News by Subject Technology & Engineering

Scientists at Berkeley Lab have converted diamonds' atomic flaws into atomic sensors that could lead to a new generation of smart materials.

Strong and tough yet as light as a feather - materials with this exceptional combination of properties are urgently needed in many industrial sectors and in medicine, as well as being of great interest for scientific research. A research team from the University of Bayreuth has developed polymer fibres with precisely these properties. Together with partners in Germany, China and Switzerland, the polymer fibers were characterized. The scientists have published their results in the journal Science.

The research team led by Professor Soojin Park developed a three-dimensional monolithic organic battery electrode.

Chemical engineers at EPFL have designed a material that can capture carbon dioxide from wet flue gasses better than current commercial materials. The work is published in Nature.

Researchers City, University of London are developing new vibration-control devices based on Formula 1 technology so "needle-like" high-rise skyscrapers which still withstand high winds can be built. Current devices called tuned mass dampers (TMDs) are fitted in the top floors of tall buildings to act like heavyweight pendulums counteracting building movement caused by winds and earthquakes.

Adding atom-scale defects to battery materials may help them charge faster, theoretical models by Rice University scientists show.

Scientists may have figured out how dust particles can stick together to form planets, according to a Rutgers co-authored study that may also help to improve industrial processes.

Laboratory experiments and a parabolic flight campaign have enabled an international team of researchers from the Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (HZDR) to gain new insights into water electrolysis, in which hydrogen is obtained from water by applying electric energy. Water electrolysis could play a key role in the energy transition if efficiency improvements can be achieved. The findings published recently in the journal Physical Review Letters offer a possible starting point for enhancing the environmental impact of hydrogen-based technologies.