Researcher predicts that carbon nanotubes will have trouble getting more than 30 GPa of strength Laboratory tests have shown that individual nanotubes can withstand an average of about 100 GPa, an unusual strength that comes courtesy of their crystalline structure. But if a nanotube is missing just one carbon atom, this can reduce its strength …
Ultra dense nanowire memory is possible Spanier as estimating the density of computer memory drives made of nanowires to be 10,000 terabits of data per cubic centimeter as opposed to the five gigabits per cubic centimeter of current flash memory drives. It’s probably going to be fairly long before this can be achieved, however. Spanier …
The research is applying new materials, new technologies and new ideas to radically improve an old concept — thermophotovoltaic (TPV) conversion of light into electricity. Rather than using the engine to turn a generator or alternator in a car, for example, the new TPV system would burn a little fuel to create super-bright light. Efficient …
Folding bicycles by Dahon, Montague and others folding recumbant bikes can be brought onto public transit. They typically cost about $300 to $900. There are several folding bike buyers guides For a more comfortable ride, get an electic folding bicycle. The bionx can be used to convert regular bikes to electric bikes If you currently …
A prior review of the state of desalination A nanotube membrane on a silicon chip the size of a quarter may offer a cheaper way to remove salt from water. Researchers at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory have created a membrane made of carbon nanotubes and silicon that may offer, among many possible applications, a …
The DARPA Urban Challenge will feature autonomous ground vehicles executing simulated military supply missions safely and effectively in a mock urban area. Safe operation in traffic is essential to U.S. military plans to use autonomous ground vehicles to conduct important missions.DARPA will award prizes for the top three autonomous ground vehicles that compete ina final …
Stripping hydrogen from silicon surfaces with light instead of heat promises to improve the quality of computer chips and solar cells A team of researchers has achieved a long-sought scientific goal: using laser light to break specific molecular bonds. The process uses laser light, instead of heat, to strip hydrogen atoms from silicon surfaces. This …
A product for human wall crawling, gekkomat, is in working prototype form by a small German company. More pictures and video Brian WangBrian Wang is a Futurist Thought Leader and a popular Science blogger with 1 million readers per month. His blog Nextbigfuture.com is ranked #1 Science News Blog. It covers many disruptive technology and …
AU16, AU17, AU18 are the metallic equivalent of carbon 60 in that they are a metallic cage thank could hold other atoms. Scientists have uncovered a class of gold atom clusters that are the first known metallic hollow equivalents of the famous hollow carbon fullerenes known as buckyballs. The fullerene is made up of a …
Chemist Fraser Stoddart, now at the University of California Los Angeles, and his co-workers have designed and made numerous molecules based on hanging ring-shaped molecules on other chain-like molecules and loops. By incorporating functional chemical groups along the length of the chain or around these loops, they have shown that it is possible to make …
Q: We have trouble predicting the details of whether a technical project will succeed this year…how can we predict 20 to 30 years ? A: When you change the level of detail to look at trends and combine it with theory and experiments and known knowledge then you can make reasonable forecasts. Improving trends are …