Diamond friction

Simulation reveals previously unknown friction mechanisms at the molecular level

04-Sep-2017 - Diamond coatings help reduce friction and wear on tools, bearings, and seals. Lubricating diamond with water considerably lowers friction. The reasons for this are not yet fully understood. The Fraunhofer Institute for Material Mechanics IWM in Freiburg and the Physics Institute at the University ...

More solar power thanks to titanium

29-Aug-2017 - Earth-abundant, cheap metals are promising photocatalytic electrode materials in artificial photosynthesis. A team of Chinese scientists now reports that a thin layer of titania beneath hematite nanorods can boost the performance of the photoanode. As outlined in their report, the nanostructured ...

How the electrodes of lithium-air batteries become passivated

02-Aug-2017 - Lithium-air batteries are devices, producing power just out of air so they are also called lithium-oxygen batteries. Due to higher energy density they are much lighter than lithium-ion ones. Lithium-air batteries could prove to be much-needed, for instance, for increasing driving range of ...

Low-cost technique converts bulk alloys to oxide nanowires

23-Jan-2017 - A simple technique for producing oxide nanowires directly from bulk materials could dramatically lower the cost of producing the one-dimensional (1D) nanostructures. That could open the door for a broad range of uses in lightweight structural composites, advanced sensors, electronic devices - and ...

Method stabilizes, enhances phosphorene

04-May-2016 - Two years ago, Northwestern University's Mark Hersam discovered a way to stabilize exfoliated black phosphorus - or phosphorene - a layered semiconductor that chemically degrades in open air but shows great promise for electronics. By encapsulating it in aluminum oxide, he was able to stabilize ...

Disorder creates rust protection

A material’s nanostructure is decisive in determining how resistant it is against corrosion

12-Aug-2013 - Corrosion eats away 75 billion euros of economic output annually in Germany alone. But it may soon be possible to better assess which steels and other alloys will be affected, and how to limit the damage: An international team led by scientists from the Max-Planck-Institut für Eisenforschung GmbH ...

A cooler way to protect silicon surfaces

New room-temperature process could lead to less expensive solar cells and other electronic devices

15-Feb-2013 - Silicon, the material of high-tech devices from computer chips to solar cells, requires a surface coating before use in these applications. The coating "passivates" the material, tying up loose atomic bonds to prevent oxidation that would ruin its electrical properties. But this passivation ...