An unprecedented combination of superconducting states has been found in multilayer graphene with a rhombohedral structure.
Category: materials
Scientists design superdiamonds with theoretically predicted hexagonal crystal structure
The brilliantly shiny diamond is more than just pretty; it’s one of the hardest minerals on Earth, with a name derived from the Greek word adámas, meaning unbreakable. Scientists have now engineered a harder form of diamond known as bulk hexagonal diamond (HD)—a crystalline structure that has been theorized for over half a century to have physical properties superior to those of conventional diamond.
In a study published in Nature, researchers from China synthesized bulk hexagonal diamond, ranging from 100-µm-sized to mm-sized, with a highly ordered structure by compressing and heating high-quality graphite single crystals under pressure conditions as uniform as possible.
The designed material, which was recoverable under ambient conditions, unveiled the previously elusive structural world of HD, opening new avenues for exploring its potential as a technologically superior material.
New MIT Device Could Be Key to Faster, More Energy-Efficient Computing and Communications
Solves major problems associated with integrating electronics, photonics in microchip systems.
The MIT device in the green callout could be key to faster, more energy-efficient data communication. It solves a major problem associated with packaging an electrical chip (black, center) with photonic chips (the eight surrounding squares). This image also shows an automated tool placing the final photonic chip into position. Image courtesy Drew Weninger, MIT.
The future of digital computing and communications will involve both electronics—manipulating data with electricity—and photonics, or doing the same with light. Together the two could allow exponentially more data traffic across the globe in a process that is also more energy efficient.
“The bottom line is that integrating photonics with electronics in the same package is the transistor for the 21st century. If we can’t figure out how to do that, then we’re not going to be able to scale forward,” says Lionel Kimerling, the Thomas Lord Professor of Materials Science and Engineering at MIT and director of the MIT Microphotonics Center.
Enter FUTUR-IC, a new research team based at MIT and funded by the National Science Foundation’s Convergence Accelerator through a cooperative agreement. “Our goal is to build a microchip industry value chain that is resource-efficient,” says Anu Agarwal, head of FUTUR-IC and a principal research scientist at the Materials Research Laboratory (MRL).
Shroud of Turin image matches low-relief statue—not human body, 3D modeling study finds
The Shroud of Turin is a famous artifact with obscure origins. How and when it was made has long been the subject of debate among many scientists, historians and religious leaders, alike. The two most prominent theories are that it was either created as a work of art during the medieval period or that it was a piece of linen that was actually wrapped around the body of Jesus Christ after his death over 2000 years ago.
Radiocarbon dating done in a 1989 study on the Shroud of Turin dated it around 1,260 to 1,390 AD, consistent with the medieval theory. Later, in 2005, Raymond Rogers argued that the tested sample from the radiocarbon dating came from an area that had been repaired, and was thus newer than the original cloth. And more recently, in 2022, a single thread from the shroud material was tested with a new—and somewhat controversial—method based on Wide Angle X-ray Scattering (WAXS), which claimed that the shroud dated back to the first century AD. If those results are reliable, this dates the cloth much closer to the time of Jesus.
Yet another study examined the blood patterns on the shroud and deemed them inconsistent with what would be expected with a deceased man lying flat. In fact, the authors stated that these blood patterns were “totally unrealistic.” This led to the idea that the blood might have been added to the shroud in a more artistic manner after its creation.
First-Ever Penis and Scrotum Transplant Makes History at Johns Hopkins
Surgeons at The Johns Hopkins Hospital have performed the world’s first total penis and scrotum transplant.
The patient suffered a devastating injury several years ago from an improvised explosive device while serving in Afghanistan. He is now recovering at the hospital after the 14-hour procedure in late March, which repaired his abdominal wall, gave him a new scrotum and attached a donor penis.
“We are optimistic he will regain near-normal urinary and sexual functions,” said W. P. Andrew Lee, director of plastic and reconstructive surgery at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.
Metamaterials: Highly Twisted Rods Store Large Amounts of Energy
An international research team coordinated at KIT (Karlsruhe Institute of Technology) has developed mechanical metamaterials with a high elastic energy density. Highly twisted rods that deform helically provide these metamaterials with a high stiffness and enable them to absorb and release large amounts of elastic energy. The researchers conducted simple compression experiments to confirm the initial theoretical results. Their findings have been published in the science journal Nature. (DOI: 10.1038/s41586-025–08658-z)
Be it springs for absorbing energy, buffers for mechanical energy storage, or flexible structures in robotics or energy-efficient machines: Storage of mechanical energy is required for many technologies. Kinetic energy, i.e. motion energy or the corresponding mechanical work, is converted into elastic energy in such a way that it can be fully released again when required. The key characteristic here is enthalpy – the energy density that can be stored in and recovered from an element of the material. Peter Gumbsch, Professor for mechanics of materials at KIT’s Institute for Applied Materials (IAM), explains that achieving the highest possible enthalpy is challenging: “The difficulty is to combine conflicting properties: high stiffness, high strength and large recoverable strain.”
Clever arrangement of helically deformed rods in metamaterials.
High-quality crystals enable new insights into structure–property relationships and multifunctionality
Researchers at Kumamoto University and Nagoya University have developed a new class of two-dimensional (2D) metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) using triptycene-based molecules, marking a breakthrough in the quest to understand and enhance the physical properties of these promising materials. The work is published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society.
Molecular imaging uncovers hidden flaws in plastics used for electronics
A new study uncovers revealing insights into how plastic materials used in electronics are formed, and how hidden flaws in their structure could be limiting their performance.
Conjugated polymers are a type of plastic that conduct electricity and are used in optoelectronics, computing, biosensors, and power generation. The materials are lightweight, low-cost, and can be printed in thin layers onto flexible substrates, making them ideal for next-generation technologies.
An international team of scientists investigated a popular method for making the polymers called aldol condensation, which is praised for being versatile, metal-free, environmentally friendly, and scalable.