Category Chemistry/Nanotechnology

Astronomers explain Rapid Formation of Organic Macromolecules in Protoplanetary Disks around Young Stars

Astronomers clarify how organic macromolecules are formed
Schematic depiction of the IOM formation scenario. Credit: Nature Astronomy (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41550-024-02334-4

An international team of researchers led by the University of Bern has used observation-based computer modeling to find an explanation for how macromolecules can form in a short time in disks of gas and dust around young stars. These findings could be crucial for understanding how habitability develops around different types of exoplanets and stars.

Organic macromolecules are regarded as the building blocks of life, as they are of crucial importance for the life-friendly carbon and nitrogen composition of the earth.

Planetary scientists have long assumed that the organic macromolecules that make the Earth suitable for life come from so-called chondrites...

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Engineers Develop Safe and Long-Cyclable Lithium Metal Battery for High Temperatures

In recent years, batteries have become ubiquitous in consumers’ daily lives. However, existing commercial battery technologies, which use liquid electrolytes and carbonaceous anodes, have certain drawbacks such as safety concerns, limited lifespan, and inadequate power density particularly at high temperatures.

Yet, there is an increasing need for batteries that can operate in extreme conditions, such as the high temperatures required in various industrial sectors, including medical device sterilization, subsurface exploration, and thermal reactors.

This has prompted researchers to search for solid electrolytes that are safe and compatible with lithium metal anodes, which are known for their high theoretical specific power capacity.

A research team led by Professor Dong-Myeon...

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Nanoscale Trilayer Exhibits Ultrafast Charge Transfer in Semiconductor Materials

An illustration of charge movement in a mixed-dimensionality hetero-trilayer material, with different-colored dots and lines representing photoexcited electrons, holes, and carbon nanotubes.
Charge movement in a mixed-dimensionality hetero-trilayer material: Photoexcited electrons and holes travel from the transition metal dichalcogenide layer (top) through single-walled carbon nanotubes (middle), resulting in a long charge recombination lifetime of 1.2 microseconds, which has potential applications in optoelectronics and energy harvesting. Image by Alexis Myers, NREL

Successfully innovating optoelectronic semiconductor devices depends a lot on moving charges and excitons—electron-hole pairs—in specified directions for the purpose of creating fuels or electricity.

In photosynthesis, pigment molecules absorb and transfer solar energy to a reaction center, where the energy is converted and used...

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Novel Electrode for Improving Flowless Zinc-Bromine Battery

Image title: Nitrogen-Doped Mesoporous Carbon-Coated Graphite Felt Electrodes
Image caption: The novel electrodes effectively suppress the crossover of bromine and bromine complexe
s, thus preventing self-discharge and enhancing the electrochemical performance and cycling stability of flowless zinc-bromine batteries.
Image credit: Chanho Pak from Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology
License type: Original Content
Usage restrictions: Cannot be reused without permission

Researchers developed a novel electrode that effectively suppresses the harmful self-discharge phenomenon in flowless zinc-bromine batteries. The flowless zinc-bromine battery (FLZBB) is a promising alternative to flammable lithium-ion batteries due to its use of non-flammable electrolytes...

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