Researchers induced substantial motion of oxide ions within perovskite crystals by using pulses of ultraviolet light. Such motion provides a means to store energy in the crystals. This development will help researchers improve the functionality of solid-state electrolytes in batteries and fuel cells. In a study recently published in Applied Materials Today, researchers from the…

A joint research team succeeds in improving ionic conductivity using electrostatic interface of polymer electrolytes. A research team led by Professor Moon Jeong Park and Ph.D. candidate Jaemin Min of POSTECH’s Department of Chemistry with Professor Chang Yun Son’s research team from the Division of Advanced Materials Science have developed a novel block copolymer electrolyte…

Lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) power all of modern-day electronic devices. However, with the shift from gasoline-powered vehicles to electric counterparts, there is a demand for higher battery capacity. In their quest for higher battery capacity, scientists devised a low-cost computational technique for extensively screening for atomic substitutions in LIBs to improve their discharge capacity, opening doors…

Coordination nanosheets are emerging 2D materials with a wide range of applications. However, highly crystalline nanosheets are difficult to synthesize through solution-based approaches. In a recent study, scientists found a simple strategy to improve the structural order and performance of nanosheet films by using two different metal ions instead of one. Their findings highlight a…

Highly efficient (electro-)catalysts are essential for the production of green hydrogen, the chemical industry, fertilizer production and other sectors of the economy. In addition to transition metals, a variety of other metallic or non-metallic elements have now moved into the focus of research. In addition to transition metals, which are already well studied for their…

Researchers have discovered the key to making a stable, safe battery. The research was published last month in the journal Advanced Energy Materials. Stability in an electrode is key to a well-performing battery. Instability is caused by irregular distribution of metal ions as they move from the cathode to the anode. The more uniformly the…

Researchers reported an acoustic method for the real time tracking of metal deposition in the formation of bimetallic core-shell nanoparticles. The shape of the formed particles indicated the internal structure and was determined from changes in the acoustic resistance of a piezoelectric resonator owing to interparticle distance variation. It is hoped that the control of…

Proteins drive nearly all biological functions and insight into their workings is essential for pharmaceutical developments. But now, a pair of scientists from Japan have found that our fundamental understanding of a characteristic of proteins that is key to their proper functioning — the mechanism by which their structures fold — has been flawed. These…

In a new article, scientists explain how tears ejected from the eye during a procedure that tests for glaucoma can theoretically transmit disease. In Physics of Fluids, by AIP Publishing, scientists from the Indian Institute of Science and the Narayana Nethralaya Foundation explain how tears ejected from the eye during a procedure that tests for…

Protons in aqueous solution can usually migrate very quickly — much faster compared to other ions. However, this only applies when they are in a space greater than two nanometers, as a new study shows. In confined spaces the so-called Grotthuss mechanism no longer works, in which protons diffuse faster than ions. Protons (H+) and…