Electron microscopy images displaying the formation of the hole on the surface of the nanocrystal and its movement inwards.
Credit: Bekenstein lab
Self-healing nanomaterials usable in solar panels and other electronic devices are being explored at the Technion
From the Terminator to Spiderman’s suit, self-repairing robots and devices abound in sci-fi movies. In reality, though, wear and tear reduce the effectiveness of electronic devices until they need to be replaced. What is the cracked screen of your mobile phone healing itself overnight, or the solar panels providing energy to satellites continually repairing the damage caused by micro-meteorites?
The field of self-repairing materials is rapidly expanding, and what used to be science fiction might soon become reality, thanks to Technion – Israel Institute of Technology scientists who developed eco-friendly nanocrystal semiconductors capable of self-healing. Their findings, recently published in Advanced Functional Materials, describe the process, in which a group of materials called double perovskites display self-healing properties after being damaged by the radiation of an electron beam. The perovskites, first discovered in 1839, have recently garnered scientists’ attention due to unique electro-optical characteristics that make them highly efficient in energy conversion, despite inexpensive production. A special effort has been put into the use of lead-based perovskites in highly efficient solar cells.
The Technion research group of Professor Yehonadav Bekenstein from the Faculty of Materials Sciences and Engineering and the Solid-State Institute at the Technion is searching for green alternatives to the toxic lead and engineering lead-free perovskites. The team specializes in the synthesis of nano-scale crystals of new materials. By controlling the crystals’ composition, shape, and size, they change the material’s physical properties.
Nanocrystals are the smallest material particles that remain naturally stable. Their size makes certain properties more pronounced and enables research approaches that would be impossible on larger crystals, such as imaging using electron microscopy to see how atoms in the materials move. This was, in fact, the method that enabled the discovery of self-repair in the lead-free perovskites.
The perovskite nanoparticles were produced in Prof. Bekenstein’s lab using a short, simple process that involves 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 the exciting phenomenon. The high voltage electron beam used by this type of microscope caused faults and holes in the nanocrystals. The researchers were then able to explore how these holes interact with the material surrounding them and move and transform within it.
They saw that the holes moved freely within the nanocrystal, but avoided its edges. The researchers developed a code that analyzed dozens of videos made using the electron microscope to understand the movement dynamics within the crystal. They found that holes formed on the surface of the nanoparticles, and then moved to energetically stable areas inside. The reason for the holes’ movement inwards was hypothesized to be organic molecules coating the nanocrystals’ surface. Once these organic molecules were removed, the group discovered the crystal spontaneously ejected the holes to the surface and out, returning to its original pristine structure – in other words, the crustal repaired itself.
This discovery is an important step towards understanding the processes that enable perovskite nanoparticles to heal themselves, and paves the way to their incorporation in solar panels and other electronic devices.
Original Article: Self-Repairing Electronics are on the Way
More from: Technion-Israel Institute of Technology
The Latest Updates from Bing News & Google News
Go deeper with Bing News on:
Self-healing nanomaterials
- Self-Healing Materials Market Estimated to Reach US$ 15.57 billion by 2032, Fueled by Infrastructure Surge in Developing Economies
The self-healing materials industry size estimated at US$ 1.61 billion in 2022 is anticipated to grow at a CAGR of 25.5% from 2022 to 2032. Materials that are capable of self-healing are stimulated by ...
- Nanomaterials news
A new model developed by scientists from the Max Planck Institute for Dynamics and Self-Organization (MPI ... are an intriguing class of nanomaterials that have attracted a great deal of attention ...
- Current Nanomaterials and Current Analytical Chemistry have been indexed in Ei Compendex
Bentham Science is pleased to announce that two of its journals, Current Nanomaterials and Current Analytical Chemistry, have been officially indexed in the EI Compendex. EI Compendex is one of ...
- Self-healing ceramic coatings: a game-changer for transportation
and is it possible to manufacture ceramic coatings with anti-corrosion and self-healing properties? Using a technique called Plasma Electrolytic Oxidation (PEO), Dr Mingo’s team is looking to achieve ...
- Applitools Execution Cloud offers users new self-healing capabilities
This cloud-based testing platform offers built-in self healing features geared at allowing engineering and testing teams to run existing tests against an AI-powered test infrastructure.
Go deeper with Google Headlines on:
Self-healing nanomaterials
[google_news title=”” keyword=”self-healing nanomaterials” num_posts=”5″ blurb_length=”0″ show_thumb=”left”]
Go deeper with Bing News on:
Self-repairing electronics
- One Tech Tip: How to repair an electric toothbrush
Inside an electric toothbrush’s waterproof housing is a battery that powers a tiny motor which rapidly rotates or vibrates a replaceable brush head. The batteries are usually rechargeable but don't ...
- How To (Barely) Make Sense Of Tesla Sacking Its Supercharger Team
What reasons could Tesla possibly have to lay off its Supercharger team when most consider it to be one of the company's prized jewels? Here are a few possibilities.
- iFixit Now Offers Fix Kits For Kobo’s Colored E-readers
iFixit, the company that sells repair tools and parts for electronics, will soon provide repair kits for Kobo's colored e-readers. If you own one, it should be exciting news as you'll have everything ...
- Little Caesars franchisee diversifies with electronics reseller PayMore
With a hint of self-deprecating humor and insight into how his entrepreneur mind works, Wes Swaney described himself as a “dream killer.” “I’ve looked at a lot of opportunities, hundreds of other ...
- The real reason so many laptops have moved to soldered RAM
There are some glaring downsides to using soldered RAM. Laptop manufacturers can get away with them, because hey, for many users it just doesn’t matter. However, for those who care, the laptop market ...
Go deeper with Google Headlines on:
Self-repairing electronics
[google_news title=”” keyword=”self-repairing electronics” num_posts=”5″ blurb_length=”0″ show_thumb=”left”]