Mechanical Engineering: Research Guide

A research team from the Hefei Institutes of Physical Science of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, has demonstrated ultrafast and highly reversible all-slope sodium storage using specially engineered hard carbon anodes.

Inspired by the Japanese art of kirigami, a team of scientists from the University of Amsterdam have developed a material that can reflect different colors of light, depending on how it is stretched. The results were recently published in the journal ACS Photonics.

Silver-based atomic switches that create stable electrical connections between individual molecules and electrodes have been developed by researchers from Japan, addressing a key challenge in wiring molecular electronics. The switch operates by forming and breaking silver atomic filaments when a voltage is applied and reversed, corresponding to the "on" and "off" states. This method enables the scalable integration of molecular components, paving the way for ultra-compact and energy-efficient circuits built from single molecules.

All-solid-state batteries (ASSBs) using silicon (Si) anodes are among the most promising candidates for high-energy and long-lasting power sources, particularly for electric vehicles. Si can store more lithium than conventional graphite, but its volume expands by roughly 410% during charging. This swelling generates mechanical stress that cracks particles and weakens their contact with the solid electrolyte, disrupting the flow of ions and reducing efficiency.

Scientists have developed a revolutionary technique for creating colors that can change on command. These are structural colors that don't rely on dyes or pigments and can be used for display signage, adaptive camouflage and smart safety labels, among other applications.

In hydrogen production catalysts, water droplets must detach easily from the surface to prevent blockage by bubbles, allowing for faster hydrogen generation. In semiconductor manufacturing, the quality of the process is determined by how evenly water or liquid spreads on the surface, or how quickly it dries.

Redox-active metal-organic frameworks (RAMOFs) are highly porous materials made of metals and organic molecules linked together by coordination bonds, and they contain redox-active sites that can store electrons (protons). RAMOFs are promising candidates as electrode-active materials for rechargeable batteries.

Researchers have developed a technology that uses carbon monoxide, typically harmful to humans, to precisely control metal thin films at a thickness of 0.3 nanometers. This technology enables faster and simpler production of core–shell catalysts, a key factor in improving the economic viability of fuel cells, and is expected to significantly boost related industries.

New metal-organic framework (MOF) materials based on gold nanoclusters have the potential to transform nanoelectronics. Four innovative materials with electrical conductivity and semiconductor-like behavior were developed through international research cooperation, opening new possibilities for precise control of electronic properties.

A research team led by professor Olivia Merkel, Chair of Drug Delivery at LMU and co-spokesperson of the Cluster for Nucleic Acid Therapeutics Munich (CNATM) has developed the first integrated platform that combines molecular dynamics (MD) simulations and machine learning (ML) to identify new polymeric materials for therapeutic RNA delivery.

Researchers from Skoltech, MIPT, and the RAS Institute of Nanotechnology of Microelectronics have achieved a five-fold increase in the capacitance of carbon nanowalls, a material used in the electrodes of supercapacitors. These are auxiliary energy storage devices used in conjunction with conventional accumulators in electric cars, trains, port cranes, and other systems.

A surprising discovery about how water behaves on one of the world's thinnest 2D materials could lead to major technological improvements, from better anti-icing coatings for aircraft and self-cleaning solar panels to next-generation lubricants and energy materials.

What if a surface could instantly switch from sticky to slippery at the push of a button? By using electricity to control how ions and water structure at the solid liquid interface of self-assembled monolayers of aromatic molecules, researchers at National Taiwan University have created a molecular-scale adhesion switch that turns attraction on and off.

Bacteria that multiply on surfaces are a major headache in health care when they gain a foothold on, for example, implants or in catheters. Researchers at Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden have found a new weapon to fight these hotbeds of bacterial growth—one that does not rely on antibiotics or toxic metals.

Vehicles and buildings designed to enable survival in extreme environments, such as spacecraft, submarines and sealed shelters, heavily rely on systems for the management of carbon dioxide (CO2). These are technologies that can remove and release CO2, ensuring that the air remains breathable for a long time.

An international team has discovered a simple and environmentally friendly way to power the next generation of self-charging electronics. The work is published in Nano Energy.

Food quality and safety are crucial. However, conventional food-monitoring methods, including ribotyping and polymerase chain reaction, tend to be destructive and lengthy. These shortcomings limit their potential for broad applications. In this regard, surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) sensing, with real-time, non-destructive, and high sensitivity capabilities, is a highly promising alternative.

As more devices get piled onto computer chips to increase processing power capacity, heat generation becomes increasingly concentrated. This heat must be removed to keep chip performance high, but is currently achieved by circulating water through millimeter-scale channels to cool nanosized hotspots. This scale mismatch reduces the cooling efficiency by consuming more water than necessary, also raising environmental concerns.

Lithuanian researchers at the Center for Physical Sciences and Technology (FTMC), Habil. Dr. Gediminas Niaura and Dr. Martynas Talaikis, together with international colleagues, have for the first time demonstrated that copper is a suitable metal for ultraviolet surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (UV SERS)—a highly sensitive method used to study molecular vibrations.

Iron-nitrogen-carbon catalysts have the potential to replace the more expensive platinum catalysts currently used in fuel cells. This is shown by a study conducted by researchers from the Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin (HZB), Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt (PTB) and universities in Tartu and Tallinn, Estonia. The research is published in the journal ACS Nano.

A fast and accurate surrogate model screens over 10,000 possible metal-oxide supports for a platinum nanocatalyst to prevent sintering under high temperatures.

Modern devices, from fitness trackers and smart garments to Internet of Things (IoT) sensors, require compact and sustainable power sources. In new research published in Scientific Reports, scientists present an energy harvester based on a horizontally mounted vial half-filled with a biodegradable ferrofluid.

Most modern semiconductors are fabricated of or on silicon (Si), but as devices get smaller and denser, they dissipate more power and, as a result, are reaching their physical limits. Germanium (Ge)—once used in the first transistors of the 1950s—is now making a comeback as researchers find new ways to harness its superior properties while keeping the benefits of silicon's established manufacturing technologies.

Miniaturization ranks as the driving force behind the semiconductor industry. The tremendous gains in computer performance since the 1950s are largely due to the fact that ever smaller structures can be manufactured on silicon chips.

In industrial pipes, mineral deposits build up the way limescale collects inside a kettle ⎯ only on a far larger and more expensive scale. Mineral scaling is a major issue in water and energy systems, where it slows flow, strains equipment and drives up costs.

In a discovery shaped by more than a decade of steady, incremental effort rather than a dramatic breakthrough, scientists from the National University of Singapore (NUS) and their collaborators demonstrated that great ideas flourish when paired with patience.

As global temperatures rise and heat waves intensify, a new textile innovation co-developed by University of South Australia scientists promises to keep people cooler, drier, and more comfortable in extreme heat.

Graphene's enduring appeal lies in its remarkable combination of lightness, flexibility, and strength. Now, researchers have shown that under pressure, it can briefly take on the traits of one of its more glamorous carbon cousins.

An estimated 1 trillion species of microorganisms reside on Earth, yet scientists have been able to study less than two percent of them. Because many microorganisms cannot be cultivated in laboratories, researchers at Carnegie Mellon University are creating technology to cultivate them in the field.

As the threat of antibiotic resistance grows, a Swansea University academic has led the development of a novel technology capable of killing some of the most dangerous bacteria known to medicine—with over 99.9% effectiveness against Pseudomonas aeruginosa (P. aeruginosa).