Pioneering nanocarbons researcher Harry Kroto passed away on April 30, 2016 at the age of 76. A giant among giants, Kroto made an immense impact on ECS and its scientific discipline as well as the world at large. Because of this, an upcoming focus issue of the ECS Journal of Solid State Science and Technology honors the memory of Kroto, who is best known for his role in discovering that pure carbon can exist in the form of a hollow soccer ball-shaped molecule named the “buckminsterfullerene” (“buckyball” for short).

“Harry Kroto’s passing is a great loss to science and society as a whole,” says Bruce Weisman, guest editor of the focus issue. “He was an exceptional researcher whose 1985 work with Rick Smalley and Bob Curl launched the field of nanocarbons research and nanotechnology.”

Subsequent studies of carbon nanostructures have uncovered scientific phenomena and developed novel materials that promise myriad applications ranging from energy harvesting and drug delivery to high performance composites. Research in this field continues to fill the pages of scholarly journals, making possible innovations that were not even conceived before the seminal work.

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By: John W Wilson, University of Pretoria and Duan Biggs, Griffith University

It is becoming increasingly difficult for people – particularly those from the developing world and the global south – to move around the globe. The UK voted “yes” to Brexit. Donald Trump wants to build a wall on the US border with Mexico. Hungary is also mulling a wall to keep “outsiders” from crossing its borders.

The attitude of citizens in higher income countries towards immigrants is hardening. Visas are harder to come by, no matter the purpose of your travel. And, as research we conducted in late 2015 reveals, scientists from the developing world are among those caught in the cross hairs.

Barriers to travel

As part of the research we conducted an online survey to examine the impact of visa requirements on scientific collaboration. Some of the respondents were postgraduate students; others were active researchers and academics in fields like biology, earth sciences, applied mathematics and engineering. In total, 232 people representing 46 citizenships – from Canada, Chile, France, Malaysia, New Zealand and Kenya, to name a few – took part in the research.

We found that researchers from countries defined as developing by the International Monetary Fund perceive current visa rules as a major impediment to professional travel. Their peers from developed countries did not experience visa rules as a significant barrier.

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You are cordially invited to join the ECS Canada Section for its 2016 Fall Symposium!

The meeting will be held on November 12, 2016 at the University of Ontario Institute of Technology in Oshawa, Ontario. The theme of the symposium will be “Interdisciplinary Electrochemistry.”

The meeting will feature an illustrious array of distinguished speakers, as well as a poster competition open to students and postdoctoral fellows.

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Image: Forschungszentrum Juelich

Artificial photosynthesis has carved out a promising corner in renewable energy research in recent history. This novel process is solar-driven, harvesting renewable energy and storing in in chemical bonds. Breakthroughs in artificial photosynthesis could lead to the development of solar fuels that could potentially shift the energy infrastructure.

However, while many technological barriers have been surpassed in the advancement of artificial photosynthesis, there are still hurdles to overcome. However, a research team from Forschungszentrum Juelich believes they may have just taken a significant step forward in the advancement of this field.

In a recently published paper, the team of scientists state that they have developed the first complete and compact design for an artificial photosynthesis facility.

The artificial photosynthesis process was first investigated in the 1970s. In fact, ECS Fellow Allen J. Bard can be seen here discussing the process in 1983. But only recently has artificial photosynthesis began to garner larger amounts of attention from the scientific community as a whole.

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MXene is a nanomaterial that can super effectively block and absorb electromagnetic radiation.
Image: Drexel University

We’ve all experienced electromagnetic interference, whether it’s hearing your car engine break in your AM radio station or the squealing of speakers at a concert when a cellphone gets to close. However, researchers from Drexel University may have found a way to all but stop this interference though what they’re calling MXene (2D Transition Metal Carbides).

Electromagnetic interference isn’t just annoying for users, it’s damaging for devices and could lead to the overall degradation of cellphones, laptops, and other electronics.

Typically, to block this interference, scientists encase the interior of electronics with conductive metal (i.e. metal, copper, or aluminum). But researchers for this new study found that a few-atoms thin titanium carbide may be more effective at blocking such interference. Additionally, it is extremely easy to apply – with the ability to be sprayed on to any surface just like paint.

“With technology advancing so fast, we expect smart devices to have more capabilities and become smaller every day. This means packing more electronic parts in one device and more devices surrounding us,” says ECS Fellow Yury Gogotsi, lead author of the research. “To have all these electronic components working without interfering with each other, we need shields that are thin, light and easy to apply to devices of different shapes and sizes. We believe MXenes are going to be the next generation of shielding materials for portable, flexible and wearable electronics.”

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Image: Zosia Rostomian/Berkeley Lab

Scientists can now directly probe hard-to-see layers of chemistry due to the development of an X-ray toolkit out of Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.

The research team behind the initiative believes that their development could provide insight about battery performance and corrosion. Additionally, it could give insight into a variety of chemical reactions, including biological and environmental processes.

The from LBNL:

In a first-of-its-kind experiment at Berkeley Lab’s Advanced Light Source, an X-ray source known as a synchrotron, researchers demonstrated this new, direct way to study the inner workings of an activity center in chemistry known as an “electrochemical double layer” that forms where liquids meets solids—where battery fluid (the electrolyte) meets an electrode, for example (batteries have two electrodes: an anode and a cathode).

Read the full article.

In a battery, changes in electrical potential can be seen in the electrochemical double layer.

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Researchers place a block of glass between a cathode and anode, and then exerted steady pressure on the glass while gradually heating it.
Image: Douglas Benedict of Academic Image

A new study published in the Journal of The Electrochemical Society describing novel finding in how glass transforms under intense electrical and thermal conditions could potentially spur development in glass supercapacitors, which could bolster the performance of batteries now used for electric vehicles and solar energy.

“This technology is relevant to companies seeking the next wave of portable, reliable energy,” says Himanshu Jain, Lehigh University professor and co-author of the study. “A breakthrough in the use of glass for power storage could unleash a torrent of innovation in the transportation and energy sectors, and even support efforts to curb global warming.”

This from Lehigh University:

McLaren’s work in Marburg revealed a two-step process in which a thin sliver of the glass nearest the anode, called a depletion layer, becomes much more resistant to electrical current than the rest of the glass as alkali ions in the glass migrate away. This is followed by a catastrophic change in the layer, known as dielectric breakdown, which dramatically increases its conductivity. McLaren likens the process of dielectric breakdown to a high-speed avalanche, and using spectroscopic analysis with electro-thermal poling as a way to see what is happening in slow motion.

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Image: CC0 Public Domain

Cellphones have changed the way the world communicates, but one bar owner is looking to revert to a more classic type of interpersonal communication – if only for one drink.

Looking to give his customers a little encouragement to take their eyes off the electronic screens, bar owner Steven Tyler of East Sussex’s Gin Tub installed metal mesh in the bar’s ceiling and walls. By doing this, all electromagnetic signals are absorbed and redistributed – successfully preventing them from entering the building and preventing patrons from accessing the internet and social media feeds.

This process – known as a Faraday Cage – is derived from Michael Faraday’s 1836 discovery used to prevent interference between electronic equipment in highly charged environments.

Unlike signal jammers, a Faraday Cage is completely legal.

“Unlike jammers, Faraday cages don’t proactively cause interference, although they do interfere with mobile reception,” said a spokesman from Ofcom, the communications regulator in the UK.

While some worry that the Faraday Cage could alienated younger bar-goers, Tyler believes it’s a necessary measure in a world so addicted to digital communication.

“I just wanted people to enjoy a night out in my bar, without being interrupted by their phones,” Tyler told BBC. “So rather than asking them not to use their phones, I stopped the phones working. I want you to enjoy the experience of going out.”

Image: CC0 Public Domain

Two researchers from Cornell University recently put forward research describing their development of an aluminum-based electrochemical cell that has the potential to capture carbon emissions while simultaneously generating electricity.

Globally, carbon dioxide is the number one contributor to harmful greenhouse gas emissions. These emissions accelerate climate change, leading to such devastating effects as rising sea levels that can dislocate families and radical local climates that hurt food production levels.

(MORE: Read past meeting abstracts by co-author of the research, Lynden A. Archer, for free.)

While there have been efforts to reduce the amount of carbon pumped into the atmosphere, the current levels are still far too high. Because of this, some researchers – including the duo from Cornell – have turned their attention to capturing carbon.

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The French research network on electrochemical energy storage (RS2E) – a public research organization focused on batteries and supercapacitors – has just launched the Young Energy Storage Scientist Award 2016.

The YESS Award is geared toward young scientists in the energy storage field, focused on awarding research funds to innovative and significant projects in the field of electrochemical energy storage, coupled fields of electrochemical energy storage and conversion, or associated characterization techniques.

With this award, RS2E aims to encourage the next wave of energy storage researchers to be as innovative as possible and to say in private/publish energy storage research. The award aims to aid scientists 35 years old or younger from the U.S., Europe, and Canada.

Two $11,000 awards will be distributed, as well as five $2,700 awards.

Deadline for project submissions is July 27, 2016.

Learn more.