Advanced Materials

Researchers have discovered one-way superconductivity without magnetic fields, something that was thought to be impossible ever since its discovery in 1911 - up till now. The discovery makes use of 2D quantum materials and paves the way towards superconducting computing. Superconductors can make electronics hundreds of times faster, all with zero energy loss.

As electronics being increasingly ubiquitous, there is a clear trend toward greater integration. Rather than simply making space for a rigid 2D circuit board (PCB) within the product, electronic functionality will be either mounted conformally onto surfaces or incorporated within the structural materials.

Single-use plastics account for between 30-50% of all plastic applications. Eliminating single-use plastics poses opportunities for alternative materials to supplant their applications. Materials that are biodegradable and home compostable, rather than requiring industrial composting, are particularly valuable. For this reason, there is much interest around plant polysaccharides as a source of biodegradable material. In this premium article, IDTechEx discusses three key polysaccharides derived from plants and seaweeds: nanocellulose, thermoplastic starch, and seaweed-derived hydrocolloids.

New solar cell devices that are cheaper and easier to make could soon make their way to market thanks to materials. Traditional solar cells are made from silicon, which has good efficiency and stability, but is relatively expensive to make and can only be manufactured in stiff panels. Perovskite solar cells offer an intriguing alternative; they can be printed from inks, making them low cost, high efficiency, thin, lightweight and flexible.

The future certainly looks sunny for solar cells equipped with two electricity-generating semiconductors. With good reason - their potential efficiency is far higher than that of conventional single solar cells. They can also be lighter and more flexible, depending on their component materials.

Have you ever wondered if bacteria make distinctive sounds? If we could listen to bacteria, we would be able to know whether they are alive or not. When bacteria are killed using an antibiotic, those sounds would stop - unless of course the bacteria are resistant to the antibiotic. This is exactly what a team of researchers have managed to do: they captured low-level noise of a single bacterium using graphene.

This premium article delves into the LOPEC 2022 event, held from 22nd-24th March, which IDTechEx attended in-person. It will focus on materials, with an analysis of the most interesting and commercially relevant companies in the fields of copper-based conductive inks, transparent conductors, other conductive inks, and non-conductive materials.

A team of researchers has leveraged quantum mechanics to optimize the active layer within a device known as an inverted perovskite solar cell - a technology that could one day result in mass-market solar cells that a fraction of those currently on the market.

Thursday 21 April 2022 - Entering the Next Stage in Their Commercial Journey. This webinar will give a comprehensive overview of the carbon nanotube industry including: 10-year market outlook for CNTs; deep dive into the energy storage market; assessment of other key applications; and more.

Staying ahead of thermal management requirements for increasingly challenging datacom, telecom and industrial automation applications, Henkel today announced the commercialization of its latest gel thermal interface material (TIM), BERGQUIST® LIQUI FORM TLF 10000.