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The electronic, chemical and mechanical properties of quantum dot structures may lead to thermoelectric devices with a range of advantages with respect to existing ones based on bulk polycrystalline materials.
Although research into colloidal quantum dots has led to promising results for the realization of photovoltaic devices, a better understanding of the robustness and stability of these devices is necessary before commercial competiveness can be claimed.
Synthesis of semiconductor colloidal quantum dots by low-cost, solution-based methods has produced an abundance of basic science. Can these materials be transformed to high-performance light emitters to disrupt established photonics technologies, particularly semiconductor lasers?
Tackling the degradation of cultural heritage requires a global effort. We call on all material scientists to develop new nanomaterials and methods for the preservation of artwork.
New non-volatile memory devices store information using different physical mechanisms from those employed in today's memories and could achieve substantial improvements in computing performance and energy efficiency.
Racetrack memory stores digital data in the magnetic domain walls of nanowires. This technology promises to yield information storage devices with high reliability, performance and capacity.
Metal losses affect the performance of every plasmonic or metamaterial structure; dealing with them will determine the degree to which these structures will find practical applications.
