INFORMATION:
The paper, Self-healing of broken bonds and deep gap states in Sb2Se3 and Sb2S3 is published in Advanced Electronic Materials.
Solar material can 'self-heal' imperfections, new research shows
2021-01-27
(Press-News.org) A material that can be used in technologies such as solar power has been found to self-heal, a new study shows.
The findings - from the University of York - raise the prospect that it may be possible to engineer high-performance self-healing materials which could reduce costs and improve scalability, researchers say.
The substance, called antimony selenide (Sb2Se3), is a solar absorber material that can be used for turning light energy into electricity.
Professor Keith McKenna from the Department of Physics said: "The process by which this semi-conducting material self-heals is rather like how a salamander is able to re-grow limbs when one is severed. Antimony selenide repairs broken bonds created when it is cleaved by forming new ones.
"This ability is as unusual in the materials world as it is in the animal kingdom and has important implications for applications of these materials in optoelectronics and photochemistry."
The paper discusses how broken bonds in many other semiconducting materials usually results in poor performance. Researchers cite as an example, another semiconductor called CdTe that has to be chemically treated to fix the problem.
Professor McKenna added: "We discovered that antimony selenide and the closely related material, antimony sulphide, are able to readily heal broken bonds at surfaces through structural reconstructions, thereby eliminating the problematic electronic states.
"Covalently-bonded semiconductors like antimony selenide find widespread applications in electronics, photochemistry, photovoltaics and optoelectronics for example solar panels and component for lighting and displays.
ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:
Commuting patterns could explain higher incidence of Covid-19 in Black Americans
2021-01-27
The disproportionately high Covid-19 infection rates observed in Black Americans could be linked to their daily commuting patterns, according to a new study published today in the Journal of the Royal Society Interface.
The research found that increased exposure to other ethnic groups, for example as a result of an individual's job or use of public transport, can result in the emergence of an "infection gap" in the population, such as the abnormally high incidence of Covid-19 recorded in Black Americans.
In some areas of the US Covid-19 incidence in Black Americans can be up to three to five times higher than would be expected based on population data. Previous studies have highlighted socio-economic factors including lower income and poorer access to healthcare facilities ...
Metoclopramide inhibits proliferation of leukemia stem cells
2021-01-27
Chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) results from a degeneration of the hematopoietic stem cells (leukemia stem cells), thereby leading to the uncontrolled formation of specific white blood cells, the so-called granulocytes. Research work at the Department of Medical Oncology at the Inselspital, Bern University Hospital and the University of Bern focused therefore on identifying the signaling pathways and control mechanisms of the leukemia stem cell. A promising approach is provided by working with MPR, an anti-emetic medication commonly used to treat nausea and vomiting.
Specific blocking of leukemia stem cell proliferation with metoclopramide
The exact role of the surface molecule CD93 (cluster of differentiation 93) in controlling the ...
UMass Amherst researchers develop technique to replicate bone-remodeling processes
2021-01-26
A multidisciplinary team of researchers at the University of Massachusetts Amherst's Institute for Applied Life Sciences (IALS) have developed a technique to replicate bone tissue complexity and bone remodeling processes. This breakthrough could help researchers further their study of bone biology and assist in improving development of drugs for osteoporosis.
Published in Science Advances, the researchers developed a new biomaterial they call demineralized bone paper. The team includes Jungwoo Lee, Yongkuk Park, Ryan Carpenter, chemical engineering; Eugene Cheong, ...
Cell 'bones' mystery solved with supercomputers
2021-01-26
Our cells are filled with 'bones,' in a sense. Thin, flexible protein strands called actin filaments help support and move around the bulk of the cells of eukaryotes, which includes all plants and animals. Always on the go, actin filaments constantly grow, shrink, bind with other things, and branch off when cells move.
Supercomputer simulations have helped solve the mystery of how actin filaments polymerize, or chain together. This fundamental research could be applied to treatments to stop cancer spread, develop self-healing materials, and more.
"The major findings ...
A compound that slows bone loss, and a resource for developing treatments to slow aging
2021-01-26
A compound that extends lifespan in a tiny nematode worm slows bone loss in aging mice. That surprising result comes from a longitudinal and functional study of 700 aging mice at the Buck Institute, a project that provides a treasure trove of data for researchers aiming to develop therapeutics to slow aging and age-related diseases. The study is currently online in the Journal of Bone and Mineral Research Plus.
The project, which involved five Buck labs and took several years to complete, involved serially profiling the individual mice as they aged while testing several therapeutics that extended lifespan in simple model organisms ...
Race plays a role in children's food allergies
2021-01-26
Black children have significantly higher rates of shellfish and fish allergies than white children, confirming that race plays an important role in how children are affected by food allergies, researchers at Rush University Medical Center have found. Results of the study were published in the February issue of the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology: In Practice.
"Food allergy is a common condition in the U.S., and we know from our previous research that there are important differences between African-American and white children with food allergy, but there is so much we need to know to be able to help our patients from minority groups," said Dr. Mahboobeh Mahdavinia, who is lead author of the ...
Life-threatening complications during pregnancy: greater long-term risk of death
2021-01-26
A research team from the CHUM Research Centre (CRCHUM) has shown that women who have had serious complications during pregnancy are twice as likely to die up to three decades later.
Serious conditions such as stroke, cardiac complications, acute kidney failure and pre-eclampsia affect just under 5 % of women during pregnancy and childbirth.
In a study published in Obstetrics & Gynecology, CRCHUM researcher Dr. Nathalie Auger and postdoctoral fellow Ugochinyere Vivian Ukah examined the long-term mortality risks of women with these types of pregnancy complications by analyzing more than 1.2 million records of women who gave birth in Quebec between 1989 and 2016.
Their findings? Compared to women who had no serious pregnancy complications, women ...
Partners in crime: genetic collaborator may influence severity of the rare disease, NGLY1
2021-01-26
In 2012, four-year-old Bertrand Might became the first-ever patient diagnosed with a rare genetic disorder called N-glycanase (NGLY1) deficiency. The discovery of this condition and Bertrand's diagnosis allowed doctors to look for other children with the same genetic defect. Since then, more than 60 additional patients have been found. The disease affects every system of the body and is characterized by low muscle tone, seizures, developmental delays, and an inability to produce tears.
Sadly, Bertrand passed away in October at the age of 12. Although his life was cut short, his legacy will benefit children around the world. Through ...
UC study: The dangers of drugged driving are outpacing drunk driving
2021-01-26
A recent study of drugged driving, by a team of University of Cincinnati researchers, shows that a sizable percentage of individuals reported the use of marijuana and other illicit drugs while operating behind the wheel.
"We need to focus our efforts on drugged driving, in addition to drunk driving, because drugged driving causes such a high level of fatalities, says Andrew Yockey, a doctoral student in UC's College of Education, Criminal Justice and Human Services and researcher at the UC Center for Prevention Science.
Yockey is lead author on the study ...
Hybrid closed-loop insulin therapy improves glycemic control
2021-01-26
New Rochelle, NY, January 26, 2021--Hybrid closed-loop insulin therapy improved glycemic control in adolescents and young adults with type 1 diabetes. These outcomes, derived from the International Diabetes Closed-Loop (iDCL) Trial, are reported in the peer-reviewed journal Diabetes Technology & Therapeutics (DTT). Click here to read the article now.
Adolescents and young adults with a mean age of 17 years were randomly assigned to a closed-loop control (CLC) insulin delivery system or a sensor augmented pump (SAP) with a continuous glucose monitoring system over a 6-month period. The Time in Range increased by 13% for the CLC group, compared to a decrease of 1% with SAP, for a group ...