Science

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Rice U. scientists map ways forward for lithium-ion batteries for extreme environments: Paper details developments toward high-temperature batteries

Lithium-ion batteries are popular power sources for cellphones and other electronics, but problematic in extreme heat or cold. A Rice University laboratory has suggested ways to extend their range.

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A map created by materials scientists at Rice University will help labs develop lithium-ion batteries for extreme environments.

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From Mars Rover: Panorama Above 'Perseverance Valley'

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This June 2017 view from the Pancam on NASA's Opportunity Mars rover shows the area just above "Perseverance Valley" on a large crater's rim. A broad notch in the crest of the rim, at right, might have been a spillway for a fluid that carved the valley, out of sight on the other side of the rim.

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The first light atomic nucleus with a second face

To some degree of approximation, atomic nuclei look like spheres which in most cases are distorted to a greater or lesser extent. When the nucleus is excited, its shape may change, but only for an extremely brief moment, after which it returns to its original state. A relatively permanent 'second faceâ' of atomic nuclei has so far only been observed in the most massive elements. In a spectacular experiment, physicists from Poland, Italy, Japan, Belgium and Romania have for the first time succeeded in registering it in a nucleus recognized as being light.

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In an experiment performed at the Romanian accelerator centre IFIN-HH, an international team of physicists observed a 'second face' of the nickel-66 nuclei: a relatively stable excited state in which the shape of nucleus is changed.

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Here's a tip: Indented cement shows unique properties: Rice University models reveal nanoindentation can benefit crystals in concrete

Rice University scientists have determined that no matter how large or small a piece of tobermorite is, it will respond to loading forces in precisely the same way. But poking it with a sharp point will change its strength.

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Indented tobermorite, a natural analog to the calcium-silicate-hydrate mix in cement, responds differently than bulk tobermorite, depending on the size of the indentation and the force. Layers that bond through indentation remain that way after the force is removed, according to Rice University engineers.

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Semiliquid chains pulled out of a sea of microparticles

An electrode brought to the surface of a liquid that contains microparticles can be used to pull out surprisingly long chains of particles. Curiously enough, the particles in the chains are held together by a thin layer of liquid that covers them.

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This is a chain of microparticles pulled out of the liquid by an electrode.

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Scientists Are Using the Universe as a "Cosmological Collider"

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Physicists are capitalizing on a direct connection between the largest cosmic structures and the smallest known objects to use the universe as a "cosmological collider" and investigate new physics.

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Eyes Wide Open for MASCARA in Chile

Exoplanet hunter sees first light at ESO’s La Silla Observatory

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The MASCARA (Multi-site All-Sky CAmeRA) station at ESO’s La Silla Observatory in Chile has achieved first light. This new facility will seek out transiting exoplanets as they pass in front of their bright parent stars and create a catalogue of targets for future exoplanet characterisation observations.

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Harnessing light to drive chemical reactions

An exotic interaction between light and metal can be harnessed to make chemical reactions more sustainable, but the physics behind it has been widely debated in the field.

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Umar Aslam peers into the light source used during the experiments that revealed how the silver nanocubes captured energy and delivered it to the platinum shells.

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Tokyo Institute of Technology research: Antiaromatic molecule displays record electrical conductance

Researchers demonstrate high electrical conductance for an antiaromatic nickel complex — an order of magnitude higher than for a similar aromatic complex. Since the conductance is also tunable by electrochemical gating, antiaromatic complexes are promising materials for future electronic devices.

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Figure 1. Structures of the molecules used in the study of Fujii and colleagues. left: Antiaromatic norcorrole-based Ni complex, Ni(nor). right: Aromatic Ni porphyrin-based complex, Ni(porph).

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Studying Argon Gas Trapped in Two-Dimensional Array of Tiny "Cages": Understanding how individual atoms enter and exit the nanoporous frameworks could help scientists design new materials for gas separation and nuclear waste remediation

Scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Brookhaven National Laboratory had just finished an experiment with a two-dimensional (2D) structure they synthesized for catalysis research when, to their surprise, they discovered that atoms of argon gas had gotten trapped inside the structure's nanosized pores. Argon and other noble gases have previously been trapped in three-dimensional (3D) porous materials, but immobilizing them on surfaces had only been achieved by either cooling the gases to very low temperatures to condense them, or by accelerating gas ions to implant them directly into materials.

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An artistic rendering of an argon (Ar) atom trapped in a nanocage that has a silicon (Si)-oxygen (O) framework.