Photoluminescent compounds synthesized by the Coordination Chemistry and Catalysis Unit glowing under a UV light. Credit: Image courtesy of Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University – OIST

Chemical compounds that emit light are used in a variety of different materials, from glow-in-the-dark children’s toys to LED lights to light-emitting sensors. As the demand for these compounds increases, finding new efficient methods for their production is essential. New research describes a new strategy for producing photoluminescent (PL) compounds with increased capabilities.

Production of PL compounds is typically centered around 2 main methods: the conventional metal-ligand system or an aggregation based system...

1. Metamaterial bricks are assembled into a layer to produce a meta-surface, which could have applications across healthcare and entertainment
2, These space coiling bricks act to slow down sound waves, meaning that they can be transformed into any required sound field.

A super-material that bends, shapes and focuses sound waves that pass through it has been invented by scientists. Metamaterials have already shown remarkable results with light manipulation, allowing scientists to create a real-life version of Harry Potter’s invisibility cloak, for example. But a Universities of Sussex and Bristol team have now shown that they also work with sound waves, which could transform medical imaging and personal audio.

Finely shaped sound fields are used in medical imaging and therapy as well as in ...

This is a solidified lava flow over the side of a crater rim of Elysium. Credit: NASA HiRISE image, David Susko, LSU

New Mars research shows evidence of a complex mantle beneath the Elysium volcanic province. Mars’ mantle may be more complicated than previously thought. In a new study researchers at LSU found that the unusual chemistry of lava flows around Elysium is consistent with primary magmatic processes, eg. heterogeneous mantle beneath Mars’ surface or the weight of the overlying volcanic mountain causing different layers of mantle to melt at different temperatures as they rise to the surface.

Elysium is a giant volcanic complex on Mars, the second largest behind Olympic Mons. For scale, it rises to twice the height of Earth’s Mount Everest, or ~16 kilometers...