Today's Tech News: Notable or Not?

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2022-06-in-ear-technology-batteries-aids.html "modelling the deformations of the ear canal created by the movements of the jaw... action of eating for 50 minutes would be enough to generate all the energy necessary for a day's use of the hearing aid. For this experiment, the researchers placed an earplug filled with water in the ear of the participants. They then measured the pressure in the earplug created by the jaw movements. Finally, they translated these pressure variations into deformations of the ear canal"

https://phys.org/news/2022-06-all-optical-method-optical-power-efficient.html "switching speed can be raised to an ultrafast time scale (femtosecond 10-15 sec) by replacing the electrons with plasmons. Plasmons are a combination of photons and a collection of electrons on the surface of metals. This enables optical switching with our device with femtosecond (10-15 sec) speeds," she states... L-shaped combination of metallic nanorods. One nanorods receives a linearly polarized signal and the other receives another linearly polarized 'control' beam perpendicular to the first beam"

https://techxplore.com/news/2022-06-imager-microchip-devices-hidden.html "complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS)... making pixels small and low power... integrate transmitter, receiver and antenna in small area... innovations that overcame fundamental active-gain limits of CMOS is that this imaging technology consumes more than 100 times less power than the phased arrays currently being investigated for the same imaging applications" Related: Samsung expected to announce mass production of 3nm chip next week https://en.yna.co.kr/view/AEN20220622002900320 Hidden information extraction from layered structures through terahertz imaging https://phys.org/news/2023-10-hidden-layered-terahertz-imaging.html

https://beckman.illinois.edu/about/news/article/2022/06/02/new-polymer-property-could-give-accessible-solar-power-a-boost "combined achiral conjugated polymers with solvent... added solution to microscope slide. As solvent molecules evaporated, leaving polymers, solution became more concentrated... compressed achiral polymers self-assembling to form structures... solution’s concentration increased... achiral polymers were not assembling into achiral structures... Instead forming helixes... polymers’ twisted shape and helical structure... Molecular dynamics simulation was instrumental to this research"

https://interestingengineering.com/xanadu-quantum-computer-borealis-computational-advantage "photonic processor dynamic programmability on all gates... Gaussian boson sampling4 (GBS) on 216 squeezed modes entangled three-dimensional connectivity5, time-multiplexed and photon-number-resolving architecture... more than 9,000 years best available algorithms and supercomputers to produce, using exact methods, single sample from programmed distribution, Borealis only 36 μs... over 50 million times as extreme... registering events with up to 219 photons and mean photon number of 125"

https://techxplore.com/news/2022-05-ultra-thin-electrode-material-closer-next-generation.html "freely control the characteristics of the N-type and P-type devices by minimizing defects with the semiconductor interface. In other words, a single device performs the functions of both N-type and P-type devices. Hence, there is no need to manufacture the N-type and P-type devices separately. By using this device, the joint research team successfully implemented a high-performance, low-power, complementary logic circuit that can perform logic operations such as NOR and NAND"

https://techxplore.com/news/2022-05-alternative-lithium-batteries.html "oxysulfide glass electrolyte... high-energy ball milling process... interface between sodium metal and electrolyte, solid electrolyte forms self-passivating interphase essential for reversible plating and stripping sodium... highest critical current density among all Na-ion conducting sulfide-based solid electrolytes... high-performance ambient-temperature sodium-sulfur batteries... safe, low-cost, energy-dense, and long-lifetime solid-state sodium batteries" Related: New Battery Technology Could Boost Renewable Energy Storage https://www.engneering.columbia.edu/about/news/new-battery-technology-could-boost-renewable-energy-storage Flower power: Lavender oil for longer-lasting sodium-sulfur batteries https://techxplore.com/news/2025-01-power-lavender-oil-longer-sodium.html#google_vignette First-of-its-kind: Duke Energy pilot sodium-sulfur technology might transform energy storage https://www.3blmedia.com/...

https://techxplore.com/news/2022-06-fabric-motion-electricity.html "generates 2.34 watts per square meter of electricity... hand tapping on 3cm by 4cm piece of fabric continuously light up 100 LEDs, or charge capacitors... continuous stable electrical output... harness vibration energy... potentially extend lifetime of a battery or even to build self-powered systems. To our knowledge, this is the first hybrid perovskite-based energy device that is stable, stretchable, breathable, waterproof, and at the same time capable of delivering outstanding electrical output performance"

https://techxplore.com/news/2022-06-solar-cell-architecture-real-world-constraints.html "resilience of novel solar cell... hot carrier multijunction solar cell (HCMJSC), to nonideal design with nonoptimal materials... consisted of thin hot carrier top junction series connected to thick cold bottom junction... HCSC demonstrated highest PCE, followed by HCMJSC and MJSC... HCMJSC more relaxed requirements on hot carrier thermalization compared to HCSC... all three designs showed lower efficiency... low-bandgap HCMJSCs were slightly more sensitive to illumination effects" Related: New material to boost the efficiency limits of silicon solar cells https://techxplore.com/news/2024-01-material-boost-efficiency-limits-silicon.html

https://techxplore.com/news/2022-06-beam-steering-technology-mobile-5g.html "continuous 'wide-angle' beam steering... track moving mobile phone user in same way satellite dish turns... significantly enhanced speeds... fully compatible with existing 5G specifications... simple to fabricate... size of iPhone, the uses metamaterial made from a metal sheet... array regularly spaced holes micrometers in diameter... actuator controls height of cavity... antenna control radio wave—effectively 'concentrating' beam into directive signal, and then redirecting this energy as desired" Related: A new ‘beam-steering’ technology that takes mobile communications beyond 5G is here https://interestingengineering.com/beam-steering-technology-mobile-5g Total and minimum energy efficiency tradeoff in robust multigroup multicast satellite communications https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1082681

https://phys.org/news/2022-06-atomic-scale-window-superconductivity-paves-quantum.html "wavefunctions of Cooper pairs are reconstructed at the atomic scale and how they interact with atomic-scale impurities and other obstacles... building block quantum computers... platform... superconductivity room temperature. Cooper pairs unique internal structures unconventional superconductors... challenging to understand. This discovery allows for the direct probing of the state of Cooper pairs in unconventional superconductors, establishing a critical new technique for a whole family of quantum materials"

https://phys.org/news/2022-06-near-ultraviolet-led-excitable-near-infrared-emitters.html "Te4+/Ln3+ (Ln=Er, Nd, and Yb) co-doping... NIR emission perovskite-derivative Cs2ZrCl6 microcrystals (MCs)... sensitization spin-orbital allowed 1S0 → 3P1 transition Te4+... intense and multi-wavelength NIR luminescence... 4f → 4f transitions Er3+, Nd3+, and Yb3+... air-, structure-, and photo-stability of Te4+/Ln3+ co-doped Cs2ZrCl6... potentials as vis/NIR dual-emitters... NUV-converted NIR-LEDs... efficient NIR emission lead-free metal halides ns2-metal and lanthanide ion co-doping" Related: Conversion to LED lighting brings new kind of light pollution to Europe https://phys.org/news/2022-09-conversion-kind-pollution-europe.html Progress in perovskite LEDs for deep-blue light https://phys.org/news/2023-01-perovskite-deep-blue.html Perovskite-modified LEDs reveal rot in spoiled food before it is visible https://phys.org/news/2023-07-perovskite-modified-reveal-food-visible.html Perovski...

https://techxplore.com/news/2022-06-strategy-fast-charging-solid-state-batteries.html "ultrathin layer of a refractory metal—a metal that is resistant to heat and wear—between the lithium anode and solid electrolyte. "The refractory metal layer shields the solid electrolyte from the stress and redistributes the current to an extent," says Aetukuri. He and his team collaborated with researchers at Carnegie Mellon University in the US, who carried out computational analysis which clearly showed that the refractory metal layer indeed delayed the growth of microscopic lithium voids" Related: Increasing the lifespan and stability of solid-state lithium-ion batteries https://techxplore.com/news/2022-06-lifespan-stability-solid-state-lithium-ion-batteries.html Enpower Greentech develops world's lightest 100 Ah lithium metal battery https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/enpower-greentech-develops-worlds-lightest-012300083.html  see alos: Enpower Greentech Achieves a Major...

https://news.youexec.com/briefs/breakthrough-in-solid-state-battery-design-could-reshape-the-grid?r=google.com&pr=ne "new form electrolyte enables solid-state sodium energy... higher current density than previously... electrolytes... room temperature... longer-lasting and lower-cost sodium batteries. replace lithium, most popular battery storage option. Lithium controls over 90% global grid battery storage market.... rising costs and supply bottlenecks mean it’s not sustainable and unlikely to meet its high demand. By contrast, sodium is more abundant, less flammable, and now could be easier to replicate as a store of power" Related: Solid-state batteries for EVs move a step closer to production https://arstechnica.com/cars/2022/06/solid-state-batteries-for-evs-move-a-step-closer-to-production/

https://www.bnl.gov/newsroom/news.php?a=119584 "introducing additive to electrolyte stifles crosstalk. As additive decomposes... produces lithium phosphate (Li3PO4) and lithium fluoride (LiF) to form protective cathode-electrolyte-interphase—a solid thin layer... battery’s cathode during cycling... Reduced transition metal loss decrease deposition of transition metals on anode... enables a nickel-rich layered cathode to be cycled at high voltages to increase the energy density and still retain 97 percent of its initial capacity after 200 cycles, the researchers found" Related: Researchers raise expectations for commercialization of high-energy-density all-solid-state batteries https://techxplore.com/news/2024-02-commercialization-high-energy-density-solid.html

https://www.tomshardware.com/news/world-first-room-temperature-quantum-computer "instead of ion chains, silicon quantum dots, or superconducting transmon qubits, Quantum Brilliance... naturally-occurring nitrogen-vacancy centers synthetic diamonds... defects in diamond's structure, photoluminescence capability... qubits' spin states read based on emitted light's characteristics, without directly interacting with qubits... significant step for the company on its journey to achieve a quantum technology that's smaller, compatible, more flexible, and ultimately able to operate in any environment" Related: A tiny twist and synthetic diamond put superconductivity on a switch, opening a new route to lossless electronics https://phys.org/news/2026-04-tiny-synthetic-diamond-superconductivity-route.html

https://scitechdaily.com/new-artificial-enzyme-shows-potential-for-new-renewable-energy-source/ "replaced peptides surround active site natural enzymes with peptoids self-assembled nanoscale crystalline tubes and sheets... mimic the function of proteins. They have several unique features, including high stability, that allow scientists to address the deficiencies of the natural enzymes. In this case, they offer a high density of active sites, which is impossible to obtain with a natural enzyme... organize active sites and tune environments for catalytic activity... higher density active sites, instead of one active site" Related: CABBI Develops Eco-Friendly Enzyme to Create Key Chemical Building Blocks https://cabbi.bio/cabbi-develops-eco-friendly-enzyme-to-create-key-chemical-building-blocks/

https://interestingengineering.com/closer-to-true-quantum-internet "difference with quantum teleportation is that no physical matter is relayed, only information, thanks to a quirk in quantum mechanics that allows two quantum particles to "share" a quantum state... like describing pair  gloves. When you see which hand one of those gloves goes on, you know which one the other goes on as well, even if you never see it" Related: Japan sets new record, brings world closer to internet 100,000 times faster than current speeds https://nextshark.com/japanese-researchers-near-petabit-internet/

https://phys.org/news/2022-05-transparency-demand-artificial-materials-transparent.html "selectively amplify or dampen specific parts of beam microscopic level counteract onset of degradation... stay in picture of nebula, light-scattering properties completely suppressed... modifying material... possible transmission of specific light signal... successfully tackled this challenge. In their experiments, they were able to recreate and observe the microscopic interactions of light signals with their newly developed active materials in networks of kilometer-long optical fibers" Related: Backyard insect inspires invisibility devices, next gen tech https://phys.org/news/2024-03-backyard-insect-invisibility-devices-gen.html

"synthesized nanoparticles that mimic what chlorophyll (the green pigment in most plants) does in nature—absorb light and convert it to usable energy with high efficiency... Mother Nature can teach us so much as we all think of ways to nurse our planet back to health. In this study, we looked at how light is absorbed, enhanced and utilized in biological systems, and we have incorporated those mechanisms into our own hybrid devices... nanoparticles platform... light absorbers... enhanced efficiency"

https://phys.org/news/2022-05-electricity-kind-green-hydrogen.html "Tiny inorganic clusters... small number of atoms anchored on surface light-absorbing... titanium oxide... deposit clusters on titanium oxide, where they can act as catalysts for water splitting. Titanium oxide is sensitive to light... energy of the absorbed light leads to the creation of free-moving electrons and free-moving positive charges in the titanium oxide. These charges then allow the clusters of atoms sitting on this surface to facilitate the splitting of water into oxygen and hydrogen"

https://www.nrel.gov/news/press/2022/nrel-creates-highest-efficiency-1-sun-solar-cell.html "quantum wells in middle layer extend bandgap GaAs cell and increase amount light that cell absorb... optically thick quantum well devices without major voltage loss... anneal GaInP top cell during growth process... drastically reducing cost of III-V cells... communications satellites... 34.2% for a beginning-of-life measurement. The present design of the cell is suitable for low-radiation environments, and higher-radiation applications may be enabled by further development of the cell structure"

https://phys.org/news/2022-05-metasurface-based-device-images-environmental-conditions.html "photonic metasurfaces that operate visible range biomedical applications... deliver complex information... images immediately interpreted... integrating different photonic into one device... holographic metasurfaces encode more than one image... meta-atoms act like pixels... reflects light of specific wavelength in dry conditions... high reflectivity when different wavelength used in wet conditions... refractive index of the surrounding medium as an additional degree of freedom" Related: Bringing angular momentum to holograms and metasurfaces https://phys.org/news/2023-03-angular-momentum-holograms-metasurfaces.html Optically controlled metasurfaces for dynamic dual-mode modulation https://phys.org/news/2023-04-optically-metasurfaces-dynamic-dual-mode-modulation.html Dynamic interactive bitwise meta-holography with ultra-high computational and display frame rates https://phys.org/news...

https://newatlas.com/medical/lasers-ultrasound-combine-pulverize-arterial-plaque/?jr=on "lases inserted into artery with catheter, thermal energy it generates turns water... to bubble... low-power lasers... mix of lasers and ultrasound tackle abnormal microvessels in the eye that cause blindness and blood clots in veins... explode tiny bubbles in cancer wiping out cancerous cells within tumor. Because it destroys rather than compresses plaque... lower risk of artery re-narrowing as compared to balloon angioplasty and stenting" Related: Liver cancer research: Iron-dependent cell death could be key to novel combination therapies https://medicalxpress.com/news/2023-02-liver-cancer-iron-dependent-cell-death.html Scientists propose using carbon-coated magnetite nanoclusters for synergistic cancer therapy https://phys.org/news/2023-02-scientists-carbon-coated-magnetite-nanoclusters-synergistic.html Researchers make major advance with cancer-killing antibody-drug conjugates https://...