ScienceDaily: Matter & Energy News

Scientists took a unique and detailed nanoscale look at how oxygen seeps out of lithium-ion battery electrodes, sapping their energy over time. The results could suggest a fix.

Researchers show that switching between reflective and scattering states can be achieved with just 1.4 V, about the same voltage used to light a typical LED.

A new study uncovers where much of the carbonate consumption in the deep sea is happening - a process that prevents its escape into Earth's atmosphere. Researchers collected and examined methane-eating microbes from seven geologically diverse seafloor seeps and found that the carbonate rocks from all sites host methane-oxidizing microbial communities with the highest rates of methane consumption.

Researchers recently demonstrated an all-electric scheme able to flexibly control the propagation direction of near-field light.

Physicists have long suspected that dielectric materials may significantly disrupt ion-trap quantum computers. Now, researcher have developed a new method to quantify this source of error for the first time. For the future operation of quantum computers with very many quantum bits, such noise sources need to be eliminated already during the design process if possible.

Engineers have demonstrated how, when the TMDC materials they make are stacked in a particular geometry, the interaction that occurs between particles gives researchers more control over the devices' properties. Specifically, the interaction between electrons becomes so strong that they form a new structure known as a correlated insulating state. This is an important step, researchers said, toward developing quantum emitters needed for future quantum simulation and computing.

Theorists simulate the molecular transitions that take place inside a furnace to create 2D molybdenum disulfide, a semiconductor that could find a home in next-generation electronics.

Inspired by kirigami, the Japanese art of folding and cutting paper, engineers have designed a new type of stent that could be used to deliver drugs to the gastrointestinal tract, respiratory tract, or other tubular organs in the body.

Researchers invented a more efficient device for doubling the frequency of incoming light by combining period reflectors inside a microcavity containing gallium nitride. This work may help in the construction of a deep UV light source with bactericidal effect that is both safe and practical.

A new high-performance plastic foam developed from whey proteins can withstand extreme heat better than many common thermoplastics made from petroleum. A research team reports that the material, which may be used for example in catalysts for cars, fuel filters or packaging foam, actually improves its mechanical performance after days of exposure to high temperatures.

Researchers have come up with a way to use one single device - such as a mobile phone or smart watch - to wirelessly power up to 10 wearables on a user. This novel method uses the human body as a medium for transmitting power. Their system can also harvest unused energy from electronics in a typical home or office environment to power the wearables.

A study uncovered a property of magnetic materials that will allow engineers to develop more efficient spintronic devices in the future, which could lead to faster and more efficient computing and data storage.

Researchers have developed a simple method that converts existing generic polymers into luminescent polymers using mechanical force.