Battery breakthrough: silicon-based Li-ion anode stands up under stress

Mar 15 | News

Lithium-ion battery anodes are made from graphite. Silicon anodes would offer a ten-fold improvement, but ion travel quickly destroys the material. A new experimental silicon-carbon nanocomposite, built through self-assembly, solves the degradation problem.

Thermopower waves draw big power from tiny wires

Mar 8 | News

Carbon nanotubes with a special coating of reactive fuel can, when ignited, create a thermal wave that not only spreads quickly but also pushes electrons along the tube, creating a substantial electric current. The energy created by MIT engineers far exceeds that predicted by thermoelectric calculations.

Fiber nanogenerators could lead to electric clothing

Feb 16 | News

In research that gives literal meaning to the term "power suit," Univ. of California, Berkeley, engineers have created energy-scavenging nanofibers that could one day be woven into clothing and textiles.

Synthetic gene-like crystals created for carbon dioxide capture

Feb 12 | News

UCLA chemists report creating a synthetic "gene" that could capture heat-trapping carbon dioxide emissions, which contribute to global warming, rising sea levels, and the increased acidity of oceans.

Partnership to launch bright, liquid-free future for solar energy

Feb 9 | News

P2i, a leading maker of liquid repellent nano-coating technology, has teamed up with U.S.-based to commercialize a new plasma process that dramatically reduces the surface energy of a material so that when liquids come into contact with it, they form beads and simply roll off.

Energy-harvesting rubber sheets could power pacemakers

Jan 28 | News

Power-generating rubber films developed by Princeton Univ. engineers could harness natural body movements such as breathing and walking to power pacemakers, mobile phones and other electronic devices.

Phase-changing microcapsules to combat energy use

12/29/2009 | News

Air-conditioning already devours 15% of the total energy consumed in Europe, in part because large-scale glass façades cause temperatures to rise sharply in summer. Fraunhofer Institute scientists have teamed with BASF to design a microencapsulated latent heat storage material that can be used in conventional construction materials.

For nuclear energy safety, scientists explore limits of graphite

12/28/2009 | News

Though not particularly exotic, graphite is a material with great importance to the successful operation of many current and future nuclear reactor designs: its high heat-absorption capacity keeps fuel at safe temperature. The Carbon Characterization Lab at Idaho National Lab is now trying to find out how and why not all graphite is created equal.

Next-generation solar cells on the horizon

12/2/2009 | News

A Monash Univ.-led international research team has developed an innovative way to boost the output of the next generation of solar cells. Scientists at Monash Univ., in collaboration with other universities in Germany, have produced tandem dye-sensitised solar cells with a three-fold increase in energy conversion efficiency compared with previously reported tandem dye-sensitised solar cells.  

Producing plastic without the use of fossil fuels

11/23/2009 | News

A team of pioneering South Korean scientists have succeeded in producing the polymers used for everyday plastics through bioengineering, rather than through the use of fossil fuel based chemicals. This research may now allow for the production of environmentally conscious plastics.

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Much ado about next to nothing

Mar 15

The recent review of the past 10 years of the National Nanotechnology Initiative--as presented by the President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology--suggested the rise of nanomanufacturing as the near future of nanotechnology. But the actual proposed funding reflects a cautious approach, even about nanotech in general.

Lunar tires, space MRSA, and resonating microfluidics

Mar 5

I typically attend the annual Pittsburgh Conference on Analytical Chemistry and Applied Spectroscopy each year in pursuit of specific coverage. This year, I sought out candidates for coverage in a vacuum technology article, and pulled together some instruments for a spectroscopy guide. But as busy as that kept me, it wasn’t all mass spectrometers and vacuum pumps on the show floor.  

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NuGard Coating Ashburn Hill

Jan 7

NuGard First Response Protective Clothing are lightweight coveralls, jackets, and pants that provide protection from heat and flame while keeping the wearers body temperature constant.

Multi-Touch Music Maker

Jan 7

Professor David Wessel shows his multi-touch interface that uses computer technologies that allow him to experiment with fine controls to "caress" the instrument.