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  Free Flow of Electrons!   Electrons are the building blocks of electronic devices and the movement of these electrons plays a crucial role in the functionality of electronic devices. Basically, any electronic conduction requires the movement of electrons and thus it is a very fundamental and important aspect. In traditional metals, electrons are expected to move diffusively, meaning that they behave like individual particles. However, a recent study has discovered a novel behaviour of electrons in a metal called ditetrelide (NbGe2), where electrons behave like a fluid, flowing in a way similar to water in a pipe. This fluid-like behaviour is due to the interaction between electrons and quasiparticles called phonons, which arise from vibrations in the crystal structure of the metal.     This discovery has important implications for the development of new electronic devices as it completely revolutionaries electrical conduction. Let's first look at the tr...

  FLICK, PULSE AND SUPERCONDUCT   WHAT IS SUPERCONDUCTIVITY?   By definition, superconductivity is a state of matter that has no electrical resistance and does not allow magnetic fields to penetrate. For regular conductors, as we know, resistance decreases linearly with temperature and becomes 0 at absolute temperature (0 Kelvin). However, in the case of superconductors, they have a critical temperature — based on their physical properties — below which their resistance drops to 0 ohms. Now, superconductors are of great influence due to their properties and hence find multitudes of applications. However, this also makes them expensive and difficult to obtain.   Graphene, an allotrope of carbon (which is more accessible than currently available superconductors) also acts as a superconductor. However, there is a twist Source: www.maxpixel.net   Graphene is a one-atom-thick layer of carbon atoms arranged in a hexagonal lattice. When multiple gra...

Shrilk: When Shrimps and Silk Make Plastic   Did you know that shrimp exoskeletons are stronger than steel? Shrimp shells can also be used to make strong, biodegradable plastic – which is exactly what scientists at the University of Central Florida have been doing for the past few years. The team has found a way to turn these small crustacean shells into a useful material, one that can be used to create various products. Because this new type of plastic is made from natural materials, it’s not only sustainable but also eco-friendly. Keep reading to learn more about this interesting research! Why Shrimp Shells? First, let’s find out why shrimp shells are such an attractive material for plastic making. Shrimp are abundant and renewable: We can harvest shrimp and then recycle their shells as many times as we want. Shrimp shells are naturally porous: This makes them an excellent material for biodegradable plastic, which needs to be able to break down in the environment. Shrimp shel...

  INTRODUCTION   Have you ever marveled over how far we have come from using flintstones? The human race's achievements in all technological fields over the last century are far beyond expectations. The majority of this success is owed to semiconductors. Semiconductors, used in ICs, microprocessors, in every electronic device have led to feats in communications, computing, healthcare, military systems, automobiles, space missions, artificial intelligence, and every other essential industry.     Are these materials easy to obtain? How are they actually produced? Let’s have a look.   THE PROCESS Making semiconductor devices involve several complicated steps.   1.       MINING The raw material for most silicon, the most commonly used semiconductor, production is the mineral quartzite. Raw quartzite is mostly silicon dioxide (SiO2), and the refining process begins with a reduction reaction to getting rid of the o...

  Deep below Earth’s surface 2,900 kilometers deep, to be precise is a mass of mostly molten iron forming the planet’s outer core. Could it rust as well? Iron on Earth’s surface—whether in simple nails or mighty girders—reacts gradually when exposed to moist air or oxygenated water through a chemical reaction known as oxidation. The reddish-brown product of this reaction is rust. A new study claims that the earth's core is rusting. rusting happens when the iron is exposed to moist air and oxygenated water leading to a chemical reaction leaving a reddish residue behind and making the iron weak. Since the core is situated 2900kms below the earth's surface it was assumed that the high pressure environment and lack of water-bearing minerals have protected the iron in the core from rusting. But recent experiments suggested that rust can form at high pressures and could possibly be formed at locations where water from the earth's crust has sunk to the core-mantle boundry. In the ...

Talking about semiconductors the first and most widely used semiconductor that comes to our mind is silicon, but is silicon the best semiconductor? A team of researchers has discovered what the Massachusetts Institute of Technology calls the “best semiconductor material ever found,” even better than silicon, the material used in just about every computer chip on earth Let's know a little about semiconductors. A semiconductor is a solid substance that has a conductivity between that of an insulator and that of most metals, either due to the addition of an impurity or because of temperature effects. Silicon is one of the most abundant elements on Earth, and in its pure form, the material has become the foundation of much of modern technology, from solar cells to computer chips. But silicon’s properties as a semiconductor are far from ideal. For a thought, is there any other Semiconductor that is better than Silicon? Well, a recent study done by an MIT professor has proved that cubic ...