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    Category Technology/Electronics

    Physicists create Artificial ‘Graphene’

    February 2, 2016, Categories  Physics, Technology/Electronics

    (a) One unit cell of the perovskite structure. A RE ion, located at the center of the cube, has been omitted for clarity. (b) Bilayer of NdNiO3 sandwiched between layers of dielectric LaAlO3 along the pseudocubic [111] direction. (c) Schematic of a (111) bilayer that forms a buckled honeycomb lattice. The Ni atoms on the individual (111) plane are highlighted by thin and thick red circles, respectively. (d) HAADF-STEM image of the [ 2NdNiO3/4LaAlO3 ]x3 superlattice, grown on LaAlO3 (111) substrate.

    (a) One unit cell of the perovskite structure. A RE ion, located at the center of the cube, has been omitted for clarity. (b) Bilayer of NdNiO3 sandwiched between layers of dielectric LaAlO3 along the pseudocubic [111] direction. (c) Schematic of a (111) bilayer that forms a buckled honeycomb lattice. The Ni atoms on the individual (111) plane are highlighted by thin and thick red circles, respectively. (d) HAADF-STEM image of the [ 2NdNiO3/4LaAlO3 ]x3 superlattice, grown on LaAlO3 (111) substrate.

    An international group of physicists led by University of Arkansas has created an artificial material with a structure comparable to graphene.
    “We’ve basically created the first artificial graphene-like structure with transition metal atoms in place of carbon atoms,” said Jak Chakhalian, profes...

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    Switching Light with a Silver Atom

    February 2, 2016, Categories  Physics, Technology/Electronics

    The switch is based on the voltage-induced displacement of one or more silver atoms in the narrow gap between a silver and a platinum plate. Credit: Alexandros Emboras / ETH Zurich

    The switch is based on the voltage-induced displacement of one or more silver atoms in the narrow gap between a silver and a platinum plate. Credit: Alexandros Emboras / ETH Zurich

    Researchers have created the world’s smallest integrated optical switch. Applying a small voltage causes an atom to relocate, turning the switch on or off. The quantity of data exchanged via communications networks around the globe is growing at a breathtaking rate. The volume of data for wired and mobile communications is currently increasing by 23% and 57% respectively every year. It is impossible to predict when this growth will end. This also means that all network components must constantly be made more efficient.

    These components include modulators, which convert the information that is originally availabl...

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    Nanosheet Growth technique could Revolutionize Nanomaterial Production

    February 1, 2016, Categories  Physics, Technology/Electronics, Chemistry/Nanotechnology

    The new nanoscale manufacturing process draws zinc to the surface of a liquid, where it forms sheets just a few atoms thick. Credit: Xudong Wang

    The new nanoscale manufacturing process draws zinc to the surface of a liquid, where it forms sheets just a few atoms thick. Credit: Xudong Wang

    After 6 yrs of painstaking effort, Uni of Wisconsin-Madison materials scientists believe the tiny sheets of the semiconductor zinc oxide they’re growing could have huge implications for the future of a host of electronic and biomedical devices. Xudong Wang et al have developed a technique for creating nearly 2D sheets of compounds that do not naturally form such thin materials. Nanomaterials have unique electronic and chemical properties compared to identically composed materials at larger, conventional scales. Until now, they were limited to working with naturally occurring 2-D nanosheets eg graphene...

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    Mechanical ‘Trees’ Swaying in the Wind: Turning good vibrations into energy

    February 1, 2016, Categories  Physics, Technology/Electronics

    New tools for harvesting wind energy may soon look less like giant windmills and more like tiny leafless trees. A project at The Ohio State University is testing whether high-tech objects that look a bit like artificial trees can generate renewable power when they are shaken by the wind – or by the sway of a tall building, traffic on a bridge or even seismic activity.

    Tree-like structures made with electromechanical materials can convert random forces – such as winds or footfalls on a bridge – into strong structural vibrations that are ideal for generating electricity. The technology may prove most valuable when applied on a small scale, in situations where other renewable energy sources such as solar are not an option...

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