Today's Tech News: Notable or Not?

https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1111246 "encapsulates up to 60% stearic acid by weight without leakage... 118 J/g thermal storage density (melting enthalpy)... improved thermal conductivity compared to pure stearic acid, allowing efficient heat absorption/ release... elevates stearic acid activation energy, indicating improved thermal stability... retains >97% original heat storage capacity, maintains stable phase change temperatures after 100 heating/ cooling cycles... chitin from seafood waste: low-cost, environmentally friendly... buildings, electronics" Related: Phase-change-based thermal energy storage system cuts electricity use by up to 25% https://www.hungarianconservative.com/articles/current/heatventors-thermal-energy-storage-innovation/ Leak-free thermal batteries from shell waste: Chitin aerogel locks in heat https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1120456

https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1101496 "ceramic aerogels typically highly brittle, overcome using unitary structured dual-phase nanofibrous core for ultra- flexible deformation/ nanoporous sheath for thermal superinsulation... introduces numerous nanopores suppressing air conduction, resulting in a κ less than 24 mW·m−1·K−1... enables all nanoporous aerogels to be orderly assembled onto fibers' surface, increasing stability... mechanical flexibility with compressive strain up to 80%, fracture strain up to 21.9%, bending strain up to 100%... up to 1,300°C working temperature"

https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1090045 "carbon fiber reinforced using expandable graphite interfacial bonding agent... ceramic-based aerogel composites with novel precursor impregnation/ in-situ dual-morphology growth... enables simultaneous formation of dense silicon carbide coatings/ nanowire network within carbon fiber structure, improving oxidation resistance/ ablation... both types of composites demonstrated the feasibility of large-size fabrication, with samples successfully prepared and capable of being cut and processed as needed" Related: Highly porous dual-phase high-entropy ultrahigh-temperature ceramic with outstanding properties https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1093451 Bilayer ceramic coating shown to significantly increase tool life in titanium alloy micromachining https://techxplore.com/news/2026-01-bilayer-ceramic-coating-shown-significantly.html

https://phys.org/news/2025-04-advanced-aerogel-composite-extreme-thermal.html "expandable graphite interfacial bonding agent enhances structural integrity/ thermal deformation resistance across wide temperature range... precursor impregnation/ in-situ dual-morphology parallel growth technique for ceramic-based aerogel composites, enables simultaneous dense silicon carbide coating formation/ nanowire network within carbon fiber structure, improving oxidation resistance/ ablation performance, retaining lightweight structure, mechanical strength, and excellent thermal insulation properties" Related: Cristobalite-suppressed Al-SiO2 ceramic coatings: DFT guided nanoparticle design for durable oxidation resistance https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1086421 Novel dome-celled aerogels maintain superelasticity despite temperature extremes https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1091005 Biomimetic helical fiber sponges combine superelasticity, washability, and thermal efficiency...

https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1075631 "3D N-doped carbon fiber/MXene/TiO2 nano-aerogel: thin, lightweight, robust, thermal stability, wide absorption bandwidth, strong reflection loss, high-efficiency microwave absorption, electromagnetic pollution reduction... heterogeneous structure rational design optimizes interfacial area/ interfacial effects, concurrent design of multiple components/ structures achieves efficient interfacial control... macro: green/ low-cost biomass cotton skeleton, micro: nitrogen atom doping enhancing polarization loss... radar stealth" Related: Self‑sensing NiFe@N‑doped carbon aerogel: Integrating excellent radar stealth, inherent structural health monitoring, thermal management, and flame retardancy https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1123805 At just four nanometers thick, this metal starts behaving in a way physicists did not expect https://phys.org/news/2026-04-nanometers-thick-metal-physicists.html

https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1044240 "ultrathin, self-cleaning, efficient, 97% cellulose solar reflectance, 92.5% IR emissivity in atmospheric transparency window, sub-ambient temperature drop 6.9 °C under direct sunlight, hierarchical porous structure, chemical bonds enable high optical performance... freeze-casting, hot-pressing develops cellulose nanowhiskers reinforced with zinc oxide forming composite aerogel film... anti-dust, hydrophobic with contact angle 133°... sustainable thermal regulation" Related: NUS researchers develop new aerogels for radiative cooling and the absorption of electromagnetic waves https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/nus-researchers-develop-new-aerogels-for-radiative-cooling-and-the-absorption-of-electromagnetic-waves-302163032.html New fabric cools people in sweltering cities https://www.anthropocenemagazine.org/2024/06/this-cooling-fabric-keeps-people-cool-in-sweltering-cities/ Breakthroughs in Thermal Photonics Enable Efficie...

https://phys.org/news/2023-12-aerogel-key-future-terahertz-technologies.html "aerogel made of cellulose and conducting polymer PEDOT:PSS whose absorption of terahertz turned on- off through redox reaction... outdoor applications since water-repellent and can be naturally defrosted via heating by sunlight... conducting polymers biocompatible, tunable (due to ability to change material's charge density), durable... cellulose renewable and relatively low production cost... large modulation range 13 % and 91 %... medical imaging (X-ray substitute, safer), communication, space exploration, radar" Related: Biodegradable aerogel: Airy cellulose from a 3D printer https://phys.org/news/2024-04-biodegradable-aerogel-airy-cellulose-3d.html Polaron interfacial entropy as a route to high thermoelectric performance in DAE-doped PEDOT:PSS films https://phys.org/news/2024-04-polaron-interfacial-entropy-route-high.html Highly sensitive, foldable detector represents a step toward safer X-r...

https://phys.org/news/2022-05-hydrogen-tuned-topological-insulators-platforms-sustainable.html "hydrogen-tuning technique chalcogen-based topological materials and nanostructures... insertion and extraction of ionic hydrogen from dilute aqueous hydrochloric acid (HCl) solution, which leaves the layered topological crystal structure as well as electronic bands intact... removing native surface oxide while passivating surfaces... electrons are donated by reversible binding of H+ ions to chalcogens... Te or Se, and bulk carrier densities reduced" Related: A ceramic aerogel made with nanocrystals and embedded in a matrix for use in thermal insulation applications https://phys.org/news/2022-07-ceramic-aerogel-nanocrystals-embedded-matrix.html Scientists develop all-natural, wood-inspired aerogel https://phys.org/news/2023-02-scientists-all-natural-wood-inspired-aerogel.html Packing Aerogel With Uranium Could Give Us The Space Engine We've Been Looking For https://www.scienceal...