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The use of direct laser photolithography for creating complex three-dimensional structures in photocurable polymer resist has great potential for the construction of micromechanical and photonic devices. A new study pushes this technique towards its limits to explore just how far its potential might reach.
Nanocrystal quantum dots are excellent emitters of light, but energizing that emission electrically has proved difficult. A newly discovered non-radiative energy-transfer process that allows electron–hole pairs to be generated in quantum wells, and then transferred into quantum dots, could lead to a new generation of ultra-high-efficiency light sources for use at scales ranging from nano-optics to a city block.
The interaction of twin walls with defects influences many of the properties of ferroelectric and superconducting materials. A breakthrough in experimental methods allows the direct determination of twin-wall widths for the first time.
High-temperature superconductors could revolutionize the electrical power industry. New work shows how the introduction of BaZrO3 nanoparticles during growth leads to a dramatic increase of the critical current in the 'second generation' superconductor YBa2Cu3O7.