ADVANCED MATERIALS & PROCESSES | JANUARY 2026 9 Liu said the research found that materials with more randomly mixed zones of bismuth and antimony blocked heat more effectively than those with a more ordered structure. This was due to the edge dislocations being scattered in all directions, which disrupts heat flow. The discovery opens new avenues for designing materials with tailored thermal properties, say researchers. “Whether it’s improving the efficiency of thermoelectric generators or developing better thermal insulators, this work gives us a new tool to control heat flow at the atomic level,” says Liu. www.qut.edu.au. MICROSCOPE SEES MICRO AND NANOSCALE STRUCTURES Researchers at The University of Tokyo built a “Great Unified Microscope” that can detect a signal over an intensity range 14 times wider than conventional equipment. Further, the observations are made label-free and without the use of additional dyes. This means the method is gentle on cells and adequate for long-term observations, holding potential for testing and quality control applications in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries. Microscopes have played a vital role in science since the 16th century. Progress has required not only more sensitive and accurate equipment and analysis, but also more specialized machines. Modern techniques have had to straddle tradeoffs involving things like particle size detection and having a comprehensive overview of cell structures. “I would like to understand dynamic processes inside living cells using noninvasive methods,” says researcher Kohki Horie. The team set out to investigate whether measuring both directions of light simultaneously could overcome the tradeoff and reveal a wide range of sizes and motions from the same image. To test the idea and confirm their newly built microscope was working as hoped, the scientists decided to observe what happened Conceptual illustration of a bidirectional quantitative scattering microscope. Courtesy of University of Tokyo. during cell death. They recorded one image encoding information from both forward and backward-traveling light. As a result, they were able to quantify not only the motion of cell structures (micro) but also of tiny particles (nano). In addition, by comparing the forward and back-scattered light, they could estimate each particle’s size and refractive index. The team plans to study even smaller particles such as viruses and explore how living cells move toward death. www.s.u-tokyo.ac.jp/en. WHAT’S IN YOUR 2026 MARKETING MIX? ASM INTERNATIONAL’S 2026 MEDIA KIT is YOUR GATEWAY to reaching a targeted audience of materials science and engineering professionals. ASM generates measurable impact by offering unparalleled access to engaging with a unique and motivated audience through integrated, omnichannel marketing capabilities. Develop a comprehensive campaign through sponsored emails, webinars, web and mobile ad placements, in-person event sponsorships, and more to target sizable audiences of decision makers. KELLY “KJ” JOHANNS BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT MANAGER CONTACT KJ TODAY AT: KJ.JOHANNS@ASMINTERNATIONAL.ORG OR 440.671.3851 VIEW THE 2026 MEDIA KIT AT: WWW.ASMINTERNATIONAL.ORG/ADVERTISE-WITH-US-RESULTS/
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