Imaging conducting edges in a promising 2D material

Study on monolayer tungsten ditelluride could lead to more energy-efficient electronic devices

12-Feb-2019 - A research team comprised of scientists at the University of California, Riverside, and the University of Washington has for the first time directly imaged "edge conduction" in monolayer tungsten ditelluride, or WTe2, a newly discovered 2-D topological insulator and quantum material. The research ...

Musical sensor shows bad medicine plays false note

Inspired by a musical instrument, the simple sensor can be constructed from common materials and used to detect adulterated or counterfeit drugs

17-Sep-2018 - What if a single musical note could mean the difference between life and death? A new sensor based on a 3,000 year old African musical instrument can be used to identify substances, including a poisonous chemical sometimes mistakenly added to medicines. The mbira sensor, which can be constructed ...

A better way to control crystal vibrations

23-May-2018 - The vibrational motion of an atom in a crystal propagates to neighboring atoms, which leads to wavelike propagation of the vibrations throughout the crystal. The way in which these natural vibrations travel through the crystalline structure determine fundamental properties of the material. For ...

Advancement in spintronics technology

06-Feb-2018 - Engineers at the University of California, Riverside, have reported advances in so-called "spintronic" devices that will help lead to a new technology for computing and data storage. They have developed methods to detect signals from spintronic components made of low-cost metals and silicon, ...

Giant charge reversal observed for the first time

14-Jul-2017 - Charged surfaces submerged in an electrolyte solution can sometimes become oppositely charged. This nonintuitive phenomenon, known as charge inversion, happens when excess counter ions adsorb, or adhere, to the surface. It can occur in a number of chemical and biological settings. In certain ...

Squeezing every drop of fresh water from waste brine

31-May-2017 - Engineers at the University of California, Riverside have developed a new way to recover almost 100 percent of the water from highly concentrated salt solutions. The system will alleviate water shortages in arid regions and reduce concerns surrounding high salinity brine disposal, such as ...

Making batteries from waste glass bottles

Researchers are turning glass bottles into high performance lithium-ion batteries

21-Apr-2017 - Researchers at the University of California, Riverside's Bourns College of Engineering have used waste glass bottles and a low-cost chemical process to create nanosilicon anodes for high-performance lithium-ion batteries. The batteries will extend the range of electric vehicles and plug-in hybrid ...

Physics, photosynthesis and solar cells

01-Dec-2016 - A University of California, Riverside assistant professor has combined photosynthesis and physics to make a key discovery that could help make solar cells more efficient. Nathan Gabor is focused on experimental condensed matter physics, and uses light to probe the fundamental laws of quantum ...

Nuclear puzzle may be clue to fifth force

19-Aug-2016 - In a new paper, University of California, Riverside theoretical physicist Flip Tanedo and his collaborators have made new progress towards unravelling a mystery in the beryllium nucleus that may be evidence for a fifth force of nature. Earlier this year, an experiment in Hungary reported very ...

Integrated trio of 2-D nanomaterials unlocks graphene electronics applications

07-Jul-2016 - Graphene has emerged as one of the most promising two-dimensional crystals, but the future of electronics may include two other nanomaterials, according to a new study by researchers at the University of California, Riverside and the University of Georgia. In research the researchers described ...