The idea of reversibly storing solar energy in chemical bonds is gaining a lot of attention these days. A group of researchers from MIT have developed a novel application of carbon nanotubes which shows potential as an effective approach to store solar energy for use whenever it’s needed. The method simplifies the process by combining… »
In our previous articles, we sporadically mention the need for breakthroughs in energy storing technology and the folks from the University of Illinois have developed a form of ultra-low-power digital memory that is faster and uses 100 times less energy than a similar memory available today. The technology could give future portable devices much longer… »
One of the problems with harvesting sunlight is that sunlight leads to a gradual degradation of many systems developed to harness it. But plants have adopted an interesting strategy to address this issue by constantly breaking down their light-capturing molecules and reassembling them from scratch, thus renewing the basic structures that capture the sun’s energy… »
Stanford scientists are harnessing nanotechnology to quickly produce ultra-lightweight, bendable batteries and supercapacitors in the form of everyday paper. The research team led by Yi Cui, assistant professor of materials science and engineering, includes postdoctoral scholars Liangbing Hu and JangWook Choi, and graduate student Yuan Yang. Simply coating a sheet of paper with ink made… »
The energy available in sunlight is a resource we’ve only begun to really get a handle on. Current photovoltaic-cell technology, typically a semiconductor-based system, is expensive, not very efficient, and only does instant conversions from sunlight to electricity. But an artificial photosynthesis system or a photo-electrochemical cell that mimics what happens in plants could potentially… »
A thin film based on carbon nanotubes (CNT) could replace conventional magnetic loudspeakers. By applying an audio frequency current through the CNT, the loudspeaker can generate sound with wide frequency range, high sound pressure levels (SPL), and low total harmonic distortion (THD). The uniqueness of this advancement is that the films are flexible, stretchable, transparent,… »
Researchers, from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, are also working on capsule additives designed to heal failures in lithium-ion battery electrodes, to prevent the short-circuiting that can sometimes cause a fire. Capsules filled with conductive nanotubes that rip open under mechanical stress could be placed on circuit boards in the areas that are important… »
It is only a matter of time when robots will be more similar or even more advanced than humans. One big step toward this idea was made in Tokyo University. Research group led by Takao Someya, has found electronic skin or E-Skin, a material of very high conductivity that is flexible like ordinary rubber. According… »
