Gizmorama - February 17, 2016

Good Morning,

Computers of the future might be able to work faster and more efficiently, that's all thanks to a new semiconductor material. It's a single atom thick and composed of tin monoxide. Something so small could turn out to be a big advancement with our electronic devices.

Learn about this and more interesting stories from the scientific community in today's issue.

Until Next Time,
Erin

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*-- New semiconducting material promises faster computers --*
SALT LAKE CITY - A new ultra-thin semiconductor material could soon give computers an extra jolt of speed and efficiency.

The material, created by scientists at the University of Utah, is a single atom thick and composed of tin monoxide. Its two-dimensional structure allows electricity to pass across it much faster than the 3D shape of today's silicon semiconductors.

Transistors are a type of semiconductor device used to switch or amplify electrical signals, and they can be found in computers, smartphones and other devices that require graphics processing. The efficiency of 3D transistor materials suffers as electrons bounce around in all directions, but 2D tin monoxide, or SnO, transistors allow less room for chaos.

"[The electrons] can only move in one layer so it's much faster," lead researcher Ashutosh Tiwari, an associate professor of engineering at Utah, said in a press release.

Similar atom-thick 2D materials have shown promise in the field of electronics -- graphene, molybdenun disulfide and borophene. But these materials are only able to facilitate the movement of N-type, or negative, electrons. Tin monoxide allows for the movement of negative electrons and positive charges called "holes."

"Now we have everything -- we have P-type 2D semiconductors and N-type 2D semiconductors," Tiwari said. "Now things will move forward much more quickly."

The new material has other benefits too. Because the moving electrons produce much less friction when confined to a 2D shape, the transistor material doesn't overheat. The material is also more efficient, requiring less battery power.

These benefits could prove useful in a variety of electronic devices, including medical implants.

"The field is very hot right now, and people are very interested in it," Tiwari said. "So in two or three years we should see at least some prototype device."

The new material is detailed in the journal Advanced Electronic Materials.


*-- New polymer shifts shape with changing body temperature --*
ROCHESTER, N.Y. - Researchers at the University of Rochester have invented at a polymer that changes shape when triggered by body temperature. The material could enable new and improved medical implant devices and technologies.

Material scientists have developed a variety of temperature-activated polymers, but this is the first time a polymer has been designed to react to a temperature change subtle enough to be supplied by the human body.

Researchers say the material's ability to shift shapes can be used in a variety of ways.

"Tuning the trigger temperature is only one part of the story," Mitch Anthamatten, an engineering professor at Rochester, said in a news release. "We also engineered these materials to store large amount of elastic energy, enabling them to perform more mechanical work during their shape recovery."

When polymers are bent or stretched, to what extent they hold their shape is determined by the crystalline structures that form. Anthamatten and his research partner, grad student Yuan Meng, found the quantity and distribution of molecular linkers -- which bind polymer strands -- can control the level and growth of crystallization.

The researchers experimented with the levels of molecular linkers until they found a balance that allows the warmth of the body to melt the crystals and trigger the polymer to return to its original shape.

"Our shape-memory polymer is like a rubber band that can lock itself into a new shape when stretched," said Anthamatten. "But a simple touch causes it to recoil back to its original shape."

The polymer's precise temperature sensitivity is just one advantage. It's also quite strong, capable of exerting considerable force as it recoils.

"Nearly all applications of shape memory polymers will require that the material pushes or pulls on its surroundings," said Anthamatten. "However, researchers seldom measure the amount of mechanical work that shape-memory polymers are actually performing."

The polymer can lift or manipulate an object 1,000 times its weight. The technology could be used to improve sutures, time-release drugs, artificial skin and more.

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