New thin-film transistor may lead to flexible devices

Researchers improved performance of TFTs by designing a new transistor architecture that takes advantage of a bipolar action.

Absorbing acoustics with a super-thin acoustic metasurface

Researchers have recently developed a design for a coiled-up acoustic metasurface which can achieve total acoustic absorption in very low-frequency ranges.

Light-induced superconductivity in fullerenes

Indications of light-induced lossless electricity transmission in fullerenes contribute to the search for superconducting materials for practical applications.

Tiny diatoms boast enormous strength

Scientists have recently found that the hard shells of diatoms have the highest specific strength - the strength at which a structure breaks with respect to its density - of any known biological material, including bone, antlers, and teeth.

Twisted X-rays unravel the complexity of helical structures

Researchers show that the key to obtaining diffraction data from non-crystalline but symmetric structures, such as helices, lies in matching the symmetry of the incoming radiation to the symmetry of the structure to be studied.

Structure of 'smart' nanogels at air/water interface revealed

Scientists used NIPAM-based nanogels synthesised with different percentages of MBA (N,N?-methylenebisacrylamide) as a cross-linker in the range 10?30%, and characterised them at human physiological temperature. Detailed structural studies of these systems on a molecular length scale have not been attempted before now.

An interaction between perovskites and quantum dots could improve LED and solar technologies

Researchers have studied the interaction of two materials, halide perovskite and quantum dots, revealing enormous potential for the development of advanced LEDs and more efficient solar cells.

Laser pulses push spintronics and magnonics to the limit

An approach to data storage which relies on the magnetic moment of electrons (i.e. the spin) rather than the charge, has recently turned into major research fields, called spintronics and magnonics.

Body temperature triggers newly-developed polymer to change shape

The material is a type of shape-memory polymer, which can be programmed to retain a temporary shape until it is triggered - typically by heat - to return to its original shape.