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Pausing Nature's Crystal Symmetry to Advance Targeted Drug Therapy

From snowflakes to quartz, nature’s crystalline structures form with a reliable, systemic symmetry. Researchers at Drexel University, who study the formation of crystalline materials, have shown that it’s now possible to control how crystals grow – including interrupting the symmetrical growth of flat crystals and inducing them to form hollow crystal spheres. The discovery is part of a broader design effort focused on the encapsulation of medicine for targeted drug treatments.

Water-Free Way to Make MXenes Could Mean New Uses for the Promising Nanomaterials

Drexel University researchers have discovered a different way to make the atom-thin material that presents a number of new opportunities for using it. The new discovery removes water from the MXene-making process, which means the materials can be used in applications in which water is a contaminant or hampers performance, such as battery electrodes and next-generation solar cells.

Making More MXene — Researchers Unveil a Scalable Production System for the Promising, 2D Nanomaterials

For more than a decade, two-dimensional nanomaterials, such as graphene, have been touted as the key to making better microchips, batteries, antennas and many other devices. But a significant challenge of using these atom-thin building materials for the technology of the future is ensuring that they can be produced in bulk quantities without losing their quality. For one of the most promising new types of 2D nanomaterials, MXenes, that’s no longer a problem. Researchers at Drexel University and the Materials Research Center in Ukraine have designed a system that can be used to make large quantities of the material while preserving its unique properties.

Suffocating Ozone — Policies That Stem Emission of Precursor Chemicals Save Lives and Crops

An international team of environmental and atmospheric scientists have pinpointed the chemical emissions that contribute the most to the harmful air quality conditions that are choking more and more cities and causing health problems and reducing agricultural production across the United States. The findings suggest that targeted policies could be more effective in limiting the formation of ground-level ozone, like smog, which contributes to tens of thousands of respiratory related deaths and nearly a billion dollars of crop loss each year.

Taking an X-Ray of an Atomic Bond

A group of researchers led by Drexel University has demonstrated a method that allows scientists to experimentally measure how the chemical bonds of materials are altered when two different materials are linked together. This method provides an atomic layer-by-layer look at the materials’ electron configuration, which is the source of traits like conductivity and magnetism.

Big Plans to Save the Planet Depend on Nanoscopic Materials Improving Energy Storage

In the latest edition of Science, an international team of researchers, led by Drexel University professors Yury Gogotsi, PhD, and Ekaterina Pomerantseva, PhD, present a comprehensive analysis of two decades of energy storage research involving nanomaterials. The authors lay out a roadmap for how this technology can enable the world’s urgent shift toward better energy storage devices and sustainability.

Drexel's MXene Materials Help Photodetectors See the Light

Using a special type of two-dimensional material, researchers at Drexel University have developed a new way to make light sensors that improves their sensitivity and could allow manufacturers to keep up with the growing demand for their use in devices ranging from television remotes to fiber optic receivers in data centers, and light detecting and ranging systems (LiDAR) in autonomous vehicles.

A Dash of Salt Could Fortify MXene 'Super Materials' Against Oxidation

Researchers at Drexel University have removed one of the final barriers blocking new two-dimensional “super materials,” called MXenes, from widespread use in batteries, electronics devices, water treatment and health care technology. With the discovery that a common food additive, polyphosphate salt, can ward off oxidation and stabilize the materials, MXenes could be one step closer to commercial development.

Need More Energy Storage? Just Hit 'Print'

Drexel University researchers have developed a conductive ink made from a special type of material they discovered, called MXene, that was used by the Trinity College researchers to print components for electronic devices. The ink is additive-free, which means it can print the finished devices in one step without any special finishing treatments.

Using Bacteria to Prevent Potholes Caused by Road Salt

Special bacteria that help form limestone and marble could soon have a new job on a road crew. Recent research from Drexel University’s College of Engineering shows how the bacteria, called Sporosarcina pasteurii, can be used to prevent the road degradation caused by ice-melting salt.

Expanding the Use of Silicon in Batteries, By Preventing Electrodes From Expanding

Silicon anodes are generally viewed as the next development in lithium-ion battery technology. Silicon’s ability to absorb more charge translates to longer battery life and smaller batteries, if researchers can check the physical expansion of the silicon that comes with charging. Research from Drexel University and the Trinity College in Ireland, suggests that adding MXene ink to the silicon electrode-making process would do just that.

Controlling What Goes on 'Between the Sheets' is Key to Optimizing MXenes' Abilities

New research from the College of Engineering shows how to customize the properties of materials called MXenes, which have displayed exceptional abilities to conduct electricity and block electromagnetic radiation.