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NanoManufacturing

Michael De Volder, Engineering Department - IfM
 

Concurrent electrode-electrolyte interfaces engineering via nano-Si3N4 additive for high-rate, high-voltage lithium metal batteries

http://feeds.rsc.org/rss/ee - Thu, 13/02/2025 - 16:44
Energy Environ. Sci., 2025, Accepted Manuscript
DOI: 10.1039/D4EE03862B, Paper Open Access &nbsp This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported Licence.Jinuk Kim, Dong Gyu Lee, Ju Hyun Lee, Saehun Kim , Cheol-Young Park, Jiyoon Lee, Hyeokjin Kwon, Hannah Cho, Jungyoon Lee, Donghyeok Son, Hee-Tak Kim, Nam-Soon Choi, Tae Kyung Lee, Jinwoo Lee
Electrolyte engineering is emerging as a key strategy for enhancing the cycle life of lithium metal batteries (LMBs). Fluorinated electrolytes have dramatically extended cycle life; however, intractable challenges regarding the...
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Electrolyte tailoring and interfacial engineering for safe and high-temperature lithium-ion batteries

http://feeds.rsc.org/rss/ee - Thu, 13/02/2025 - 16:44
Energy Environ. Sci., 2025, Accepted Manuscript
DOI: 10.1039/D4EE05263C, Paper Open Access &nbsp This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 Unported Licence.Chenyang Shi, Zhengguang Li, Mengran Wang, Shu Hong, Bo Hong, Yaxuan Fu, Die Liu, Rui Tan, Pingshan Wang, Yanqing Lai
The deployment of lithium-ion batteries, essential for military and space exploration applications, faces restrictions due to safety issues and performance degradation stemming from the uncontrollable side reactions between electrolytes and...
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Eutectic Electrolyte: New Platform for High-safety Batteries

http://feeds.rsc.org/rss/ee - Thu, 13/02/2025 - 16:44
Energy Environ. Sci., 2025, Accepted Manuscript
DOI: 10.1039/D4EE05298F, Review ArticleZheng Liu, Fan Feng, Wanchang Feng, Guanwen Wang, Bin Qi, Ming Gong, Fan Zhang, Huan Pang
Eutectic electrolytes (EEs) have garnered significant attention in the field of metal-ion batteries due to their remarkable properties, including high flame retardancy and excellent thermal and electrochemical stability. Beyond the...
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Mon 17 Feb 13:05: Roku: Beyond Generative AI: Achieving Complete Control in Synthesising Testing Data with Unreal Engine

http://talks.cam.ac.uk/show/rss/5408 - Thu, 13/02/2025 - 14:48
Roku: Beyond Generative AI: Achieving Complete Control in Synthesising Testing Data with Unreal Engine

Whilst generative AI has advanced significantly in recent years, when it comes to accountability and assurance of AI systems, the challenge of achieving precise control in synthesizing testing data for algorithm development remains significant. This session will provide an exciting opportunity to uncover how thorough tests are done in the industry before we can deploy AI/CV algorithms in real-world applications! We will delve into:

• Unreal Engine’s advanced capabilities for precise parameterization and simulation of nuanced real-world scenarios, such as subtle lighting changes, tree swaying, and controlled object movements, which ensures a higher degree of realism and reproducibility in testing environments.

• Generation of testing videos tailored for IoT camera algorithms, with a specific focus on motion detection, motion zone suggestion, and event detection.

• Insights from testing – Understanding what tests reveal about the performance and reliability of algorithms, enabling developers to refine and optimize AI models for real-world challenges

Also in attendance will be members of Roku’s Early Career Recruiting team to discuss our current internship and graduate opportunities.

Attendees can sign up via the below link: https://app.ripplematch.com/t/f93dba87

Some catering will be provided following the talk

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Wed 19 Feb 15:05: Probabilistic weather forecasting with machine learning

http://talks.cam.ac.uk/show/rss/5408 - Thu, 13/02/2025 - 11:57
Probabilistic weather forecasting with machine learning

Abstract: Leading up to 2024, rapid advances in machine learning (ML)-based weather prediction (MLWP) had produced ML-based models which exhibit less forecast error than single NWP simulations. However, these advances have focused primarily on single, deterministic forecasts which fail to represent uncertainty and estimate risk, and overall these MLWP models have remained less accurate and reliable than state-of-the-art operational NWP ensemble forecasts. This talk will present our recent work on GenCast, the first purely machine learning based probabilistic weather model to exhibit greater skill than the top operational medium-range weather forecasts.

Link to join virtually: https://cam-ac-uk.zoom.us/j/87421957265

This talk is being recorded. If you do not wish to be seen in the recording, please avoid sitting in the front three rows of seats in the lecture theatre. Any questions asked will also be included in the recording. The recording will be made available on the Department’s webpage

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Wed 21 May 14:30: Title to be confirmed

http://talks.cam.ac.uk/show/rss/5408 - Thu, 13/02/2025 - 11:50
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Abstract not available

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Wed 23 Apr 14:00: Title to be confirmed

http://talks.cam.ac.uk/show/rss/5408 - Thu, 13/02/2025 - 11:48
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Wed 09 Apr 15:00: Title to be confirmed

http://talks.cam.ac.uk/show/rss/5408 - Thu, 13/02/2025 - 11:48
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Abstract not available

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Wed 19 Mar 14:00: Tipping points of the Ross and Filchner-Ronne Ice Shelves: how worried should we be?

http://talks.cam.ac.uk/show/rss/5408 - Thu, 13/02/2025 - 11:47
Tipping points of the Ross and Filchner-Ronne Ice Shelves: how worried should we be?

Ocean models consistently project that with sufficient climate change forcing, the Ross and Filchner-Ronne ice shelf cavities could abruptly transition from a cold state to a warm state. Crossing these tipping points would have profound consequences for basal melt rates, buttressing of ice streams, and ultimately sea level rise. Here we analyse over 14,000 years of “overshoot” simulations with the UK Earth System Model, which includes a fully coupled Antarctic Ice Sheet. As the climate warms, stabilises at different temperatures, and cools again, we simulate many examples of the cavities tipping and recovering. We find that global warming thresholds of around 3.5°C and 5°C tip the Ross and Filchner-Ronne respectively. We also find evidence of hysteresis: the climate must cool back down beyond the tipping thresholds in order for each cavity to return to its original cold state. Even if the oceanography recovers, the ice sheet does not: sea level contribution from each catchment takes centuries even to stabilise, and the ice does not begin to regrow on this timescale. Therefore, if the Ross or Filchner-Ronne Ice Shelves cross tipping points, the resulting sea level rise will be effectively irreversible.

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Wed 26 Mar 15:30: Title to be confirmed

http://talks.cam.ac.uk/show/rss/5408 - Thu, 13/02/2025 - 11:46
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Wed 12 Mar 14:00: Title to be confirmed

http://talks.cam.ac.uk/show/rss/5408 - Thu, 13/02/2025 - 11:46
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Wed 26 Feb 15:30: Title to be confirmed

http://talks.cam.ac.uk/show/rss/5408 - Thu, 13/02/2025 - 11:43
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Crystallization Regulation by Introducing Multistage Growth Template Enables Efficient and Stable Inverted Perovskite Solar Cells

http://feeds.rsc.org/rss/ee - Thu, 13/02/2025 - 11:39
Energy Environ. Sci., 2025, Accepted Manuscript
DOI: 10.1039/D4EE06199C, PaperJiaqi Zhang, Runying Dai, Jia Yang, Yikun Liu, Jianxin Yu, Licheng Tan, Yiwang Chen
The non-homogeneity of nickel oxide (NiOx) nanoparticles (NPs) and the problematic interlayer interconnectivity with perovskite film are the current major bottlenecks for the further development of corresponding perovskite solar cells...
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Tue 04 Mar 11:15: Cygnus X-3 in 2024: many giant radio flares!

http://talks.cam.ac.uk/show/rss/5408 - Thu, 13/02/2025 - 11:34
Cygnus X-3 in 2024: many giant radio flares!

Cygnus X-3 is a `high mass X-ray binary’, which was first detected in the early days of X-ray astronomy, in 1966. It is also seen in the radio and the infra-red (but not optically due to obscuration). The emission is due to accretion from the companion star onto the compact source, thought to be a Wolf-Rayet star and a black hole respectively. It occasionally shows giant fares, and has been monitored—approximately daily—for several years with the Arcminute Microkelvin Image (AMI) at Lord’s Bridge, SW of Cambridge. During 2022 and 2023 was placid, with little variation in its radio (or X-ray) emission, but in 2024 it showed five giant radio flares, brightening from a few mJy to > 10 Jy over a few days.

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Wed 15 Oct 15:00: tbc

http://talks.cam.ac.uk/show/rss/5408 - Thu, 13/02/2025 - 10:09
tbc

Abstract not available

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Van Der Waals Hybrid Integration of 2D Semimetals for Broadband Photodetection

Advanced broadband photodetector technologies are essential for military and civilian applications. 2D semimetals, with their gapless band structures, high mobility, and topological protection, offer great promise for broadband PDs. This study reviews the latest advancements in broadband PDs utilizing heterostructures that combine 2D semimetals with materials of various dimensions and highlights their applications in optoelectronics.


Abstract

Hybrid heterostructures are pivotal in the advanced broadband detection technology. The emergence of 2D semimetals has expanded the range of materials in heterostructures beyond conventional narrow-gap materials for room-temperature broadband detection applications due to their extraordinary optical and electrical properties. This review outlines the cutting-edge and latest advancements in broadband photodetectors (PDs) engineered from heterostructures that synergistically combine 2D semimetals with several different dimensional materials. It begins with a fundamental investigation, offering an in-depth explanation of the essential material properties and a summary of synthesis methodologies. Then, the discussion advances to provide an analytical overview of the categorization, underlying photodetection mechanism, and figures-of-merit of these advanced PDs. Subsequently, the narrative shifts to a comprehensive analysis of heterogeneous integrated devices. The review further highlights the diverse optoelectronic applications of broadband PDs, spanning image sensing, optical communication, position-sensitive detection, integrated sensing and computing, spintronics, and computational spectroscopy are thoroughly highlighted. Finally, the review concludes by addressing the challenges and opportunities in advancing 2D semimetal materials for photodetection.

Crossing the Dimensional Divide with Optoelectronic Tweezers: Multicomponent Light‐Driven Micromachines with Motion Transfer in Three Dimensions

In this work, multi-component micromachines are developed that facilitate 3D motion transfer across different planes. These light-driven 3D micromachines, fabricated using standard photolithography combined with direct laser writing, are assembled and actuated via programmable light patterns within an optoelectronic tweezers system. Utilizing charge-induced repulsion and dielectrophoretic levitation effects, the micromachines enable highly efficient mechanical rotation and effective inter-component motion transfer.


Abstract

Micromachines capable of performing diverse mechanical tasks in complex and constrained microenvironments are of great interest. Despite important milestones in this pursuit, until now, micromachines are confined to actuation within a single 2D plane due to the challenges of transferring motion across different planes in limited space. Here, a breakthrough method is presented to overcome this limitation: multi-component micromachines that facilitate 3D motion transfer across different planes. These light-driven 3D micromachines, fabricated using standard photolithography combined with direct laser writing, are assembled and actuated via programmable light patterns within an optoelectronic tweezers system. Utilizing charge-induced repulsion and dielectrophoretic levitation effects, the micromachines enable highly efficient mechanical rotation and effective inter-component motion transfer. Through this work, fascinating patterns of similarities are unveiled for the new microscale 3D systems when compared with the macro-scale world in which they live, paving the way for the development of micromechanical devices and microsystems with ever increasing functionality and versatility.

Thu 20 Feb 17:00: Cambridge RNA Club - IN PERSON

http://talks.cam.ac.uk/show/rss/5408 - Thu, 13/02/2025 - 10:01
Cambridge RNA Club - IN PERSON

Dr. Sonia Garcia-Ruiz: Differential transcript expression using single-nucleus RNA -sequencing data.

Dr. Vanessa Loiacono: tRNA introns are novel intrinsic antiterminators in plant chloroplasts.

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2D Biomimetic Membranes Constructed by Charge Assembly and Hydrogen Bonding for Precise Ion Separation

In this work, 2D biomimetic membranes constructed via charge assembly and hydrogen bonding achieve precise ion separation with enhanced mechanical stability. Engineered bacteria act as functional spacers, maintaining selectivity while withstanding high pressures. The membranes exhibit near 100% UO2 2+ rejection and exceptional K/U and V/U selectivity, enabling sustainable uranium extraction from seawater.


Abstract

Designing well-ordered, multifunctional layered membranes with high selectivity and long-term stability remains a significant challenge. Here, a simple strategy is introduced that utilizes charge repulsion between graphene oxide (GO) and engineered bacteria to induce liquid crystal formation, enabling their layer-by-layer self-assembly on a polyethersulfone membrane. The interlayer pressure flattens the bacteria, removing interlayer water and forming a densely packed structure. This compression decreases the spacing between functional groups, leading to a robust hydrogen bonding network and a significant enhancement in mechanical properties (12.42 times tensile strength increase). Notably, the pressure preserves the activity of the super uranyl-binding protein of engineered bacteria, which selectively coordinates with uranyl (UO2 2+) through high-affinity coordination bonds, enabling recognition and sieving of target ions. The membrane demonstrates near 100% rejection of UO2 2+, K/U, and V/U selectivity of ≈140 and ≈40, respectively, while maintaining long-term stability. This strategy provides a versatile platform for the precise design of high-performance membranes, advancing the field of molecular transport in energy and environmental applications.

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