"Researchers in the US have discovered a new form of carbon produced by "activating" expanded graphite oxide. The material is full of tiny nanometre-sized pores and contains highly curved atom-thick walls throughout its 3D structure. The team has also found that the material performs exceptionally well as an electrode material for supercapacitors, allowing such energy-storage devices to be used in a wider range of applications."
Showing posts with label technology. Show all posts
Showing posts with label technology. Show all posts
Monday, May 16, 2011
Thursday, May 5, 2011
Boosting the thermoelectric performances
"Physicists in the US and China have boosted the performance of a common thermoelectric material by modifying its electronic band structure. The improvement was made by carefully adjusting the relative abundances of tellurium and selenium in a lead alloy. The result is a material with an all-time-high thermoelectric figure of merit of 1.8 – a result that could lead to new types of thermoelectric devices that can convert waste heat into useful electricity"
Friday, April 29, 2011
Transparent materials for solar energy
"Researchers in the US have developed a new kind of organic solar cell that converts a small but significant fraction of the sunlight that falls onto it into electricity, while still allowing most of the visible part of that light to pass through. Thanks to this transparency, the team says that the cell could be mounted onto windows in buildings or cars in order to tap a currently under-exploited source of energy."
Thursday, April 28, 2011
Thermal barrier coating could boost efficiency of gas turbines
"A spin-out company from Imperial College London has developed a thermal barrier coating for gas turbine parts that can optically feed back its temperature and ageing status even while the engine is running at full speed.
The main application for the technology is in power-generating gas turbines, where the coating could help to achieve significant efficiency savings.
Ceramic thermal barrier coatings, including yttria-stabilised zirconia, are used for the so-called ‘hot section components’ of gas turbines, such as the blades." Thermal barrier coating could boost efficiency of gas turbines | News | The Engineer
The main application for the technology is in power-generating gas turbines, where the coating could help to achieve significant efficiency savings.
Ceramic thermal barrier coatings, including yttria-stabilised zirconia, are used for the so-called ‘hot section components’ of gas turbines, such as the blades." Thermal barrier coating could boost efficiency of gas turbines | News | The Engineer
Monday, April 25, 2011
Gutenberg printing goes nanoscale
"Gutenberg printing goes nanoscale
Researchers in Australia and the US have developed a new way to print nanoparticle arrays. The technique, which is inspired by Gutenberg book printing, could be used to mass-produce nanotechnology components for solar cells, biosensors and other electronics devices."
Researchers in Australia and the US have developed a new way to print nanoparticle arrays. The technique, which is inspired by Gutenberg book printing, could be used to mass-produce nanotechnology components for solar cells, biosensors and other electronics devices."
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
Invisibility cloaks
Novel cloaking device makes 'larger' objects invisible, 20 April 2011 | By Andrew Czyzewski
"Researchers have developed a novel ‘cloaking carpet’ that is able to conceal objects far larger relative to its size than previous devices. Now, a group of researchers from Denmark and the UK has tested a novel metamaterial cloaking device that is only around four times the size of the object it was able to conceal....‘Instead of transforming the cloaked area to a point invisible to our eyes, a carpet cloak disguises the obstacle from light by making it appear like a flat ground plane,’ said Shuang Zhang of Birmingham University, who worked on the project alongside colleagues from Imperial College London and the Technical University of Denmark...The researchers used metamaterials, which are engineered to have optical properties not found in nature, but used a novel grating structure comprising a series of slits or openings to redirect a beam of light."
"Researchers have developed a novel ‘cloaking carpet’ that is able to conceal objects far larger relative to its size than previous devices. Now, a group of researchers from Denmark and the UK has tested a novel metamaterial cloaking device that is only around four times the size of the object it was able to conceal....‘Instead of transforming the cloaked area to a point invisible to our eyes, a carpet cloak disguises the obstacle from light by making it appear like a flat ground plane,’ said Shuang Zhang of Birmingham University, who worked on the project alongside colleagues from Imperial College London and the Technical University of Denmark...The researchers used metamaterials, which are engineered to have optical properties not found in nature, but used a novel grating structure comprising a series of slits or openings to redirect a beam of light."
Astronomical sensors for terrestrial use
QMC adapts astronomical sensors for terrestrial use, 19 April 2011 | By Andrew Czyzewski
"Highly sensitive astronomical sensors are being adapted for commercial, terrestrial uses in security, quality control and medical imaging. The technology, which is being developed by QMC Instruments, was originally used in space telescopes such as Plank and Herschel to peer into the far corners of the universe.
It focuses on terahertz radiation, the far infrared and microwave portion of the electromagnetic spectrum that astronomers use to study the Cosmic Microwave Background and dust clouds where stars are born.
In the past decade or so there has been increasing interest in producing and detecting terahertz radiation from terrestrial sources. Indeed, the latest generation of airport body scanners emit terahertz radiation at a defined frequency, which passes through clothes and to a lesser extent the body, but not metals.
However, the latest technology differs in that it is entirely passive, and is able to detect small amounts of terahertz radiation from endogenous sources such as the human body and certain objects such as explosives — essentially acting like a video camera, viewing the contrast in real time".
QMC adapts astronomical sensors for terrestrial use | News | The Engineer
"Highly sensitive astronomical sensors are being adapted for commercial, terrestrial uses in security, quality control and medical imaging. The technology, which is being developed by QMC Instruments, was originally used in space telescopes such as Plank and Herschel to peer into the far corners of the universe.
It focuses on terahertz radiation, the far infrared and microwave portion of the electromagnetic spectrum that astronomers use to study the Cosmic Microwave Background and dust clouds where stars are born.
In the past decade or so there has been increasing interest in producing and detecting terahertz radiation from terrestrial sources. Indeed, the latest generation of airport body scanners emit terahertz radiation at a defined frequency, which passes through clothes and to a lesser extent the body, but not metals.
However, the latest technology differs in that it is entirely passive, and is able to detect small amounts of terahertz radiation from endogenous sources such as the human body and certain objects such as explosives — essentially acting like a video camera, viewing the contrast in real time".
QMC adapts astronomical sensors for terrestrial use | News | The Engineer
Monday, April 18, 2011
Moth-Eye Structures for Broadband Antireflection
Appl. Phys. Express 3 (2010) 102602 (3 pages) |Previous Article| |Next Article| |Table of Contents|
|Full Text PDF: FREE (763K)|
|Full Text PDF: FREE (763K)|
Hybrid Moth-Eye Structures for Enhanced Broadband Antireflection Characteristics
The authors are proposing hybrid moth-eye structures to have high antireflection propoerties. These structures can be applied to solar cells for high light -to-electricity cinversione efficiency
URL: http://apex.jsap.jp/link?APEX/3/102602/
DOI: 10.1143/APEX.3.102602
DOI: 10.1143/APEX.3.102602
Friday, April 1, 2011
Leonardo's dream
"A research team at Festo has developed SmartBird, a biomechatronic bird that can take off, fly and land autonomously. Festo claims that SmartBird flies, glides and moves through the air like its counterpart in nature — the herring gull — with no additional drive mechanism."
Festo's biomechatronic bird flies and lands autonomously | News | The Engineer
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Friday, March 25, 2011
Undergraduates build power system for moon orbiter
Final-year engineering undergraduates from Warwick University are building the power system for a micro-satellite that will orbit the moon in 2014.Undergraduates build power system for moon orbiter | News | The Engineer
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
Ethanol made from corn
ENERGY, Ethanol Blamed for Record Food Prices
A more flexible policy could ease the impact of ethanol mandates on worldwide markets.
"Earlier this month, the United Nation's Food and Agriculture Organization reported that global food prices had risen for eight consecutive months, reaching the highest levels since the agency started tracking prices in 1990. The prices are high in large part because of steadily growing worldwide demand for food, and because of natural disasters that have hurt harvests, but they're also affected by government policies."
A more flexible policy could ease the impact of ethanol mandates on worldwide markets.
"Earlier this month, the United Nation's Food and Agriculture Organization reported that global food prices had risen for eight consecutive months, reaching the highest levels since the agency started tracking prices in 1990. The prices are high in large part because of steadily growing worldwide demand for food, and because of natural disasters that have hurt harvests, but they're also affected by government policies."
Monday, March 21, 2011
CubeSat
From Wiki
A CubeSat is a type of miniaturized satellite for space research that usually has a volume of exactly one liter (10 cm cube). Beginning in 1999, California Polytechnic State University (Cal Poly) and Stanford University developed the CubeSat specifications to help universities worldwide to perform space science and exploration. The majority of development comes from academia, however several companies have built CubeSats, including large-satellite-maker Boeing.
A CubeSat is a type of miniaturized satellite for space research that usually has a volume of exactly one liter (10 cm cube). Beginning in 1999, California Polytechnic State University (Cal Poly) and Stanford University developed the CubeSat specifications to help universities worldwide to perform space science and exploration. The majority of development comes from academia, however several companies have built CubeSats, including large-satellite-maker Boeing.
The effect of space weather
The first experiment to investigate the effects of plasmasphere disturbances on satellite communications will be launched aboard the UK Space Agency’s maiden CubeSat mission.
Team explores effect of space weather on communications | News | The Engineer
Team explores effect of space weather on communications | News | The Engineer
Instrument able to detect individual nanoparticles
The device detects the tiny particles, suspended in fluid, as they flow one by one through the instrument at rates estimated to be as high as half a million particles per second.
Instrument is able to detect individual nanoparticles | News | The Engineer
Instrument is able to detect individual nanoparticles | News | The Engineer
Thursday, March 17, 2011
Search Engines for the Human Body
A Search Engine for the Human Body: Microsoft software recognizes organs and other structures in medical images, FRIDAY, MARCH 11, 2011, by TOM SIMONITE
"A new search tool developed by researchers at Microsoft indexes medical images of the human body, rather than the Web. On CT scans, it automatically finds organs and other structures, to help doctors navigate in and work with 3-D medical imagery.
CT scans use X-rays to capture many slices through the body that can be combined to create a 3-D representation. This is a powerful tool for diagnosis, but it's far from easy to navigate, says Antonio Criminisi, who leads a group at Microsoft Research Cambridge, U.K., that is attempting to change that. "It is very difficult even for someone very trained to get to the place they need to be to examine the source of a problem," he says."
CT scans use X-rays to capture many slices through the body that can be combined to create a 3-D representation. This is a powerful tool for diagnosis, but it's far from easy to navigate, says Antonio Criminisi, who leads a group at Microsoft Research Cambridge, U.K., that is attempting to change that. "It is very difficult even for someone very trained to get to the place they need to be to examine the source of a problem," he says."
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
Laser-scan system to have a virtual view of Stonehenge
"Experts at English Heritage are using laser scanning and high-resolution digital imaging to create a virtual rendering of Stonehenge that will show it in detail and hopefully reveal new features.
The survey will map the standing and fallen stones of Stonehenge, as well as the top of the horizontal lintels.
Despite the vast amount of archaeological activity and academic study into Stonehenge and its landscape over the centuries, relatively little is known about the lichen-covered surfaces."
Read more: Laser-scan system has virtual view of Stonehenge details | News | The Engineer
The survey will map the standing and fallen stones of Stonehenge, as well as the top of the horizontal lintels.
Despite the vast amount of archaeological activity and academic study into Stonehenge and its landscape over the centuries, relatively little is known about the lichen-covered surfaces."
Read more: Laser-scan system has virtual view of Stonehenge details | News | The Engineer
Sunday, March 13, 2011
Radiation risk
Japan earthquake shuts nuclear facilities but radiation risk unlikely | News | The Engineer
"The massive earthquake that struck off Japan’s northeast coast today has triggered the automatic shutdown of four nuclear power stations, with reports of a non-reactor fire in one and problems with the cooling system in another.
However, there has been no reported leakage of radiation from any of the reactors and based on previous experience of earthquakes at nuclear power plants experts say there is unlikely to be any."
"The massive earthquake that struck off Japan’s northeast coast today has triggered the automatic shutdown of four nuclear power stations, with reports of a non-reactor fire in one and problems with the cooling system in another.
However, there has been no reported leakage of radiation from any of the reactors and based on previous experience of earthquakes at nuclear power plants experts say there is unlikely to be any."
Friday, March 11, 2011
NOAA-DART forecasting
DART (Deep-ocean Assessment and Reporting of Tsunamis) is a service for real-time monitoring the ocean waves. The network has sites positioned at strategic locations throughout the ocean and play a critical role in tsunami forecasting. http://nctr.pmel.noaa.gov/Dart/
http://nctr.pmel.noaa.gov/honshu20110311/
"Tsunamis are giant waves caused by earthquakes or volcanic eruptions under the sea. Out in the depths of the ocean, tsunami waves do not dramatically increase in height. But as the waves travel inland, they build up to higher and higher heights as the depth of the ocean decreases. The speed of tsunami waves depends on ocean depth rather than the distance from the source of the wave. Tsunami waves may travel as fast as jet planes over deep waters, only slowing down when reaching shallow waters. While tsunamis are often referred to as tidal waves, this name is discouraged by oceanographers because tides have little to do with these giant waves."http://oceanservice.noaa.gov/facts/tsunami.html
http://nctr.pmel.noaa.gov/honshu20110311/
"Tsunamis are giant waves caused by earthquakes or volcanic eruptions under the sea. Out in the depths of the ocean, tsunami waves do not dramatically increase in height. But as the waves travel inland, they build up to higher and higher heights as the depth of the ocean decreases. The speed of tsunami waves depends on ocean depth rather than the distance from the source of the wave. Tsunami waves may travel as fast as jet planes over deep waters, only slowing down when reaching shallow waters. While tsunamis are often referred to as tidal waves, this name is discouraged by oceanographers because tides have little to do with these giant waves."http://oceanservice.noaa.gov/facts/tsunami.html
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
Measure for measure
Measure for measure, 9 March 2011, by Stuart Nathan
"There’s a new gadget in my flat. It’s small and unflashy, it’s sitting on the corner of a worktop in my kitchen, and it tells me, from second to second, how much carbon dioxide the electricity I use is generating. And already it’s proving strangely fascinating....So for the past couple of days, everytime I or my partner switches on anything electrical, we’ve been dashing into the kitchen to see what’s happened ...
"There’s a new gadget in my flat. It’s small and unflashy, it’s sitting on the corner of a worktop in my kitchen, and it tells me, from second to second, how much carbon dioxide the electricity I use is generating. And already it’s proving strangely fascinating....So for the past couple of days, everytime I or my partner switches on anything electrical, we’ve been dashing into the kitchen to see what’s happened ...
Having this little chunk of plastic handy has really pointed out what physicists always knew and engineers have been saying since the industrial revolution: if you can’t measure something, you can’t control it. Just knowing, vaguely, in the back of your mind that a certain appliance is a bit juice-hungry is no substitute for seeing the hard numbers when you switch the thing on. Knowledge is power; or, in this case, cutting the amount of power."
Read more: Measure for measure | Opinion | The Engineer
Read more: Measure for measure | Opinion | The Engineer
Friday, February 25, 2011
3D screen with voxels
"Researchers at Southampton University are using the holographic-style display to design a flawless-quality communication system that comes closer to the impression that users are in the same room.
... This ‘HoloVizio’ screen is made up of tiny elements called voxels (rather than pixels) that can represent depth information. Each voxel emits multiple beams of light that vary in colour and intensity depending on which direction they travel."
... This ‘HoloVizio’ screen is made up of tiny elements called voxels (rather than pixels) that can represent depth information. Each voxel emits multiple beams of light that vary in colour and intensity depending on which direction they travel."