Material Science News and Discussions

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Synthetic material could improve ease and cut cost of gut microbiome research
https://medicalxpress.com/news/2024-03- ... biome.html
by Keith Hickey, Pennsylvania State University

A team of Penn State researchers has developed a new synthetic material that could enable scientists to more easily study how microorganisms interact with the gastrointestinal (GI) system. The material might eventually provide a cheaper, more accessible way for researchers to screen drugs that impact gut infections, metabolic disorders like obesity and diabetes, and inflammatory bowel disorders.

The lining of the gastrointestinal system contains a protective layer of mucus. Traditionally, most studies of interactions between the bacteria in the gut microbiome and this mucus layer employ engineered mouse models, an expensive option for researchers and one that many find technically unattainable.

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Researchers develop a thermoelectric material with optimal cost, efficiency and flexibility
https://phys.org/news/2024-03-thermoele ... ility.html
by DGIST (Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology)

A research team has developed an inorganic-organic thermoelectric composite that promises competitive pricing while addressing efficiency and flexibility challenges in thermoelectric technology.

Thermoelectric technology, an energy conversion technology between heat and electricity, represents an eco-friendly approach to converting waste heat into electricity. It is known for its ability to generate power from heat and provide cooling effects using electricity.

With applications ranging from waste heat recovery generation and refrigerant-free cooling devices in traditional industries to precision temperature control systems through localized cooling and heating and continuous power supply energy harvesters in advanced new industries, its versatility is receiving significant attention.

Despite ongoing research and development on various types of bulk and thin-film thermoelectric materials and devices, owing to the advantages of thermoelectric technology, the chronic issue of lower efficiency and flexibility, as compared to other energy conversion technologies, has been a persistent challenge.

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Double Quartz Tubes Make More Energy Efficient Industrial Plasma
March 29, 2024 by Brian Wang

https://www.nextbigfuture.com/2024/03/194437.html
Japanese researchers have used a single-mode microwave generator to produce their metal plasmas. This creates more controlled and highly focused microwaves. Hot gases composed of metal ions and electrons, called plasmas, are widely used in many manufacturing processes, chemical synthesis, and metal extraction from ores and welding. A collaborative research group from Tohoku University and the Toyohashi University of Technology has invented a new and efficient method to create metallic plasmas from solid metals under a strong magnetic field in a microwave resonator.

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Sunrise to sunset, a new window coating blocks heat, not view
https://techxplore.com/news/2024-04-sun ... locks.html
by Karla Cruise, University of Notre Dame

Windows welcome light into interior spaces, but they also bring in unwanted heat. A new window coating blocks heat-generating ultraviolet and infrared light and lets through visible light, regardless of the sun's angle. The coating can be incorporated onto existing windows or automobiles and can reduce air-conditioning cooling costs by more than one-third in hot climates.

"The angle between the sunshine and your window is always changing," said Tengfei Luo, the Dorini Family Professor for Energy Studies at the University of Notre Dame and the lead of the study. "Our coating maintains functionality and efficiency whatever the sun's position in the sky."

The research is published in the journal Cell Reports Physical Science.

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Researchers determine structure of new metal tellurate material with potential uses in solar energy and more
https://phys.org/news/2024-04-metal-tel ... solar.html
by Victoria Martinez, Canadian Light Source

Scientists have determined the structure of a new material with the potential to be used in solar energy, batteries, and splitting water to produce hydrogen.

The physical properties and crystal structures of most tellurate materials were only discovered during the last two decades, but they have tantalizing properties. For example, they respond to light in a way very similar to current solar materials.

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A microbial plastic factory for high-quality green plastic

https://phys.org/news/2024-04-microbial ... ality.html

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Strange New Form of Gold Exists as a Sheet That's Just One Atom Thick

16 April 2024



For centuries, goldsmiths have sought ways to flatten gold into ever finer forms. An approach based in modern chemistry has finally created a gold material that literally can't get any thinner, consisting of a single layer of atoms.

Sticking to the naming conventions of materials science, researchers have named this new two-dimensional material 'goldene', and it has some interesting properties not seen in the three-dimensional form of gold.

"If you make a material extremely thin, something extraordinary happens – as with graphene," explains materials scientist Shun Kashiwaya of Linköping University in Sweden.

"The same thing happens with gold. As you know, gold is usually a metal, but if single-atom-layer thick, the gold can become a semiconductor instead."

Gold is quite challenging to coax into a two-dimensional configuration, due to its tendency to clump together. Previous attempts have resulted in either a thin sheet that is several atoms thick, or a monolayer sandwiched between or on another material, and unable to be detached.

https://www.sciencealert.com/strange-ne ... atom-thick

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Novel material supercharges innovation in electrostatic energy storage
https://phys.org/news/2024-04-material- ... orage.html
by Shawn Ballard, Washington University in St. Louis

Electrostatic capacitors play a crucial role in modern electronics. They enable ultrafast charging and discharging, providing energy storage and power for devices ranging from smartphones, laptops and routers to medical devices, automotive electronics and industrial equipment. However, the ferroelectric materials used in capacitors have significant energy loss due to their material properties, making it difficult to provide high energy storage capability.

Sang-Hoon Bae, assistant professor of mechanical engineering and materials science in the McKelvey School of Engineering at Washington University in St. Louis, has addressed this long-standing challenge in deploying ferroelectric materials for energy storage applications.

In a study published April 18 in Science, Bae and his collaborators, including Rohan Mishra, associate professor of mechanical engineering & materials science, and Chuan Wang, associate professor of electrical & systems engineering, both at WashU, and Frances Ross, the TDK Professor in Materials Science and Engineering at MIT, introduced an approach to control the relaxation time—an internal material property that describes how long it takes for charge to dissipate or decay—of ferroelectric capacitors using 2D materials.

Working with Bae, doctoral student Justin S. Kim and postdoctoral researcher Sangmoon Han developed novel 2D/3D/2D heterostructures that can minimize energy loss while preserving the advantageous material properties of ferroelectric 3D materials.

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Researchers develop eggshell 'bioplastic' pellet as sustainable alternative to plastic
https://phys.org/news/2024-04-eggshell- ... ative.html
by Kristen McEwen, University of Saskatchewan

What if there was plastic-like material that could absorb excess nutrients from water and be used as a fertilizer when it decomposes? That product—a "bioplastic" material—has been created by University of Saskatchewan (USask) chemistry professor Dr. Lee Wilson and his research team, as detailed in a paper recently published in RSC Sustainability. The research team includes Ph.D. candidate Bernd G. K. Steiger, BSc student Nam Bui and postdoctoral fellow trainee Bolanle M. Babalola.

"We've made a bioplastic material that functions as an absorbent and it takes phosphate out of water, where elevated levels of phosphate in surface water is a huge global water security issue," he said. "You can harvest those pellets and distribute them as an agricultural fertilizer."

Wilson, a member of the Global Institute for Water Security (GIWS), and his research laboratory team, focus on developing forms of "bioplastic"—a material that looks like plastic but is made of biological materials (or biomaterials) that are designed to decompose.