NEWSROOM

Researchers at Kumamoto University and Nagoya University have developed a new class of two-dimensional (2D) metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) using triptycene-based molecules, marking a breakthrough in the quest to understand and enhance the physical properties of these promising materials. This innovation opens new possibilities for multifunctional applications in gas/molecular sensors, electrochemical energy storage, and spintronic devices. Two-dimensional (2D) conductive met

What if a complex material could reshape itself in response to a simple chemical signal? A team of physicists from the University of Vienna and the University of Edinburgh has shown that even small changes in pH value and thus in electric charge can shift the spatial arrangement of closed ring-shaped polymers (molecular chains) – by altering the balance between twist and writhe, two distinct modes of spatial deformation. Their findings, published in Physical Review Letters, d

Half a billion years ago nature evolved a remarkable trick: generating vibrant, shimmering colours via intricate, microscopic structures in feathers, wings and shells that reflect light in precise ways. Now, researchers from Trinity have taken a major step forward in harnessing it for advanced materials science. A team, led by Professor Colm Delaney from Trinity’s School of Chemistry and AMBER, the Research Ireland Centre for Advanced Materials and BioEngineering Research, ha

Pure graphene for industrial applications is usually obtained from graphite. Conventional production methods have a very low yield of pure graphene, which has to be separated from waste products at great expense. However, thanks to a previous research project, the Empa researchers have an ace up their sleeve: They developed a process with which high-quality graphene can be “exfoliated” from graphite both cost-effectively and efficiently, and processed into a gel-like printabl

Interestingly, even Edwin Hall, the greatest scientists of all, who discovered the Hall effect, attempted to measure his effect using a beam of light with no success. He summarizes in the closing sentence of his notable paper from 1881: “I think that, if the action of silver had been one tenth as strong as that of iron, the effect would have been detected. No such effect was observed.” (E. Hall, 1881). By tuning in to the right frequency—and knowing where to look—researchers

A team of material scientists led by Qiang Wang and Shuang Yuan from Northeastern University in Shenyang, China recently have provided a novel strategy for modulating crystalline-amorphous composites and electronic structures to enhance the hydrogen evolution reaction.