(Funded by the National Science Foundation, the U.S. Department of Energy, and the National Institutes of Health)
Using peptides and a snippet of the large molecules in plastics, scientists at Northwestern University have developed materials made of tiny, flexible nano-sized ribbons that can be charged just like a battery to store energy or record digital information. Highly energy efficient, biocompatible and made from sustainable materials, the systems could give rise to new types of ultralight electronic devices while reducing the environmental impact of electronic manufacturing and disposal. “This is a wholly new concept in materials science and soft materials research,” said Samuel I. Stupp, the scientist who led the study. “We imagine a future where you could wear a shirt with air conditioning built into it or rely on soft bioactive implants that feel like tissues and are activated wirelessly to improve heart or brain function.”

(Funded by the National Science Foundation and the U.S. Department of Energy)
Researchers from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Stanford University, and the University of Pennsylvania have developed a technique that enhances the optical absorptivity of metal powders used in 3D printing. The approach, which involves creating nanoscale surface features on metal powders, promises to improve the efficiency and quality of printed metal parts. “Our method combines the effects of traditional surface treatments [that increase absorptivity] but doesn’t compromise the purity or material properties of copper that make it desirable – namely its high thermal and electrical conductivity,” said Philip DePond, one of the scientists involved in this study.

(Funded by the National Science Foundation and the U.S. Department of Energy)
Researchers from Northwestern University, the University of Chicago, and the U.S. Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory have discovered how certain bacteria are breaking down plastic for food. First, they chew the plastic into small pieces, called nanoplastics. Then, they secrete a specialized enzyme that breaks down the plastic even further. Finally, the bacteria use a ring of carbon atoms from the plastic as a food source, the researchers found. The discovery opens new possibilities for developing bacteria-based engineering solutions to help clean up difficult-to-remove plastic waste, which pollutes drinking water and harms wildlife.

(Funded by the National Science Foundation, the U.S. Department of Energy, and the National Institutes of Health)
By fusing together a pair of contorted molecular structures, researchers from Cornell University, Rice University, the University of Chicago, and Columbia University have created a porous #crystal that can uptake #lithium-ion #electrolytes and transport them smoothly via one-dimensional #nanochannels – a design that could lead to safer solid-state #LithiumIonBatteries. The researchers devised a method of fusing together two eccentric molecular structures that have complementary shapes: #macrocycles and #MolecularCages. “Both macrocycles and molecular cages have intrinsic pores where ions can sit and pass through,” said Yuzhe Wang, one of the scientists involved in this study. “By using them as the building blocks for porous crystals, the crystal would have large spaces to store ions and interconnected channels for ions to transport.”

(Funded by the U.S. Department of Energy and the National Science Foundation)
Nanoporous membranes with holes smaller than one-billionth of a meter have powerful potential for decontaminating polluted water or for osmotic power generators. But these applications have been limited in part by the tedious process of tunneling individual sub-nanometer pores one by one. Now, researchers from the University of Chicago have found a novel path around this long-standing problem. They created a new method of pore generation that builds materials with intentional weak spots and then applies a remote electric field to generate multiple nanoscale pores all at once.