A newly discovered nanocluster has a geometry that “has not been observed in chemistry heretofore,” the researchers say

01-Jul-2020

The discovery of carbon nanostructures like two-dimensional graphene and soccer ball-shaped buckyballs helped to launch a nanotechnology revolution. In recent years, researchers from Brown University and elsewhere have shown that boron, carbon's neighbor on the periodic table, can make ...

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By combining a ceramic material with graphene, Brown University engineers have made what they say is the toughest solid electrolyte built to date

24-Jun-2020

A team of Brown University researchers has found a way to double the toughness of a ceramic material used to make solid-state lithium ion batteries. The strategy, described in the journal Matter, could be useful in bringing solid-state batteries to the mass market. "There's huge interest in ...

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20-Dec-2019

Scientists have long known that platinum is by far the best catalyst for splitting water molecules to produce hydrogen gas. A new study by Brown University researchers shows why platinum works so well -- and it's not the reason that's been assumed. The research, published in ACS Catalysis, helps ...

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15-Jul-2019

Researchers have used ultra-high-speed x-ray pulses to make a high-resolution "movie" of a molecule undergoing structural motions. The research, published in Nature Chemistry, reveals the dynamics of the processes in unprecedented detail -- capturing the excitation of a single electron in the ...

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06-Nov-2018

Researchers from Brown University and the Institute of Metals Research at the Chinese Academy of Sciences have found a new way to use nanotwins -- tiny linear boundaries in a metal's atomic lattice that have identical crystalline structures on either side -- to make stronger metals. The ...

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24-Sep-2018

With a new grant from the U.S. Department of Energy, a Brown University-led research team will use machine learning to speed up atom-level simulations of chemical reactions and the properties of materials. "Simulations provide insights into materials and chemical processes that we can't readily ...

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24-May-2018

Liquid crystals undergo a peculiar type of phase change. At a certain temperature, their cigar-shaped molecules go from a disordered jumble to a more orderly arrangement in which they all point more or less in the same direction. LCD televisions take advantage of that phase change to project ...

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24-Apr-2018

Brown University researchers have developed a new theory to explain why stretching or compressing metal catalysts can make them perform better. The theory could open new design possibilities for new catalysts with new capabilities. Catalysts are substances that speed up chemical reactions. The ...

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09-Mar-2018

Brown University engineers have devised a new method of measuring the stickiness of micro-scale surfaces. The technique could be useful in designing and building micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS), devices with microscopic moving parts. At the scale of bridges or buildings, the most ...

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12-Sep-2017

Brown University engineers have demonstrated a technique for making 3-D-printed biomaterials that can degrade on demand, which can be useful in making intricately patterned microfluidic devices or in making cell cultures than can change dynamically during experiments. "It's a bit like Legos," ...

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