Research & Development World

Metrology, the science of measurement, underpins modern industry, offering the standards that define how we measure the world. At its core, optical metrology relies on interference fringes — the alternating light and dark bands that appear when light waves interact constructively and destructively. This fundamental principle has remained largely unchanged since Thomas Young’s double-slit experiments…

The semiconductor industry is running towards a nano-scale wall. For decades electronics have become smaller, faster and smarter. Today, a chip’s transistors are so densely packed and tiny that manufacturers are forced to build and design complex 3D architectures, at the nanometer scale, just to keep up with Moore’s Law. Discover how Atom Probe Tomography…

A study led by UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers has shown that increasing glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide receptor (GIPR) activity in fat cells leads to significant weight loss in obese mice. Published in Cell Metabolism, the research highlights GIPR’s potential as a therapeutic target for obesity and related metabolic diseases. “Our study brings GIPR in fat…

Imec, a partner in EnergyVille, in collaboration with the University of Cyprus, has reported significant progress in the development of perovskite solar modules, demonstrating long-term outdoor stability after two years of real-world testing. Mini-modules measuring 4 cm² retained 78% of their initial power conversion efficiency (PCE) after one year in outdoor conditions in Cyprus. This…

Despite another solid national jobs report in December 2024—256,000 new payroll jobs and a steady 4.1% unemployment rate—companies in research-intensive fields have continued to trim their workforces in early 2025. While the broader economy shows gains in health care and retail, our tracking indicates that biotech, advanced software, and other R&D-driven sectors are strategically realigning. For…

Batteries have recently come in various configurations: stretchable, as discussed in R&D World’s article “Stretchable batteries and body-conformable electronics poised to advance in 2025,” and batteries using alternative chemistries, including lithium-iron-phosphate (LFP) and sodium-ion (SIBs), among others. One battery material that might not have been on your bingo card is fungi. Researchers at Empa have…

Batteries have recently come in various configurations: stretchable, as discussed in R&D World’s article “Stretchable batteries and body-conformable electronics poised to advance in 2025,” and batteries using alternative chemistries, including lithium-iron-phosphate (LFP) and sodium-ion (SIBs), among others. One battery material that might not have been on your bingo card is fungi. Researchers at Empa have…

In this week’s R&D Market Pulse, the $29.1 billion Constellation-Calpine mega-merger promises to reshape U.S. energy, the Commerce Department awards a third CHIPS for America facility to Arizona State University, and new AI export restrictions put China on notice. Meanwhile, Elon Musk’s xAI rolls out a consumer app, BlackRock withdraws from a major climate initiative,…

Despite another solid national jobs report in December 2024—256,000 new payroll jobs and a steady 4.1% unemployment rate—companies in research-intensive fields have continued to trim their workforces in early 2025. While the broader economy shows gains in health care and retail, our tracking indicates that biotech, advanced software, and other R&D-driven sectors are strategically realigning. For…