies.... Read more

The state of Kentucky produces 95% of the world's bourbon, and all that bourbon leaves behind an enormous amount of waste grain, called stillage. Now, researchers at the University of Kentucky have developed a process to transform that stillage into electrodes. With the bourbon byproduct electrodes, they created supercapacitors that... Read more

Imagine a world where you could change the designs you see on bags, shirts, and walls whenever you want. Typical clothes would become customizable fashion pieces, while your humble abode could turn into a smart home. That's the vision of scientists like MIT electrical engineering and computer science Ph.D. student... Read more

A new sustainable approach to energy harvesting could transform how wasted heat is turned into electricity, thanks to a breakthrough in low-cost, flexible materials developed by researchers at the University of Surrey's Advanced Technology Institute (ATI).... Read more

From smartphones to large-scale AI servers, most digital information in modern society is stored in NAND flash memory. KAIST researchers have developed an innovative technology that can overcome the limitations of next-generation semiconductors, where more data must be stored in smaller spaces. This advancement is expected to serve as a... Read more

Developing robust water-repellent textiles is critical for outdoor, protective, and industrial applications. However, achieving long-lasting water repellency under mechanical stress has been a major challenge.... Read more

For 150 years, Major League Baseball (MLB) players and fans have accepted that an umpire missing a few balls and strikes is just part of the game. But this spring, MLB is rolling out an artificial intelligence-augmented camera system that will provide a second opinion for players to tap if... Read more

A team of researchers co-led by the University of California San Diego, University of Michigan, and the French National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS) at Laboratory of Acoustics of Le Mans University has demonstrated a new way to remotely control how a material behaves—using sound. The findings could lead to... Read more

Thermal batteries can efficiently store energy as heat. But building them requires a carefully designed system with materials that can withstand cycles of extremely high temperatures, without succumbing to problems like corrosion, thermal expansion, and structural fatigue.... Read more

Cutting patterns into elastic materials allows you to unfold those materials into new shapes, and researchers have now demonstrated the ability to control the sequence in which that unfolding happens by magnetizing the materials. The work represents a fundamental advance in our understanding of metamaterial behavior and has also demonstrated... Read more

NUS researchers have developed a platform that lets lab-grown muscle tissues train themselves to record-breaking strength, with no external stimulation required. By mechanically coupling two muscle tissues so they continuously pull against each other, their own natural contractions become a round-the-clock workout. The resulting muscles powered OstraBot, an ostraciiform (a... Read more

A team of international researchers have developed a breakthrough way to observe what is happening inside electronic chips while they are operating—without touching them, taking them apart, or switching them off. The new technique uses terahertz waves, a safe and non-ionizing form of electromagnetic radiation, to detect tiny movements of... Read more

Projection mapping is widely known as a lighting technique that overlays images onto buildings or objects to create visual effects. In fields such as extended reality (XR) and vision science, however, researchers have suggested that projection could go beyond simple overlays, potentially allowing the color, pattern, or even the perceived... Read more

The pixels in phone screens and other OLED displays appear to provide a uniform glow, but a team of University of Michigan Engineering researchers has discovered the light actually originates from nanoscale hotspots, some of which flicker. This might be hurting device lifespans.... Read more

What if electronic circuits could be created simply by drawing lines with a pencil on paper or leaves—and then immediately applied to soft robots or skin-attached health monitoring devices? Korean researchers have developed an electronic materials technology that forms electrically conductive liquid metal in a fine powder form, allowing circuits... Read more

A research team led by Professor Jae Eun Jang and Dr. Goeun Pyo from the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at DGIST has developed "dual-modulated vertically stacked transistors" that operate stably without current leakage even in two-dimensional nanoscale channel structures. A study on this work is published in... Read more

Among the biggest complaints inhibiting growth in the electric vehicle market is the limited lifespan and range of lithium-ion batteries. Consumers fear being stranded far from home with long wait times at recharging stations. A promising area of research has focused on layer-structured metal oxide cathodes. Specifically, a material known... Read more

Do you want to know how much noise there is on a construction site? You want to measure the sound of the excavator or the hammer drill, but you don't want to measure seagulls, traffic noise or a helicopter flying by. Now a new sound measurement service can do just... Read more

Cobalt and nickel are vital components for batteries, superalloys and catalysts, used in technologies ranging from smartphones to jet engines. But when it comes to recycling, they are notoriously difficult to separate because they are chemically nearly identical. To solve this, a team led by scientists at Johns Hopkins University... Read more

More than 500 years ago, Michelangelo spent four years painting "The Creation of Adam" on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, struggling with paint dripping onto his face. He described the process as "closer to torture than painting." Now, researchers at KAIST have developed a technology that can effectively "hold... Read more

A joint research team has reported for the first time that the resistive switching behavior of ion-motion-mediated volatile memristors, which are emerging as promising next-generation semiconductor devices, originates from a combined mechanism comprising multiple conductive filaments coupled with electrothermal effects.... Read more

Inspired by the infrared sensory organs of snakes, which allow them to detect prey in complete darkness, researchers at UNIST have harnessed artificial intelligence (AI) to develop a sensor material that significantly enhances thermal detection capabilities. This advancement promises to elevate the performance of next-generation infrared cameras, night-vision systems for... Read more

Both image photodetector arrays and retinas are pixelated sensors that dynamically extract various features from the visual scene—e.g., color, brightness, and contrast—before transmitting electrical signals to either a graphical interface of a display or the brain. Image sensors rely on solid state semiconductor technology, whereas retinas rely on photoreceptor cells... Read more

Tiny electronic devices, called microelectronics, may one day be printed as easily as words on a page, thanks to new research from scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Argonne National Laboratory. Building on years of progress in printed electronics, the team has shown how to create durable, low-power... Read more

Scientists from Tokyo Metropolitan University have discovered that a hydrogen-absorbing material shrinks in one direction upon heating, so-called negative thermal expansion (NTE). They found that this NTE is driven by a phase transition in the alignment of magnetic moments, an entirely different mechanism from its hydrogen-free counterpart. The research is... Read more

Aerospace engineering and materials science researchers at Texas A&M University and the DEVCOM Army Research Laboratory have developed a "super foam" that can absorb up to 10 times more energy than conventional padding.... Read more

POSTECH's (Pohang University of Science and Technology) Professor Inseok Hwang's team has developed ArithMotion, a mobile virtual reality (VR) system that enables anyone to express a wide range of avatar motions with ease. Using simple arithmetic-like controls, users can scale an avatar's motion up or down and reverse it into... Read more