Handshake of atoms—lefties or righties?

An international research team including physicists of Radboud University explored the atomistic origin of handedness of magnetization in a specific nano-structure containing as few as two iron atoms. Using a scanning tunneling ...

Controlling the magnetic properties of individual iron atoms

The Fe2+ atom embedded in a semiconductor exhibits a single non-degenerate ground state of zero magnetic moment. A team of scientists from the University of Warsaw has just shown that by using a sufficiently large strain, ...

Dimensionality transition in a newly created material

Iron oxides occur in nature in many forms, often significantly different from each other in terms of structure and physical properties. However, a new variety of iron oxide, recently created and tested by scientists in Cracow, ...

SLAC experiment finds key to natural detoxifier's reactivity

Researchers working at the Department of Energy's SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory have discovered that a mere 9-trillionths-of-a-meter reduction in the length of a chemical bond dramatically boosts the reactivity of ...

Platinum and iron oxide working together get the job done

Scientists at the Vienna University of Technology (TU Wien) have figured out how a platinum catalyst works. Its remarkable properties are not just due to the platinum, the iron-oxide substrate beneath also plays a role.

Linking superconductivity and structure

Superconductivity is a rare physical state in which matter is able to conduct electricity—maintain a flow of electrons—without any resistance. It can only be found in certain materials, and even then it can only be achieved ...

How iron feels the heat

As you heat up a piece of iron, the arrangement of the iron atoms changes several times before melting. This unusual behavior is one reason why steel, in which iron plays a starring role, is so sturdy and ubiquitous in everything ...

The finer details of rust

Scientists at the Vienna University of Technology have been studying the behavior of iron oxide surfaces. The atomic structure of iron oxide, which had been assumed to be well-established, turned out to be wrong. The behavior ...

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