International Center for Materials Nanoarchitectonics eBulletin

Advanced Nano-fabrication Technology Catalyzing Discovery and Innovation at MANA - Seite 2

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https://www.nims.go.jp/mana/research/highlights/vol47.html

Reference
Y. Li et al., "Topological LC-circuits based on microstrips and observation of electromagnetic modes with orbital angular momentum", Nat. Comms. 9, 4598 (2018).
DOI: 10.1038/s41467-018-07084-2

Origins of Macroscopic Friction Linked to Energy Landscape on the Nanoscale
https://www.nims.go.jp/mana/research/highlights/vol48.html 
Everybody is familiar with friction — the phenomenon plays an important role in our daily lives. Yet, although phenomenological laws exist that describe friction on the macroscale, a detailed understanding of the processes involved on the microscale is lacking. Now, Hiroshi Sakuma and Shigeru Suehara (the International Center for Materials Nanoarchitectonics, National Institute for Materials Science, Tsukuba, Japan) with their colleagues have studied friction forces in mica, both theoretically and experimentally, and have found the origin of molecular friction in this system.

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https://www.nims.go.jp/mana/research/highlights/vol48.html

Reference
H. Sakuma et al., "What is the origin of macroscopic friction?", Science Advances 4, eaav2268 (2018)
DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.aav2268

Porous Structure of a Layered Silicate with Selective Adsorption Properties Revealed 
https://www.nims.go.jp/mana/research/highlights/vol49.html

It is not always easy to precisely determine the crystal structure of layered materials — but in order to fully understand and exploit their properties, detailed structural information is needed. Magadiite is such a layered material, used as an adsorbent and a catalyst. It is known that magadiite is a kind of layered silicates: tetrahedra, each with oxygen atoms at the vertices and a silicon atom in the center, grouped in planar arrangements. The precise structure, however, was not known — partly because the material typically occurs as small lamellas displaying poor crystallinity — until now. Satoshi Tominaka at the International Center for Materials Nanoarchitectonics (MANA), National Institute for Materials Science (NIMS), Tsukuba, Japan, and colleagues have succeeded in determining the crystal structure of magadiite. Based on their structural insights, Yusuke Ide (MANA, NIMS) and colleagues also managed to explain why the material has outstanding photocatalytic properties and proved its application in the synthesis of pure benzoic acid from toluene using a photocatalyst system.