Stories of Discovery & Innovation: A Nanoscale "Tune-Up" for Fuel Cells

Using sophisticated techniques, EFRC researchers are observing, at the molecular level, how hydrogen fuel cells degrade. This work, featured in the Office of Science's Stories of Discovery & Innovation, was supported by the Energy Materials Center at Cornell (emc2), an EFRC led by Héctor D. Abruña at Cornell University.

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Applying a voltage to lanthanum strontium manganite (LSMO) can cause it to separate into distinct regions with dramatically different magnetic properties, as illustrated by the red and blue colors in the above figure.

Tuning Magnetism With Voltage Opens a New Path to Neuromorphic Circuits

Experiments show that applied voltage can dramatically alter the magnetic properties of quantum materials.

A metallic line atop a medium biased at the edge of chaos can provide effective negative resistance for time-varying signals, outputting a larger signal compared to its input. The energy for amplification comes from the static bias applied to the medium.

The “Edge of Chaos” Amplifies Signals Without Transistors

Emulating the edge of chaos of axons enables a metal wire to overcome its resistance without cooling, thereby amplifying signals flowing inside of it.