New room-temperature liquid-metal battery could be the path to powering the future

Researchers have created a new liquid battery with components that can remain molten at room temperature. Other liquid batteries must be kept at 240 degrees Celsius for their components to stay molten.

Excitation of robust materials

So-called topological materials have special electronic properties, which are very robust against external perturbations. In tungsten ditelluride such a topologically protected state can be ''broken up'' using special laser pulses within picoseconds and thus change its properties. This could be a key requirement for realising extremely fast, optoelectronic switches. For the first time, physicists observed changes to the electronic properties of this material in experiments in real-time.

Machine learning reveals vulnerabilities in 3D-printed carbon-fiber composites

Components made of glass- and carbon- fiber reinforced composites, soaring in high-performance applications, can be 3D printed. A team of researchers has found that the printer head toolpaths are easy to reproduce -- and therefore steal -- with machine learning (ML) tools applied to the microstructures of the part obtained by a CT scan.

New breakthrough in 'spintronics' could boost high speed data technology

Scientists have made a pivotal breakthrough in the important, emerging field of spintronics -- which could lead to a new high speed energy efficient data technology.

World's widest graphene nanoribbon promises the next generation of miniaturized electronics

Standard semiconductor technology is reaching its limit in miniaturization, but the demand for smaller electrical devices with higher performance continues to grow. The research group introduced the widest graphene nanoribbon prepared by the bottom-up approach with electrical properties surpassing those of silicon semiconductors, promising a new generation of miniaturized electronic devices.

Flexible material shows potential for use in fabrics to heat, cool

A new study finds that a material made of carbon nanotubes has a combination of thermal, electrical and physical properties that make it an appealing candidate for next-generation smart fabrics.

Ion conducting polymer crucial to improving neuromorphic devices

''Neuromorphic'' refers to mimicking the behavior of brain neural cells. When one speaks of neuromorphic computers, they are talking about making computers think and process more like human brains-operating at high-speed with low energy consumption.