Electron-rich metals make ceramics tough to crack

Researchers have discovered a way to make ceramics tougher and more resistant to cracking. By building these materials using a blend of metal atoms possessing more electrons in their outer shell, a team led by engineers at ...

New study reveals spin in quantum dots' carrier multiplication

A new approach to developing semiconductor materials at tiny scales could help boost applications that rely on converting light to energy. A Los Alamos-led research team incorporated magnetic dopants into specially engineered ...

2D Janus materials could harvest abundant hydrogen fuel

Several studies have predicted that the water splitting reaction could be catalyzed by certain groups of 2D materials—each measuring just a few atoms thick. One particularly promising group are named 2D Janus materials, ...

Under pressure: Solid matter takes on new behavior

Investigating how solid matter behaves at enormous pressures, such as those found in the deep interiors of giant planets, is a great experimental challenge. To help address that challenge, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory ...

Persistent swinging of electrons between atomic sites in crystals

This crystal lattice consists of a large number of unit cells with an identical atomic arrangement. In the elementary adiabatic picture, the motions of electrons in the crystal follow the motion of the atomic nuclei instantly, ...

Water as a metal

Under normal conditions, pure water is an almost perfect insulator. Water only develops metallic properties under extreme pressure, such as exists deep inside of large planets. Now, an international collaboration has used ...

A highly light-absorbent and tunable material

By layering different two-dimensional materials, physicists at the University of Basel have created a novel structure with the ability to absorb almost all light of a selected wavelength. The achievement relies on a double ...

Discovery of periodic tables for molecules

The periodic table of elements was proposed in 1869, and thereafter became one of the cornerstones of the natural sciences. This table was designed to contain all the elements found in nature in a special layout that groups ...

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