A mathematical model of heat flow through miniature wires could help develop thermoelectric devices that efficiently convert heat — even their own waste heat — into electricity. Developed at A*STAR, the model describes the movement of vibrations called phonons, which are responsible for carrying heat...
Thermal properties of nanowires - Follow the heat
read more "Thermal properties of nanowires - Follow the heat"
Promising thermo-magnetic data-storage technology with nanoislands
The mechanics and dynamics of heat-assisted magnetic recording (HAMR) are now better understood thanks to work by A*STAR and the National University of Singapore ("A study on dynamic heat assisted magnetization reversal mechanisms under insufficient reversal field conditions"). The experimental study will help scientists aiming to break the areal density...
Smart micelles for marine environments
‘Smart’ materials that alter their structure in response to specific, controllable stimuli have applications in various fields, from biomedical science to the oil industry. Now, A*STAR researchers have created a self-assembling polymeric material that changes its structure when moved from water to an...
Researchers achieve an unprecedented level of control over defects in liquid crystals (w/video)
Sitting with a joystick in the comfort of their chairs, scientists can play "rodeo" on a screen magnifying what is happening under their microscope. They rely on optical tweezers to manipulate an intangible ring created out of liquid crystal defects capable of attaching a microsphere to a long thin...
Skin tough
When weighing the pluses and minuses of your skin add this to the plus column: Your skin - like that of all vertebrates - is remarkably resistant to tearing. Now, a collaboration of researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)'s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) and the University of California (UC) San Diego has shown why....
Natural nanocrystals shown to strengthen concrete
Cellulose nanocrystals derived from industrial byproducts have been shown to increase the strength of concrete, representing a potential renewable additive to improve the ubiquitous construction material. s The cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) could be refined from byproducts generated in the paper, bioenergy, agriculture and pulp industries. They are...
Fascinating quantum transport on a surface
Topological insulators are an exceptional group of materials. Their interior acts as an insulator, but the surface conducts electricity extremely well. Scientists at The Technische Universität München now could measure this for the first time directly, with extremely high temporal resolution and at room temperature. In addition, they succeeded to influence...
3D imaging of objects with details as small as 25 nanometers
Scientists at the Paul Scherrer Institute and ETH Zurich (Switzerland) have created 3D images of tiny objects showing details down to 25 nanometres. In addition to the shape, the scientists determined how particular chemical elements were distributed in their sample and whether these elements were in a chemical compound or in their pure state. 3D...
Wrapping carbon nanotubes in polymers enhances their performance
Scientists first reported carbon nanotubes in the early 1990s. Since then, these tiny cylinders have been part of the quest to reduce the size of technological devices and their components. Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have very desirable properties. They are 100 times stronger than steel and one-sixth its...
Novel nanocomposite coatings combine protection with colour effects
New colored protective coatings offer the same corrosion and wear protection as colorless coatings while their colouration opens new opportunities. Red could for instance be used as a warning color on surfaces which can get very hot. The new possibilities from combining protection and color in such...
A first glimpse inside a macroscopic quantum state
In a recent study published in ("Macroscopic quantum state analyzed particle by particle"), the research group led by ICREA Prof at ICFO Morgan Mitchell has detected, for the first time, entanglement among individual photon pairs in a beam of squeezed light. This is an artist's impression of a beam of entangled photons. (Image: ICFO) Quantum entanglement...
Frustration produces a quantum playground
The construction of model quantum systems or simulators that can reveal hidden insights into other, less accessible quantum states requires paying attention to interactions normally overlooked by most theories, finds a RIKEN-led study ("Microscopic Model Calculations for the Magnetization Process of Layered Triangular-Lattice Quantum Antiferromagnets")....
Simple method of binding pollutants in water with nanoadsorbers
New types of membrane adsorbers remove unwanted particles from water and also, at the same time, dissolved substances such as the hormonally active bis-phenol A or toxic lead. To do this, researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Interfacial Engineering and Biotechnology IGB imbed selective adsorber particles in filtration membranes. It was not until...
The first observation of the effect of electron spin of molecular oxygen on the surface oxidation reaction
Mitsunori Kurahashi, a Chief Researcher of the Nano Characterization Unit (Unit Director: Daisuke Fujita), National Institute for Materials Science (President: Sukekatsu Ushioda) and Yasushi Yamauchi, a Group Leader in the same unit, presented the first spin-controlled O2 adsorption experiment indicating that the rate of surface oxidation is strongly...
Gold nanoparticles size up to cancer treatment
Treatments that attack cancer cells through the targeted silencing of cancer genes could be developed using small interfering RNA molecules (siRNA). However delivering the siRNA into the cells intact is a challenge as it is readily degraded by enzymes in the blood and small enough to be eliminated from the blood stream by kidney filtration. Now Kazunori...
Carbon nanotube fibers make superior links to brain
Carbon nanotube fibers invented at Rice University may provide the best way to communicate directly with the brain. The fibers have proven superior to metal electrodes for deep brain stimulation and to read signals from a neuronal network. Because they provide a two-way connection, they show promise for treating patients with neurological disorders...
EPA proposes reporting and record keeping requirements on nanomaterials
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is proposing one-time reporting and recordkeeping requirements on nanoscale chemical substances in the marketplace. “Nanotechnology holds great promise for improving products, from TVs and vehicles to batteries and solar panels, said Jim Jones, EPA’s Assistant...
Nanorobotic agents open the blood-brain barrier, offering hope for new brain treatments
Magnetic nanoparticles can open the blood-brain barrier and deliver molecules directly to the brain, say researchers from the University of Montreal, Polytechnique Montréal, and CHU Sainte-Justine ("Remote control of the permeability of the blood–brain barrier by magnetic heating of nanoparticles: A...
Switchable adhesion principle enables damage-free handling of sensitive devices even in vacuum
Components with highly sensitive surfaces are used in automotive, semiconductor and display technologies as well as for complex optical lens systems. During the production, these parts often have to be handled many times by pick-and-place processes. Each pick-up and release with conventional gripping systems involves the risk of either contamination...
Possibilities for graphene-integrated polymer composites in dental prostheses ans medical implants
A larger proportion of our population is now living into their 80s and 90s and this has a great deal of influence on the frequency with which either partial and complete tooth loss occurs. There are other causes of edentulism outside of an ageing demographic of course - congenital absence, trauma, dental...
Nanotechnology platform shows promise for treating pancreatic cancer
Scientists at UCLA’s California NanoSystems Institute and Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center have combined their nanotechnology expertise to create a new treatment that may solve some of the problems of using chemotherapy to treat pancreatic cancer. The study, published online in the journal ("Use of a Lipid-Coated Mesoporous Silica Nanoparticle Platform...
Squid-inspired 'invisibility stickers' could help you evade detection in the dark (w/video)
Squid are the ultimate camouflage artists, blending almost flawlessly with their backgrounds so that unsuspecting prey can't detect them. Using a protein that's key to this process, scientists have designed "invisibility stickers" that could one day help soldiers disguise themselves, even when sought...
A graphene solution for microwave interference
Microwave communication is ubiquitous in the modern world, with electromagnetic waves in the tens of gigahertz range providing efficient transmission with wide bandwidth for data links between Earth-orbiting satellites and ground stations. Such ultra-high frequency wireless communication is now so common, with a resultant crowding of the spectral bands...
Graphene applications in mobile communication
GSM, UMTS, LTE, WiFi, Bluetooth – to name just a few of the wireless standards that have become a natural part of mobile communication today. For all these wireless standards, signal processing could not be done without the filtering of frequencies. Micro-acoustic piezoelectric resonators are the dominant technology in the market for this purpose....
New processing technology converts packing peanuts to battery components
Researchers have shown how to convert waste packing peanuts into high-performance carbon electrodes for rechargeable lithium-ion batteries that outperform conventional graphite electrodes, representing an environmentally friendly approach to reuse the waste. Batteries have two electrodes, called an anode and a cathode. The anodes in most of today's...
New transitory form of silica observed
A Carnegie-led team was able to discover five new forms of silica under extreme pressures at room temperature. Their findings are published by . A simulated visual representation of the structural transition from coesite to post-stishovite. The silicon atoms (blue spheres) surrounded by four oxygen atoms (red spheres) are shown as blue tetrahedrons....
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