Researchers chemically modified native lignin within wood via a simple, rapid, and scalable UV-assisted photocatalytic oxidation method to fabricate what they call 'photonic wood', which retains a high lignin content of >80%.
As the demand for higher data transmission rates is growing, communication via laser beams, terrestrial, ground-to-satellite, and satellite-to-satellite is opening up new possibilities. Fast fine steering mirrors keep laser beams stabilized and pointed in the right direction, making sure they reach their targets exactly, over thousands of miles.
As odd as it sounds, many scientists have attempted to place extremely small diamonds inside living cells. Why? Because nanodiamonds are consistently bright and can give us unique knowledge about the inner life of cells over a long time.
In a potential boost for quantum computing and communication, a European research collaboration reported a new method of controlling and manipulating single photons without generating heat. The solution makes it possible to integrate optical switches and single-photon detectors in a single chip.
Scientists report significantly enhanced photocurrents in an all-inorganic 2D perovskite, achieving over 3 orders of magnitude increase at the industrially achievable level of 2 GPa in comparison with its initial photocurrent.
Researchers have measured giant optical anisotropy in layered molybdenum disulfide crystals for the first time. The scientists suggest that such transition metal dichalcogenide crystals could replace silicon in photonics.
The simple, automated optical identification of fundamentally-different physical areas on these materials could significantly accelerate their application in next-generation, energy-efficient computing, optoelectronics and future smart-phones.
