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Category: Materials Sciences

Physicists Snap First Image of an ‘Electron Ice’

This scanning tunneling microscope image of a graphene sheet reveals that a Wigner crystal – a honeycomb arrangement of electrons, like an electron ice – has formed inside a layered structure underneath. (Image by Hongyuan Li and Shaowei Li, courtesy of Nature)

Skyrmions Could Be Future of Computing; X-Ray Experiments Reveal Their Secrets

skyrmions

New Technique Paves the Way for Perfect Perovskites

Research Team Unlocks Secret Path to a Quantum Future

Artist’s illustration of hydrodynamical behavior from an interacting ensemble of quantum spin defects in diamond. (Credit: Norman Yao/Berkeley Lab)

LED Material Shines Under Strain

According to a recent Science study led by Berkeley Lab and UC Berkeley, applying mechanical strain on this atomically thin, transparent monolayer semiconductor results in a material with loss-free light emission efficiency. (Credit: Ali Javey/Berkeley Lab)

This Exotic Particle Had an Out-of-Body Experience; These Scientists Took a Picture of It

ghost particles quantum gif

Main Attraction: Scientists Create World’s Thinnest Magnet

magnet

Scientists Uncover a Different Facet of Fuel Cell Chemistry

Three-dimensional drawing of electrode molecular surface, with gas molecules above and a yellow arrow representing incoming X-rays.

This Crystal Impurity Is Sheer Perfection

Artist’s illustration of pyrite mineral crystals. (Credit: Cagla Acikgoz/Shutterstock)

Improved Desalination Process Also Removes Toxic Metals to Produce Clean Water

UC Berkeley chemists synthesized a flexible polymer membrane incorporating nanoparticles called “porous aromatic frameworks.” The membrane selectively absorbs nearly 100% of metals such as mercury, copper, or iron during desalination, more efficiently producing clean, safe water. The membrane can incorporate a single type of tuned nanoparticle if the metal is to be recovered – or several different types, each tuned to absorb a different metal or ionic compound if multiple contaminants need to be removed in one step. (Credit: Adam Uliana/UC Berkeley)

Going Beyond Qubits: New Study Demonstrates Key Components for a Qutrit-Based Quantum Computer

The Future Looks Bright for Infinitely Recyclable Plastic

Person standing in front of plastic compressed recycling blocks