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Dartmouth researchers have developed a self-powered pump that uses natural light and chemistry to target and remove specific water pollutants, according to a new report in the journal Science (“A molecular anion pump”).

As water enters the pump, a wavelength of light activates a synthetic molecular receptor designed to bond to negatively charged ions, or anions, a class of pollutants linked to metabolic disruptions in plants and animals. A second wavelength deactivates the receptors as water exits the pump and causes them to release the pollutants, trapping them in a non-reactive substrate until they can be safely discarded.

“This is a proof of concept that you can use a synthetic receptor to convert light energy into chemical potential for removing a contaminant from a waste source,” says the study’s senior author, Ivan Aprahamian, professor and chair of the Department of Chemistry at Dartmouth.

The effective integration of extremely thin insulating layers with two-dimensional (2D) semiconductors could enable the fabrication of 2D transistors with an electrical capacitance comparable to SiO₂ with thicknesses below 1-nm. These transistors could, in turn, help to boost the performance and reduce the power consumption of electronic devices.

Researchers at Nankai University in China recently introduced a new strategy to synthesize single-crystalline metal nanosheets that could be easily transferred onto 2D substrates. This strategy, outlined in a paper in Nature Electronics, was successfully used to deposit 2-nm-thick dielectrics based on Al₂O₃ or HfO₂ for highly performing top-gated transistors.

“At the very beginning, we aimed to developing the chemical vapor deposition (CVD) synthetic strategy of 2D Cu₂O, which is a p-type high-mobility 2D semiconductor,” Jinxiong Wu, corresponding author of the paper, told Tech Xplore.

Tracing the “chemical roots of consciousness,” he ends up affirming panpsychism, but insisting that nature is a “technologist.” Someone must do the thinking.

NRL scientists have discovered new semiconductor nanocrystals with bright ground-state excitons, potentially revolutionizing light-emitting devices and resolving the dark-exciton problem.

Scientists at the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) have confirmed the identification of a new class of semiconductor nanocrystals with bright ground-state excitons. This significant advancement in optoelectronics was recently published in the American Chemical Society (ACS) journal, ACS Nano.

The groundbreaking theoretical research could revolutionize the development of highly efficient light-emitting devices and other technologies.

Scientists from UC San Diego’s Scripps Institution of Oceanography have detected geochemical signatures of magma pooling and melting beneath the subsurface during the “Fagradalsfjall Fires,” that began on Iceland’s Reykjanes peninsula in 2021.

Mathematics application to a new understanding thd world and life and information.

Dr. David Spivak introduces himself as a keynote speaker at the 17th Annual Artificial General Intelligence Conference in Seattle and shares his lifelong passion for math. He discusses his journey from feeling insecure about the world as a child, to grounding his understanding in mathematics.

Continue reading “David Spivak: Pioneering Math for Understanding Reality | AGI-24 Keynote Preview” »

Researchers at the Qingdao Institute of Bioenergy and Bioprocess Technology (QIBEBT) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, along with collaborators from leading international institutions, have introduced an innovative cathode homogenization strategy for all-solid-state lithium batteries (ASLBs).

This new approach, detailed in their recent publication in Nature Energy on July 31, significantly improves the life cycle and energy density of ASLBs, representing an important advancement in energy storage technology.

Current ASLBs face challenges due to heterogeneous composite cathodes, which require electrochemically inactive additives to enhance conduction. These additives, while necessary, reduce the batteries’ energy density and cycle life due to their incompatibility with the layered oxide cathodes, which undergo substantial volume changes during operation.

“These spots are a big surprise,” said Dr. David Flannery. “On Earth, these types of features in rocks are often associated with the fossilized record of microbes living in the subsurface.”

Did Mars once have life billions of years ago? This is what NASA’s Perseverance (Percy) rover hopes to figure out, and scientists might be one step closer to answering that question with a recent discovery by the car-sized robotic explorer that found a unique rock with “leopard spots” that have caused some in the scientific community to claim this indicates past life might have once existed on the now cold and dry Red Planet. However, others have just as quickly rushed to say that further evidence is required before jumping to conclusions.

Upon analyzing the rock using Percy’s intricate suite of scientific instruments, scientists determined that it contained specific chemical signatures indicative of life possibly having existed billions of years ago when liquid water flowed across the surface. However, the science team is also considering other reasons for the rock’s unique appearance, including further research to determine if the findings are consistent with potential ancient life.

Continue reading “Peculiar Rock Found by NASA’s Perseverance Rover Leaves Scientists Puzzled” »

It’s all thanks to a titanium beam.