Topics: Alternate Energy, Applied Physics, Materials Science, Nanotechnology, Solar Power Organic solar cells (OSCs) are fascinating devices where layers of organic molecules or polymers carry out light absorption and subsequent transport of energy – the tasks that make a solar cell work. Until now, the efficiency of OSCs has been thought to be constrained byContinue reading “Exciton Surfing…”
Category Archives: Materials Science
Biggie’s Starship…
Topics: Materials Science, Nanotechnology, Space Exploration, Spaceflight, Star Trek China is investigating how to build ultra-large spacecraft that are up to 0.6 mile (1 kilometer) long. But how feasible is the idea, and what would be the use of such a massive spacecraft? The project is part of a wider call for research proposals fromContinue reading “Biggie’s Starship…”
Cooling Computer Chips…
Topics: Materials Science, Nanotechnology, Semiconductor Technology A novel semiconducting material with high thermal conductivity can be integrated into high-power computer chips to cool them down and so improve their performance. The material, boron arsenide, is better at removing heat than the best thermal-management devices available today, according to the US-based researchers who developed it. TheContinue reading “Cooling Computer Chips…”
ARPA-E, and Emission-Free Metal…
Topics: Climate Change, Green Tech, Materials Science, Research When it comes to making steel greener, “only the laws of physics limit our imagination,” says Christina Chang of the Advanced Research Projects Agency–Energy (ARPA–E). Chang, an ARPA–E fellow, is seeking public input on a potential new agency program titled Steel Made via Emissions-Less Technologies. During herContinue reading “ARPA-E, and Emission-Free Metal…”
Gold Anniversary…
Topics: Electrical Engineering, Materials Science, Nanotechnology, Solid-State Physics It’s not exactly a wedding anniversary, but it is significant. Fifty years ago this month, Intel introduced the first commercial microprocessor, the 4004. Microprocessors are tiny, general-purpose chips that use integrated circuits made up of transistors to process data; they are the core of a modern computer.Continue reading “Gold Anniversary…”
Scrofulous Signaling…
Topics: Applied Physics, Electrical Engineering, Materials Science, Optics ABSTRACT We present results of near-field radio-frequency (RF) imaging at micrometer resolution using an ensemble of nitrogen-vacancy (NV) centers in diamond. The spatial resolution of RF imaging is set by the resolution of an optical microscope, which is markedly higher than the existing RF imaging methods. HighContinue reading “Scrofulous Signaling…”
Smart Foam…
Topics: Biology, Biotechnology, Materials Science, Polymer Science, Robotics SINGAPORE, July 6 (Reuters) – Singapore researchers have developed a smart foam material that allows robots to sense nearby objects, and repairs itself when damaged, just like human skin. Artificially innervated foam, or AiFoam, is a highly elastic polymer created by mixing fluoropolymer with a compound thatContinue reading “Smart Foam…”
Kagome Metal…
Topics: Condensed Matter Physics, Materials Science, Superconductors Researchers at the Chinese Academy of Sciences have found evidence for an unusual superconducting state in CsV3Sb5, a so-called Kagome metal that exhibits exotic electronic properties. The finding could shed new light on how superconductivity emerges in materials where phenomena such as frustrated magnetism and intertwined orders playContinue reading “Kagome Metal…”
Recycled Plastics, Sustainable Fabrics…
Topics: Ecology, Environment, Green Tech, Materials Science Polyethylene is one of the most common plastics in the world, but it is seldom found in clothing because it cannot absorb or carry away water. (Imagine wearing a plastic bag – you would feel very uncomfortable very quickly.) Now, however, researchers in the US have developed aContinue reading “Recycled Plastics, Sustainable Fabrics…”
Colloidal Quantum Dots…
Topics: Energy, Materials Science, Nanotechnology, Quantum Mechanics, Solar Power ABSTRACTSolution-processed colloidal quantum dot (CQD) solar cells are lightweight, flexible, inexpensive, and can be spray-coated on various substrates. However, their power conversion efficiency is still insufficient for commercial applications. To further boost CQD solar cell efficiency, researchers need to better understand and control how charge carriersContinue reading “Colloidal Quantum Dots…”
Physics and Nano 