How to Induce Magnetism in Graphene
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- Written by Empa - Eidgenössische Materialprüfungs- und Forschungsanstalt
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Graphene, a two-dimensional structure made of carbon, is a material with excellent mechani-cal, electronic and optical properties. However, it did not seem suitable for magnetic applica-tions. Together with international partners, Empa researchers have now succeeded in synthesiz-ing a unique nanographene predicted in the 1970s, which conclusively demonstrates that car-bon in very specific forms has magnetic properties that could permit future spintronic applica-tions. The results have just been published in the renowned journal Nature Nanotechnology.
Electron Correlations in Carbon Nanostructures
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- Written by Christian-Albrechts-Universität zu Kiel
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New materials are needed to further reduce the size of electronic components and thus make devices such as laptops and smartphones faster and more efficient. Tiny nanostructures of the novel material graphene are promising in this respect. Graphene consists of a single layer of carbon atoms and, among other things, has a very high electrical conductivity. However, the extreme spatial confinement in such nanostructures influences strongly their electronic properties. A team led by Professor Michael Bonitz of the Institute for Theoretical Physics and Astrophysics (ITAP) at Kiel University has now succeeded in simulating the detailed behavior of electrons in these special nanostructures using an elaborate computational model. This knowledge is crucial for the potential use of graphene nanostructures in electronic devices.
Novel Sensor Implant Radically Improves Significance of NMR Brain Scans
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- Written by Max-Planck-Institut für biologische Kybernetik
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A team of neuroscientists and electrical engineers from Germany and Switzerland developed a highly sensitive implant that enables to probe brain physiology with unparalleled spatial and temporal resolution. Now published in Nature Methods, they introduce an ultra-fine needle with an integrated chip that is capable of detecting and transmitting nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) data from nanoliter volumes of brain oxygen metabolism. The breakthrough design will allow entirely new applications in the life sciences.
Small Particles, Big Effects: How Graphene Nanoparticles Improve the Resolution of Microscopes
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- Written by Max-Planck-Institut für Polymerforschung
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Conventional light microscopes cannot distinguish structures when they are separated by a distance smaller than, roughly, the wavelength of light. Superresolution microscopy, developed since the 1980s, lifts this limitation, using fluorescent moieties. Scientists at the Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research have now discovered that graphene nano-molecules can be used to improve this microscopy technique. These graphene nano-molecules offer a number of substantial advantages over the materials previously used, making superresolution microscopy even more versatile.
Fine-Tuning for Additive Production
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- Written by Fraunhofer-Institut für Werkstoff- und Strahltechnik IWS
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"COAXshield" and "LIsec": Fraunhofer IWS presents shielding gas nozzle and light scanner for laser powder build-up welding at "formnext" trade fair. Additive manufacturing systems can generate highly complex components, which could not be produced with conventional machine tools or only with great effort. Nevertheless, such industrial 3D printers are far from being standard equipment in factories. This is not just due to the purchase costs, but also to many other challenges.
Synapses in 3d: Scientists Develop New Method to Map Brain Structures
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- Written by Leibniz-Institut für Photonische Technologien e. V.
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Our brain consists of countless nerve cells that transmit signals from one cell to the next. The connections between these cells, the synapses, provide a key to understanding how our memory works. An American research team in collaboration with Rainer Heintzmann from the Leibniz Institute of Photonic Technology (Leibniz IPHT) and the Friedrich Schiller University Jena has now succeeded in identifying these switching points in millimeter-sized tissue with a light microscope on the basis of their structure. The scientists published their results on 31 October 2019 in Nature Methods.
Laser Pulses Create Topological State in Graphene
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- Written by Max-Planck-Institut für Struktur und Dynamik der Materie
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Discovering ways to control the topological aspects of quantum materials is an important research frontier because it can lead to desirable electrical and spin transport properties for future device technologies. Now MPSD scientists have discovered a pioneering laser-driven approach to generate a topological state in graphene. Their work has just been published in Nature Physics.
In topological materials, electrons experience a twisted world. Instead of simply moving straight ahead when feeling a force, they may be pushed sideways. In such a material current actually flows orthogonally to an applied voltage.
High Entropy Alloys for Hot Turbines and Tireless Metal-Forming Presses
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- Written by Fraunhofer-Institut für Werkstoff- und Strahltechnik IWS
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Symposium in Dresden focuses on a new class of materials.
A new class of materials promises many innovations in aviation, turbine construction and other branches of industry: High entropy alloys (HEA) are metals in which five or more elements are atomically bonded in similar proportions. Properly designed, they are harder, more heat-resistant and lighter than steel, aluminum and other classic materials. For about 15 years, engineers around the world have been trying to make these innovative materials ready for series production. But high-entropy alloys are still too expensive and difficult to process.
A Memory Effect at Single-Atom Level
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- Written by Max-Planck-Institut für die Physik des Lichts
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An international research group has observed new quantum properties on an artificial giant atom and has now published its results in the high-ranking journal Nature Physics. The quantum system under investigation apparently has a memory - a new finding that could be used to build a quantum computer. The research group, consisting of German, Swedish and Indian scientists, has investigated an artificial quantum system and found new properties. The experiments were done at Chalmers University of technology (Sweden) and the theory was done by Dr. Lingzhen Guo at Max Planck Institute for the Science of Light (MPL) in Erlangen. The measured effect has never been observed on a single quantum system.
Secure Communication Between Quantum Computers Implemented: The Quantum Internet Is Within Reach
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- Written by Technische Universität München
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An international team headed by physicists from the Technical University of Munich (TUM) has, for the first time ever, experimentally implemented secure quantum communication in the microwave band in a local quantum network. The new architecture represents a crucial step on the road to distributed quantum computing. As of yet, there are no universal quantum computers in the world. But for the first time, an international team led by TUM physicists Rudolf Gross, Frank Deppe and Kirill Fedorov has successfully implemented secure quantum communication in a local network – via a 35-centimeter superconducting cable.
News About Drug Delivery
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- Written by Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg
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Nanocontainer for drugs can have their pitfalls: If they are too heavily loaded, they will only dissolve poorly. Why this happens is now reported by a Würzburg research group in "Angewandte Chemie". Nanocapsules and other containers can transport drugs through a patient's body directly to the origin of the disease and release them there in a controlled manner. Such sophisticated systems are occasionally used in cancer therapy. Because they work very specifically, they have fewer side effects than drugs that are distributed throughout the entire organism.
Topological Nanoelectronics
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- Written by Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg
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Physicists at the University of Würzburg have made a ground-breaking discovery: They have realized a fundamental nanoelectronic device based on the topological insulator HgTe previously discovered in Würzburg. Topological insulators are materials with astonishing properties: Electric current flows only along their surfaces or edges, whereas the interior of the material behaves as an insulator. In 2007, Professor Laurens Molenkamp at Julius-Maximilians-Universität (JMU) Würzburg in Bavaria, Germany, was the first who experimentally demonstrated the existence of such topological states. His team achieved this seminal work with quantum wells based on mercury and tellurium (HgTe). Since then, these novel materials have been the hope for a fundamentally new generation of components that, for example, promise innovations for information technology.
Deep Inside the Brain: Unraveling the Dense Networks in the Cerebral Cortex
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- Written by Max-Planck-Institut für Hirnforschung
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Mammalian brains, with their unmatched number of nerve cells and density of communication, are the most complex networks known. While methods to analyze neuronal networks sparsely have been available for decades, the dense mapping of neuronal circuits is a major scientific challenge. Researchers from the MPI for Brain Research have now succeeded in the dense connectomic mapping of brain tissue from the cerebral cortex, and quantify the possible imprint of learning in the circuit.
Energy Flow in the Nano Range
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- Written by Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg
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It is crucial for photovoltaics and other technical applications, how efficiently energy spreads in a small volume. With new methods, the path of energy in the nanometer range can now be followed precisely. Plants and bacteria lead the way: They can capture the energy of sunlight with light-harvesting antennas and transfer it to a reaction centre. Transporting energy efficiently and in a targeted fashion in a minimum of space – this is also of interest to mankind. If scientists were to master it perfectly, they could significantly improve photovoltaics and optoelectronics.
Always on Beat: Ultrashort Flashes of Light Under Optical Control
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- Written by Universität Bayreuth
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Ultrashort laser pulses have enabled scientists and physicians to carry out high-precision material analyses and medical procedures. Physicists from the University of Bayreuth and the University of Göttingen have now discovered a new method for adjusting the extremely short time intervals between laser flashes with exceptional speed and precision. The intervals can be increased or decreased as needed, all at the push of a button. Potential applications range from laser spectroscopy to microscopy and materials processing. The researchers have now presented their latest findings in the journal Nature Photonics.
Bottom-up Synthesis of Crystalline 2D Polymers: A Dream Finally Comes True
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- Written by Technische Universität Dresden
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Scientists at the Center for Advancing Electronics Dresden (cfaed) at TU Dresden have succeeded in synthesizing sheet-like 2D polymers by a bottom-up process for the first time. A novel synthetic reaction route was developed for this purpose. The 2D polymers consist of only a few single atomic layers and, due to their very special properties, are a promising material for use in electronic components and systems of a new generation. The research result is a collaborative work of several groups at TU Dresden and Ulm University and was published this week in two related articles in the scientific journals "Nature Chemistry" and "Nature Communications".
