A Possible World Record: Studying Thin Films Under Extreme Temperatures with Reflectometry

A possible world record: Studying thin films under extreme temperatures with reflectometry
Schematic of the Ni/Cu catalytic alloy-mediated EG synthesis on 3C–SiC on silicon. Credit: RSC Advances (2024). DOI: 10.1039/D3RA08289J

A team of researchers from ANSTO and University of Technology Sydney have set a record by conducting thin film experiments at 1,100 degrees Celsius, using the Spatz reflectometer equipped with a vacuum furnace.

The unique combination of neutron reflectometry with high temperature apparatus enables atomic-scale insights into thin film growth and diffusion processes. This is of relevance to a wide range of thin film technology and devices which undergo a range of processing and heat treatment conditions to optimize performance.

The UTS group, led by Francesca Iacopi and Aiswarya Pradeepkumar, has been studying the growth of thin carbon sheets (...

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Tiny Bright Objects discovered at Dawn of Universe baffle scientists

Circles of light on a black background
Researchers investigated three mysterious objects in the early universe. Shown here are their color images, composited from three NIRCam filter bands onboard the James Webb Space Telescope. They are remarkably compact at red wavelengths (earning them the term “little red dots”) with some evidence for spatial structure at blue wavelengths. Credit: Provided by researchers / Penn State. All Rights Reserved.

A recent discovery by NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) confirmed that luminous, very red objects previously detected in the early universe upend conventional thinking about the origins and evolution of galaxies and their supermassive black holes.

An international team, led by Penn State researchers, using the NIRSpec instrument aboard JWST as part of the RUBIES survey...

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Whoever Controls Electrolytes will Pave the way for Electric Vehicles

Team develops a commercially viable and safe gel electrolyte for lithium batteries. Professor Soojin Park, Seoha Nam, a PhD candidate, and Dr. Hye Bin Son from the Department of Chemistry at Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH) have achieved a breakthrough in creating a gel electrolyte-based battery that is both stable and commercially viable. Their research was recently published in the international journal Small.

Lithium-ion batteries are extensively utilized in portable electronics and energy storage including electric vehicles. However, the liquid electrolytes used in these batteries pose a significant risk of fire and explosion, prompting ongoing research efforts to find safer alternatives...

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Pillars of Creation star in New Visualization from NASA’s Hubble and Webb Telescopes

A mosaic of visible-light (Hubble) and infrared-light (Webb) views of the same frame from the Pillars of Creation visualization. The visualization sequence fades back and forth between these two models as the camera flies past and amongst the pillars. These contrasting views illustrate how observations from the two telescopes complement each other.
Greg Bacon, Ralf Crawford, Joseph DePasquale, Leah Hustak, Christian Nieves, Joseph Olmsted, Alyssa Pagan, and Frank Summers (STScI), NASA’s Universe of Learning

Made famous in 1995 by NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope, the Pillars of Creation in the heart of the Eagle Nebula have captured imaginations worldwide with their arresting, ethereal beauty.

Now, NASA has released a new 3D visualization of these towering celestial structures using dat...

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