When materials are created on a nanometer scale — just a handful of atoms thick — even the thermal energy present at room temperature can cause structural ripples. How these ripples affect the mechanical properties of these thin materials can limit their use in electronics and other key systems. New research from Binghamton University, State University of New York validates theoretical models about how elasticity is scale-dependent — in other words, the elastic properties of a material are not constant, but vary with the size of the piece of material. 

Numerous widely used chemicals induce genetic and epigenetic alterations implicated in various diseases, including cancer. Safety assessment of potential carcinogens is necessary to minimize their hazardous impact. While genotoxicity assays are widely used to evaluate genetic changes, quantification of epigenetic changes requires advanced and expensive sequencing techniques. Researchers from Japan have developed a simple and cost-effective cell-based reporter assay that can quantify chemical-induced epigenetic effects, and enhance the safety evaluation of environmental chemicals.

A paper published in Science Bulletin provides a detailed investigation of a series of six 2D D-A COFs to optimize the compatibility of D and A units for photocatalytic H2O2 synthesis.

Laser plasma acceleration is a potentially disruptive technology: It could be used to build far more compact accelerators and open up new use cases in fundamental research, industry and health. However, on the path to real-world applications, some properties of the plasma-driven electron beam as delivered by current prototype accelerators still need to be refined. DESY’s LUX experiment has now made significant progress in this direction: Using a clever correction system, a research team was able to significantly improve the quality of electron bunches accelerated by a laser plasma accelerator. This brings the technology a step closer to concrete applications, such as a plasma-based injector for a synchrotron storage ring. The research group presents their results in the journal Nature.

The electromagnetic responses of metamaterial microstructural units are typically described using classical polarization theory models from dielectric physics, such as the Lorentz and Drude models. However, there has been a notable absence of the Debye model, which holds significant importance in dielectric physics. Chinese scientists have now successfully uncovered a novel broadband electromagnetic response mechanism in metamaterial microstructures based on polarization theory - Debye relaxation.