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With multiple grants and research infrastructure provided by the U.S. National Science Foundation, researchers have shown that a newly developed material, niobium phosphide, can conduct electricity better than copper in films that are only a few atoms thick. These films can also be created and deposited at sufficiently low temperatures for compatibility with modern computer chip fabrication — and may help make future electronics more powerful and energy efficient.
So far, the best conductor candidates to outperform copper in nanoelectronics have had only exact crystalline structures, meaning they require very high temperatures to be formed. These new niobium phosphide films are the first examples of noncrystalline materials that become better conductors as they get thinner. The research is led by Standford University and results were published in Science.
“We are breaking a fundamental bottleneck of traditional materials like copper,” says Asir Intisar Khan, a postdoctoral researcher at Stanford University and an author on the research paper. “Our niobium phosphide conductors show that it’s possible to send faster, more efficient signals through ultrathin wires. This could improve the energy efficiency of future chips, and even small gains add up when many chips are used, such as in the massive data centers that store and process information today.”
RSS feed source: National Science Foundation
RSS feed source: National Science Foundation
Researchers supported by grants and instrumentation provided by the U.S. National Science Foundation have created the first 2D polymer material that mechanically interlocks, much like chainmail, and used an advanced imaging technique to show its microscopic details. The material combines exceptional strength and flexibility and could be developed into high-performance and lightweight body armor that moves fluidly with the body as it protects it.
The nanoscale material was developed by researchers at Northwestern University and the electron microscopy was conducted at Cornell University. The results are published in a paper in Science.
RSS feed source: National Science Foundation
A team of researchers led by the recipient of a U.S. National Science Foundation Faculty Early Career Development grant has developed a new storage method for protein-based drugs that could potentially eliminate the need for refrigeration of important medicines. Using an oil-based solution and a molecule acting as a coating to enclose the proteins in these drugs, researchers demonstrated a technique to prevent the proteins from degrading rapidly — a protection that traditionally requires refrigeration.
The research is led by Scott Medina at Pennsylvania State University and published in Nature Communications. It demonstrates a possible practical application to eliminate the need to refrigerate hundreds of life-saving medicines like insulin, monoclonal antibodies and viral vaccines.
The work could eventually reduce the cost of refrigerating such drugs throughout the supply chain and enable greater use of protein-based therapies where constant refrigeration isn’t possible, including military environments.
“Over 80% of biologic drugs and 90% of vaccines require temperature-controlled conditions. This approach could revolutionize their storage and distribution, making them more accessible and affordable for everyone,” says Medina.
To accomplish this, researchers created an oil-based solution using perfluorocarbon oil, finding that it was naturally sterile and could not be contaminated by bacteria, fungi or viruses, which require a water-based environment to grow and survive.
The team also developed a surfactant — a molecule that coats the surface of the protein — to shield the surface of the protein in a way that would allow it to evenly disperse throughout the solution. The surfactant created a
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