New research, enabled by the NSF Center for Chemical Innovation on MXenes Synthesis, Tunability and Reactivity (M-STAR) and recently published in Nature Synthesis, used chemical vapor deposition to create the two-dimensional materials called MXenes that are “at least two orders of magnitude” less expensive than MXenes synthesized by traditional methods. The inspiration for this groundbreaking way to synthesize these futuristic materials came from a long-forgotten, 40-year-old exploratory paper by a chemistry legend.

Faster, more efficient, and more versatile – these are the expectations for the technology that will produce our energy and handle information in the future. But how can these expectations be met? A major breakthrough in physics has now been made by an international team of researchers from the Universities of Göttingen, Marburg, the Berlin Humboldt in Germany, and Graz in Austria. The scientists combined two highly promising types of material – organic semiconductors and two-dimensional semiconductors – and studied their combined response to light using photoelectron spectroscopy and many-body perturbation theory. This enabled them to observe and describe fundamental microscopic processes, such as energy transfer, at the 2D-organic interface with ultrafast time resolution, meaning one quadrillionth of a second. The combination of these properties holds promise for developing new technology such as the next generation of solar cells. The results were published in Nature Physics.

A researcher in the University at Albany’s College of Nanotechnology, Science, and Engineering was awarded nearly $420,000 from the National Science Foundation to study how the accumulation of toxic “forever chemicals” in edible plants impacts food quality and safety.

A flutter of blue and yellow darts through a field in late May. Trees, shrubs and summer flowers fill the landscape. A blue-winged warbler is just within reach, with one swift motion it can be gently grasped, banded and studied to understand the health and evolution of one of North America’s most colorful birds. A practice once reserved for scientists, this moment is now possible anywhere in the world thanks to a virtual reality experience developed by scientists at Penn State.    

LionGlass, a stronger and more sustainable glass invented at Penn State, may soon be developed for windows and windshields, thanks to a new partnership with North America’s largest architectural glass manufacturer Vitro Architectural Glass. The company signed a multi-year research agreement to scale up the new, patent-pending glass technology for use in flat glass applications across architectural and automotive markets.

Archaeologists from the University of Copenhagen and the University of Bergen have used AI and free digital tools to create a dynamic and educational video game about the Stone Age. According to the researchers, the new technology, which does not require strong technical skills, has the potential to revolutionize the digital communication of cultural heritage.