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How a few tweaks revived near-dead organic solar tech

New study reveals the counterintuitive tweaks to the chemistry of a solar cell material that have boosted its power output. A solar energy material that’s...

Scientists create thin films with tantalizing electronic properties

Scientists have created thin films made from barium zirconium sulfide (BaZrS3) and confirmed that the materials have alluring electronic and optical properties predicted by...

Scientists create a ‘crystal within a crystal’ for new electronic devices

Liquid crystals have enabled new technologies, like LCD screens, through their ability to reflect certain color wavelengths. Researchers at the Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering...

Light can evolve in up to seven dimensions on new optical chips

A new design of optical chips enables light to experience multiple dimensions. This could underpin versatile platforms for advanced communications and ultra-fast artificial intelligence technologies. This...

Camouflage made of quantum material could hide you from infrared cameras

Infrared cameras detect people and other objects by the heat they emit. Now, researchers have discovered the uncanny ability of a material to hide a...

Smart intersections could cut autonomous car congestion

In the not-so-distant future, city streets could be flooded with autonomous vehicles. Self-driving cars can move faster and travel closer together, allowing more of them...

How John Goodenough sparked the wireless revolution with lithium-ion battery

John B. Goodenough can still remember, word for word, what a University of Chicago professor told him when he arrived on campus following World...

Your food may help make stickier, safer glues for laptops, packaging, furniture

Scientists at Purdue University have used food components to create high-performance, tunable adhesives that are nontoxic and degradable. You cannot make glue out of a...

Human bone may hold key to stronger 3D-printed lightweight structures

What do bones and 3D-printed buildings have in common? They both have columns and beams on the inside that determine how long they last. Now, the...

Smog-eating graphene composite could reduce air pollution

Scientists have developed a graphene-titania photocatalyst that degrades up to 70% more atmospheric nitrogen oxides (NOx) than standard titania nanoparticles in tests on real...