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Metasurfaces are the 2-D complement of  metamaterials. These are artificial materials that have very unusual characteristics. Metasurfaces also have a laundry list of innovative  uses.  The surfaces are prepared with pre-engineered patterning. They are said to change the generation of electromagnetic waves across the full spectrum of wavelengths.  The search for metamaterials started in metal-dielectric systems. They have all since gone dielectric. They are important in optoelectronic devices like solar cells and LEDs to improve efficiency.  Professor R. Vijaya works at the Photonic Laboratory of the Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur. He used a low-cost soft lithography technique to create dielectric metasurfaces of two shapes that are complimentary.  The nanodimples and nanobumps were crafted on a flexible polymer substrate.  The work was published in Frontiers of Optoelectronics. It is entitled “Control of visible-range transmission and reflectio...

 An interesting article from the journal Small Science. Researchers from James Cook University have converted microplastics to graphene and it’s causing a stir. Plastic waste breaks down overtime into much smaller fragments. These fragments can reach the micron size. JCU Professor Mohammed Jacob reports, “ These microplastics are notorious for their non-degradable and insoluble nature in water and are invoking threats to fish and animals and humans.” One of the characteristics of microplastics is they can absorb organic pollutants.  JCU’s Dr. Adeel Zafar states, “ Once they are in water, they are ultimately integrated into both marine and human food chains. Disturbingly, microplastics  disrupt marine life, and coral reproduction.”  The cost of removing nanoplastics is both labor intensive and extremely expensive. This is why globally it’s not being pursued. Dr. Zafar reports, “ Upcycling, which involves transforming plastic waste into higher value materials, rather t...

  Brewster reflectionless effect is one of the most important discoveries in wave manipulation.  The first experiments were limited to isotopic materials. When metamaterials were discovered, the phenomenon expanded into anisotropic materials. Researchers were able to show the anomalous Brewster effect in metamaterials. This increased the number of degrees of freedom.  In substances without magnetic responses, the Brewster effect applies exclusively to transverse-magnetic waves. These waves are called TM or p-wave polarization. Building on similarities between TM mode and 2D acoustics, the Brewster effect with zero reflection  was recently  demonstrated by using acoustic metamaterials. The research was published last month in the journal Science Bulletin.  Researchers have demonstrated a universal theory. They matched the continuous boundary conditions and studied the relationship between the reflection coefficient and its parameters. It is thought that a pr...

 Phosphorus is considered one of the most important elements for life on earth. The compounds of phosphorus are intertwined in the function and structure of organisms. Each human being has about 1 kg in the body. Phosphates are in our medicine, fertilizers, detergents, and, yes, even in our food.  Phosphorus has many refinements that have extremely different behaviors. Under normal conditions, white, black, purple, and red have been observed. Michigan University discovered blue phosphorus in 2016. Blue phosphorus is a 2D material. It has a honeycomb like structure that is in a single layer. It sounds exactly like graphene. Compared to graphene, it has been called blue phosphorene. This semiconductor material is promising  for new optoelectronic devices. Using highly precise calculations on high-performance computers, a unique discovery was made.  The Dresden chemist Prof. Thomas Heine is working in collaboration with Mexican scientists. They discovered the remarkably...

  A huge research collaboration involving carbon nanotubes is going on right now. Ruhr University has two groups collaborating on this research. Carbon nanotubes are single walled. They are found to be the building blocks of biosensors. The surface of carbon nanotubes can be chemically altered with DNA fragments and bio polymers. They can react specifically with a certain target molecule. When these molecules bind, the nanotubes adapt their emission in the near-infrared range.  Biological processes in which carbon nanotubes are used typically take place in water. The researchers used terahertz spectroscopy. They were able to observe how energy flows between water and carbon nanotubes.  The water molecules that directly surround the nanotubes are critical in the hydration shell of biosensors. When a carbon nanotube is excited, the energy can couple to the movement of the hydration shell.  Water and nanotubes have energy that flows between them. An example of this is w...

Play-doh, 3-D printer gels, latex paint, battery electrolytes and even some foods like mayonnaise are considered soft matter.  A huge project involves researchers from the US Department of Energy’s (DOE) Argonne National Laboratory and the Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering at the University of Chicago.  The team has discovered an advance for understanding and enhancing the flow properties of soft matter on the nanoscale. This advance is because of a new technique called X-ray photon correlation spectroscopy (XPCS).   This information was recently published in PNAS.  Matthew Tirrell is a scientist at Argonne and is working with the University of Chicago. He states, “Soft matter is easily deformed. It’s properties are highly responsive to outside stimuli, such as force, temperature change or chemical reaction.”  For example, when paint is applied to walls, flows that are highly complex happen at the nanoscale. When the rolling or brushing is stopped, paint ...

  New research was just published in Nature Photonics. It was written by researchers from the universities of Gottingen, Oxford and the university Medical Center Gottingen. The team has been successful in building a microscope with resolutions better than 5 billions of a meter (5 nanometers). This is approximately a human hair split into 10,000 strands.  The new microscope can capture even the tiniest cell structures. It’s hard to imagine something so small. A good comparison is if you were to compare one nanometer to one meter - it’s about the equivalent of comparing the diameter of a hazelnut to earth’s diameter. It works by ‘single - molecule localization microscopy’. This is where a single fluorescent molecule in a substance is switched on and off. This switch allows their position to be viewed precisely. The entire structure of the material can then be modeled from the location of these molecules. The process can show resolutions of 10 to 20 nanometers.  Professor Jo...

  Using mathematics to solve quantum problems may have just gotten a little easier easier. A team led by RIKEN researchers have published a new study in the journal of High Energy Physics. Quantum field theory is an example of converting math to physics. It’s an attempt to combine three theories, classical field physics, Einstein’s special relativity and quantum mechanics into one math problem. The main issue is that a lot of computer power is used, however, there has been some successful conversions in both particle physics and condensed matter physics. Treating space and time as a gridwork of separate points is one way to simplify the mathematics.  Advanced theory called lattice field theory is tricky, but also feasible. It applies complex algorithms that work within it’s spherical interpretation. Lingxiao Wang works with the RIKEN Interdisciplinary Theoretical and Mathematical Sciences Program (iTHEMS). Working with others in the UK and Germany, they have been studying a ne...

  Graphene oxide (GO) is an ultra thin sheet of nanomaterial. It is made of graphite and is used as a drug delivery system. A new study has been released concerning the toxicity of graphene oxide and ways to reduce it. The study was led by Professor Khuloud Al-Jamal. He stated, “ Researchers have been incredibly excited with the potential medical applications of graphene since experiments into the nanomaterials were recognized with the Nobel Prize in physics in 2010. However, concerns around toxicity have remained a consistent obstacle.” Professor Al-Jamal is a professor of Drug Delivery and Nanomedicine and Head of Medicines Development from King’s College in London.  He states, “ In this study, we introduced the chemical methods to make GO more biofriendly and unraveled the link between proteins in the corona and GO’s safety profile. Most importantly, we showed that silicon methods could accurately predict toxicity in mice, offering ways to substitute the use of animals. I a...

  New physics emerges when water gets inside nanopores measuring below 10 nanometers. New phases of ice was observed and ultrafast proton transport was measured.  When it comes to biology, confined water plays an interesting role. Aquaporins cross cellular membranes to allow transport of water and other tiny molecules through nanometer-scale passages.  However, the biology field is missing a fundamental truth about how confinement impacts the ability of water to screen electric fields inside one-dimensional pores. The Journal of Physical Chemistry Letters released this information last month (on the cover). Lawrence Livermore from the University of Texas at Austin is using simulators in order to explain the response of confined water to applied electric fields.  “It’s necessary to understand the ability of the confined liquid to screen electric fields and how this varies from the bulk environment,” reports Marcos Andrade, lead author. “An improved understanding of th...

  Nanoplastics continued to build up in our world’s  bodies of water. We need a cost-effective solution to remove nanoplastics and leave clean water behind. Researchers at Missouri University have removed 98% of these nanoplastic particles from water. A researcher named Piyuni Ishtaweera reports, “Nanoplastics can disrupt aquatic systems and enter the food chain, Posing risks to both wildlife and humans. In layman’s terms, or we’ve developed better ways to remove contaminants such as nanoplastics from water.” The new method is truly innovative. Water repelling solvents are used that are created with natural ingredients. This is a practical solution that makes water purification technologies within reach. “ Our strategy uses a small amount of designer solvent to absorb particles from a large volume of water,” says Gary Baker. He is an associate professor at Missouri’s Department of Chemistry and the lead author of the study. He continues, “ Currently the capacity of the solvent...

There are important electronic properties in electronic technologies that change when responding to voltage or current.  Scientists want to understand these changes, in terms of a substance's structure at the microscale, nanoscale and mesoscale.  The microscale is the thickness of a piece of paper and the nanoscale is a few atoms thick. Beyond that, there is a realm that is seldomly mentioned. It spans from 10 billionths to 1 millionth of a meter, named the mesoscale.   Researchers at the US Department of Energy (DOE) Argonne National Laboratory are working with Rice University and DOE's Lawrence Berkley National Laboratory. The teams are working together to widen their understanding of the mesoscale properties of a ferroelectric substance under an electric field. The research was published in August's edition of the journal Science.  The research examines potential improvements in computer memory, sensors for ultra precise measurements and even lasers used in scient...

  The salt level in a soil can affect a plants growth, an entire crops quality and even threaten global food security. A paper was published in Physiologia Plantarum. It discusses the potential of nanoparticles to alleviate salinity stress. Nanomaterials regulate  how a plant responds to salinity stress by affecting the expression of genes related to salt tolerance, or by augmenting physiological procedures, like antioxidant activities.  Researchers found 459 experiments from 70 publications that directly involved different materials and how they interact with plants under salinity stress.  They found that nanomaterials both boost plant performance and lower salinity stress when applied at lower dosages. Higher doses of nanoparticles are toxic to plants and can even contribute to salinity stress.  Plants respond to nanomaterials very differently, depending on plants, species, plants, families, and nanomaterial types.  Damiano R Kwaslema of Sokoine Universit...

Johann Sebastian Bach is the world's most popular composer. According to Spotify, almost 7 million people stream Bach each month. His listener count is higher than Beethoven or even Mozart. His Prelude to Cello Suite No 1 in G Major has been steamed hundreds of millions of times.  What makes Bach so popular? Critics will suggest it's his unorthodox harmonies, intricate counter point and compositions that are symmetrical.  Researchers have begun representing Bach's music as a network. In the network, each node stands for one single musical note. Each edge is the transition from one note to another. An interesting picture is formed.  A large group has been studying Bach's music in network form and released a paper in Physical Review Research. The ground included Dani S. Bassett, J. Peter Skirkanicha (Professor in Bioengineering and in Electrical and Systems Engineering) with the Perelman School of Medicine and with S. Kulkarni, doctoral student.  The group applied netw...

  New experiments at the giant Euro laser called the European XFEL generate states of matter that are within close range of what occurs in the interior of planets. The experiments are also showing the imploding capsule of an inertial fusion reactor and unwrap a new procedure to measure ultra-short phenomenon. Fusion reactions, or the extreme conditions obtained at the interior or planets (like Earth) are very difficult to research.  Recently, scientists focused the X-ray laser at the European XFEL on copper foil. They have constructed a state of matter that is very far from equilibrium. This new state is termed “warm dense matter.” (WDM). WDM is similar to the foreign environments of the interior of planets.  Inertial confinement fusion has great promise for abundant and clean energy. The findings make huge strides in research and development of this difficult to track state of matter. The information was recently published in the journal Nature Physics. It is widely know...

  Both pesticides and herbicides are used worldwide. These substances are used to ensure food security. However, they are a safety risk to people who ingest them. To protect human beings, devices are being created to search for even the tiniest trace amount of harmful substances. A new article was written for Nano Letters. Researchers claimed to have created an imaging method to discern pesticide contamination at low levels. It’s use on fruit proves that the food safety applications are lacking and need improvement. The method researchers used is called SERS Or surfaced enhanced Raman spectroscopy. It is a non-destructive way to detect chemicals on produce. SERS uses metal nanoparticles or nanosheets to amplify the signals produced by molecules exposed to the Raman laser beam. The creative patterns are sort of a molecular signature. The patterns can be used to pinpoint small amounts of specific substances. Dongdong Ye, Ke Zheng, Shaobo Han other scientists have created a metal coat...

  A recent article was published in the American Chemical Society journal ACS Nano. The US Naval Research Laboratory authenticates a new class of semiconductor nanocrystals. The crystals are bright with ground-state excitations. This is a huge advancement for semiconductors. The research could alter current highly efficient light-emitting devices and reach other optotechnologies.  The lowest-energy exciton in nanocrystals does not emit light well. This is why nanocrystals have earned the nickname “dark” exciton. Nanocrystals also slow the emission of light. The dark exciton can limit a nanocrystal based device’s performance. Examples of these devices include lasers or light-emitting diodes (LED).  Scientists have worked for years to vanquish these dark excitons. “We set out to find new materials in which the exciton ordering is inverted, so that the lowest energy exciton is bright,” reports John Lyons. He is a Ph.D from the Theory of Advanced Materials section of the Navy...

 Metallic carbon nanotubes are the best at transporting molecules. A team at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLVL) are researching this movement. The separation of molecules is very important to modern technology. It is used in high value chemicals, pharmaceutical manufacturing, and even in water desalination.  Researchers have found that pores inside of metallic carbon nanotubes (smaller than one nanometer)enhance both water and proton transport.  The new nanotubes are better at transporting over the conventional semiconducting carbon nanotubes.  Alex Noy is the lead author of a paper that appeared in nature materials. He reports, “ These results emphasize the complex role of the electronic properties of nanofluidic channels in modulating transport under extreme nano scale confinement.” All current separating Technologies are quite refined and sophisticated. Their effectiveness reaches the limits of the platforms that power them. The performance of Polymer m...

  Radio frequency signals, 5G networks, Bluetooth and  Wi-Fi pollute the air around us. They are wonderful for transmitting data, but recently are being considered as an untapped energy resource. Scientist have created a new technology that gathers ambient or “waste” RF signals and uses them to power electronic devices. A nanoscale spin rectifier is being studied. It can change very low power RF signals of less than -20dBm into a useable d/c voltage. The new device is far superior to its predecessors, as they struggled to work efficiently at low power levels. The new research is coming from the National University of Singapore. It is being led by Professor Yang Hyunsoo. The traditional gigahertz Schottky diode rectifiers haven’t changed much in the last few decades. This is due to the fundamental thermodynamic restrictions found at lower power levels. The recent upgrades have included improving antenna regulation and impedance matching network.  This inevitably increases ...

A large international team from Germany's Forschungszentrum Julich and Korea's Center for Quantum Nanoscience have created a sensor. This sensor can recognize tiny magnetic fields on the atomic scale. They have created a kind of MRI tool for quantum substances. This is the world's first quantum sensor.  The atom's diameter is smaller than a human hair by a million times. The size makes it difficult to measure the physical properties.  These properties can be electric and magnetic fields, for example. The observation tool must be highly sensitive in order to measure such a weak field from a single atom. A quantum sensor uses quantum mechanical properties such as electron spin, or the entanglement of quantum states. Several types of sensors have been created over the past few years. It was previously believed that atomic scale spatial resolution could not be used at the same time as sensing electric and magnetic fields. The new quantum sensor uses only one single molecule...

  Quantum chromodynamics is the theory of force inside an atomic nuclei. A large part of QCD concerns how quarks and gluons are held within nucleons (protons and neutrons).  The forces inside nucleons are similar to the force of gravity. However, there is a quantum effect called “trace anomaly” that can become prevalent in nucleons. They do not follow the same pattern of gravity. The quantum effect exhibited is actually the cause of balance between outward pressure inside nucleons and the force holding them together. Research has surfaced that shows a trace anomaly can be measured while producing charmonium. This is a type of subatomic particle. It is currently being made at the Thomas Jefferson National Laboratory and the future Electron Ion Collider. The study was recently published in Physics Letters B.  Through a combination of experimental quantification and theoretical calculations of the anomaly gives acumen into how mass and pressure are distributed in hadrons. Ha...

  The University of Sydney has introduced a new way to reduce industrial emissions. Liquid metals have an “atomic intelligence” and are capable of more sustainable chemical reactions.  Chemical production still accounts for 10-15% of the greenhouse gas emissions. Also, more than 10% of the total energy for the world is used in chemical factories. Large amounts of energy is required to create the chemical reactions used to make a variety of different products.  This information was originally published in Science during the month of July. It shows how chemical processing will be transformed by changing the nature in which reactions happen. The head of the School of Chemical Engineering is named Kourosh Kalantar-Zadeh. He led the research into renewable energy and electrification. He reports “People often forget that chemical reactions are at the heart of all we have and use; almost all modern products are created using some sort of chemical reaction. From high-grade plasti...

  Researchers have recently proven that an entire bit’s sequences can be stored in cylinder domains.  A research team from Helmholtz- Zentrum Dresden Rossendorf (HZDR) Have proven that tiny cylinders can store bit sequences in an area approximately 100 nanometers wide.  Reported in Electronic Materials, This research explores the different types of data storage and sensors, including magnetic variations of neural networks.  “ A Cylindrical domain which we physicists also call a bubble domain,  Is a tiny cylindrical area in a tiny magnetic layer. When it spins, the electrons intrinsic angular movement in the material point in a different direction.  This creates a magnetization That differs from the rest of the environment. Imagine a small cylinder shaped magnetic bubble floating in the sea of opposite magnetization.” Reports professor Olav Hellwig from HZDR.  The team is sure that these magnetic structures will be used in future spintronic Applications...

  Separating critical materials like lithium and magnesium is important to servicing the demands for clean energy. Graphene oxide (GO) can separate ions from a mixed state based on size. In the past, GO membranes were  used for size based separations. Currently, researchers are using UV light reduction to expand the uses of GO. The researchers built a relatively simple method that uses no harsh chemicals. They found that by reducing GO with UV light alters the oxygen function groups on the surface of GO.  The results show that a chromatography separation is at play, versus just size. Larger cations, like calcium, move through the GO membrane much faster than the singly charged cations like lithium. It was published in the Chemical Engineering Journal last month.  The small lithium ions permeate slower through the UV-rGO membranes than larger cations. This results in a 3-4 fold improvement to the separation selectivity.  UV exposure removed hydroxyl (-OH) groups ...

  The National Science Review has published an interesting study about graphene. Lunar samples have revealed naturally formed scant layer graphene. It is made of carbon atoms in a thin-layer structure. The team consisted of scientists from Jilin University and the Chinese Academy of Sciences’ Institute of Metal Research. The researchers dissected an olive shaped sample of lunar soil. The soil measured 2.9 millimeters by 1.6 millimeters. The lunar sample was taken from the Chang’e 5 mission in 2020.  The scientists believe that 1.9% of interstellar carbon exists in the form of graphene. It’s formation is the determining factor of graphene’s shape and structure. Researchers used a spectrometer in their studies. They found an iron compound that is closely related to the formation of graphene. Scientists then used microscopic and mapping techniques to confirm that the sample contained “flakes” that have 2-7 layers of graphene.  Researchers believe that the graphene may have b...

  A report mid June from the University of Vienna measured the effects of the rotation of Earth on quantum entangled photons. The scientists, led by Philip  Walther published their research in Science Advances.  The work is a huge accomplishment that expands the understanding of the sensitivity of rotation in entangled particles. This is where quantum mechanics and general relativity meet.  A device called an optical interferometer is very sensitive to rotations. The device has been around since the early 1900’s, it helped Einstein establish the special theory of relativity.  Today their precision makes the interferometer a first class tool for measuring rotational speeds, with the only limitations being the bounds of classical physics. Interferometers that use quantum entanglement theories have the potential to break these bounds.  If two particles are entangled (or more) the overall state is known. However, any large leap in sensitivity is inhibited by th...

 “The limits of the possible can only be defined by going beyond them into the impossible.” Arthur C. Clarke During the 1950’s, a doctor named Curt Richter was studying the habits of rats at Harvard University. During one of the experiments, the doctor and his team placed the rats in a pool of water. The original experiment was to determine how long the rats could tread water.  The  rats would give up at an average of 15 minutes in and begin to sink. However, right before the rats completely submerged, the researchers would pluck them out. They dried them off and let them rest for a few minutes. They then placed the rats back in the tank for a second round. How long do you think they lasted during round two? They’d just swum until failure minutes ago.  60 hours! The conclusion is that since the rats believed they would eventually be rescued, they could push their bodies  way past what they previously thought possible.  Hope can cause exhausted rats to swim ...

  Information released from the University of Cambridge in mid July reports new battery technology is on the horizon. The scientists in the study were influenced by a well-known sea creature. Electric eels have modified muscle cells which can stun their prey. These muscle cells are called electrolytes. Just the same as electrolytes, The jellylike battery materials have a layered structure. The structure makes them capable of delivering an electric current. A battery in this study can be stretched to over 10 times it’s original length! The stretch does not affect its electrical conductivity. This is the very first time conductivity and stretch have been combined in a single material.  Reported in Science Advances. The jelly batteries are considered hydrogels. A Hydrogel is a lattice of polymers that contain over 60% water. The polymers are added together by on/off interactions. These interactions are reversible and can control the jellies mechanized attributes. Hydrogels are en...

  The “holy grail”  of chemistry is being studied at Montana State University. James Crawford released a paper with the national renewable energy laboratory. It confirms the potential of converting greenhouse gas, or carbon dioxide, into the chemical building blocks that will be used to make other materials. Originally published in ACS Catalysis, it shows (On the front cover) Atom scale diagrams of the carbon dioxide transmutation process.  Reports Crawford, “ We have successfully captured carbon dioxide, then converted it into methane and carbon monoxide a using functionalized, microporous material. . . Methane is a drop-in energy resource, Compatible with existing natural gas infrastructure. Carbon monoxide has a bad reputation, but turns out to be an Essential reactant in generating synthetic fuels and chemicals.”  Current techniques for the removal of carbon from the atmosphere involves storing the gas, rather than transforming it into new products.  “ What ...

A new study finds that with a specific chemical reaction, Styrofoam can be changed into a prized conductive polymer called PEDOT:PSS. It was recently published in JACD Au. The study also shows how this plastic can be placed into serviceable electronic devices. The devices include silicon based solar cells and organic electrochemical transistors.  Laurie Kayser often works with PEDOT:PSS. It’s noted as an interesting polymer that has ionic and electronic conductivity. Kayser’s interest is in finding new ways to create this material from plastic waste.  Research teams at UD and Argonne University Began studying PEDOT:PSS. It is believed that sulfonating Polystyrene could replace PEDOT:PSS. Polystyrene is a man-made type of plastic found in packing materials. Sulfonation Is a simple chemical reaction. A hydrogen atom is replaced by sulfonic acid. It is already used in products like dyes, and even some pharmaceuticals. Reactions are qualified into two categories. “Hard reactions” ...