Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have developed a high-quality thin film superconductor made of ternary tetradymite (consisting of bismuth, tellurium, and sulfur) that exhibits record-setting electron mobility, making it ideal for efficient electrical current flow and low-power electronic applications.

Superconductivity is a physical property where electrical resistance vanishes and magnetic fields are expelled from the material.

The ternary tetradymite material has excellent electron mobility and low defect density, allowing electrons to flow through without obstacles, leading to more efficient electrical conductivity and less energy loss.

The high electron mobility, significantly faster than silicon semiconductors traditional copper wires, indicates better conductivity for more efficient and powerful electronic devices with less heat generation and energy waste.

The technical details of the new ternary tetradymite thin film, were published in the journal Materials Today Physics.

Sources: Economic Times, Live Science, ZOL, IFeng, AZoM, Popular Mechanics, Mirage News, India Education Diary, Compound Semiconductor, Noticias de la Ciencia, Spintronics-Info, Notiulti, MIT News.

This article was written in collaboration with Generative AI news company Alchemiq.

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Like most items with which we live and use on a daily basis, electronics are subject to wear and tear, which reduces their performance until they need to be replaced.

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However, the field of self-repairing material is growing rapidly, and scientists at the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology have developed eco-friendly nanocrystal semiconducters that can "heal" themselves – potentially saving users from shelling out for another new smartphone.

The journal Advanced Functional Materials recently published the researchers' findings, which show a group of materials called double perovskites displaying self-healing properties after being damaged by radiation from an electron beam. Perovskites, first discovered in the 19^th century, caught scientists' attention because of their electro-optical characteristics that make them highly efficient in converting energy.

Professor Yehonadav Bekenstein from the Technion's Faculty of Materials Sciences and Engineering and the Solid-State Institute is leading a team that specializes in the synthesis of nano-scale crystals from new materials. By controlling the crystals' composition, shape, and size, they change the material's physical properties. The team is seeking out environmentally friendly alternatives to toxic lead, and engineering perovskites that are free of lead.

Bekenstein's lab produced perovskite nanoparticles through a short, simple process that involved heating the material to 100°C for a few minutes. When Ph.D. students Sasha Khalfin and Noam Veber examined the particles using a transmission electron microscope, they discovered that the microscope's high-voltage electron beam created holes in the nanocrystals. The researchers were then able to explore how those holes interacted with the surrounding material.

The researchers developed a code that analyzed dozens of videos made using the electron microscope and discovered that found that holes formed on the surface of the nanoparticles, then moved to energetically stable areas inside. They hypothesized that holes moved inward due to organic molecules that coated the nanocrystals' surface. Once these organic molecules were removed, the group discovered the crystal spontaneously ejected the holes to the surface and out, essentially repairing itself.

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The United States on Thursday blacklisted three entities linked to efforts to bolster Iran's military capabilities.

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The Commerce Department's Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) announced it added Wavelet Electronics, Comtel Technology Limited and HSJ Electronics to its list of bodies guilty of "actions contrary to the national security or foreign policy interests of the United States."

Washington accused the companies of attempts to "supply US-origin items that could provide material support to Iran's advanced conventional weapons and missile programs."

Their inclusion on the list prevents them from exporting, re-exporting or conducting in-country equipment transfers.

Iran criticized the measure as indicating a "lack of goodwill" as talks were ongoing in the Austrian capital of Vienna on rescuing the 2015 Iran nuclear deal.

This article was first published by i24NEWS.

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