A D V A N C E D M A T E R I A L S & P R O C E S S E S | A P R I L 2 0 2 1 1 3 DIVERSE NANOPARTICLES Scientists from University of Illinois Chicago (UIC) and the DOE’s Argonne National Laboratory, Lemont, Ill., recently discovered that certain types of alloy nanoparticles display exceptionally high stability and durability during a chemical reaction that often quickly degrades catalytic materials. The nanoparticles could have many applications, including water-splitting to generate hydrogen in fuel cells, reduction of carbon dioxide by capturing and converting it into useful materials like methanol, more efficient reactions in biosensors to detect substances in the body, and solar cells that produce heat, electricity, and fuel more effectively. The team of researchers focused on high-entropy alloy nanoparticles and used Argonne’s Center for Nanoscale Materials (CNM) to characterize the particles’ compositions during oxidation. Using flow transmission electron microscopy (TEM) allowed them to capture the entire oxidation process in real time and at high resolution. They found that the high-entropy alloy nano-particles NANOTECHNOLOGY Depiction of the movement of different molecules during the oxidation of high-entropy alloy nanoparticles. Courtesy of University of Illinois Chicago. are able to resist oxidation much better than general metal particles. To perform the TEM, scientists embedded the nanoparticles into a silicon nitride membrane and flowed different types of gas through a channel over the particles. A beam of electrons probed the reactions between the particles and the gas, revealing the low rate of oxidation and the migration of certain metals—iron, cobalt, nickel, and copper—to the particles’ surfaces during the process. The researchers say their discoveries could benefit energy storage and conversion technologies, such as fuel cells, lithium-air batteries, supercapacitors, and catalyst materials. anl.gov. Scientists from the University of Manchester in the U.K. achieved a Guinness World Record for weaving threads of individual molecules together to create the world’s finest fabric. The team produced a 2D-molecularly woven fabric with a thread count of 40-60 million, overtaking the finest Egyptian linen with a thread count of roughly 1500. manchester.ac.uk. BRIEF
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