From physorg, barium titanate (BaTiO3) nanoparticles in a polymer matrix could allow fabrication of improved capacitors able to store twice as much energy as existing devices. The improved capacitors could be used in consumer devices such as cellular telephones – and in defense applications requiring both high energy storage and rapid current discharge. MIT researchers …
UC researchers (in conjunction with First Nano, a division of CVD Equipment Corporation of Ronkonkoma, New York) have produced extremely long CNT arrays (18 mm) on their EasyTube System using a Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD) process. “First, we were able to grow the arrays up to 18 mm,” he says, ticking off the achievements. “Second, …
UPDATE: Engineer-Poet analyzes the H2CAR proposal and shows why it is a misleading diversion from real solutions Proposed process One of the possible configurations of the proposed H2CAR process. Some images courtesy of Department of Energy/National Renewable Energy Laboratory. Clearly it would be best if coal was not used but biomass only. Scientists have demonstrated …
A european research project, Eureka 3051 virtual fiber , has successfully trialed 10 Mbps symmetrical internet speed for 28000 people over existing copper cable lines. Local businesses in the trial were able to obtain 50 MB/s symmetrical data connectivity. The technology has subsequently been developed to provide 100 MB/s connectivity and has already been sold …
The best plastic solar cells are made from a light-absorbing polymer containing soccer ball-shaped carbon molecules called fullerenes. The fullerenes provide stepping stones in the plastic film for charge to hop across. By carefully heating finished cells to around 150ºC, Carroll and colleagues made the fullerene molecules form whiskers of crystal. These trigger crystallisation in …
Intel’s Larrabee chip will be a multi-core, programmable part that will use a tweaked version of the x86 instruction set and will have at least one teraflop of processing power. Intel expects software developers to craft specialized applications for the processor, giving them a boost on some of the most demanding workloads. Intel expects to …
British gene hunters said they have found the strongest DNA marker yet for obesity, and one that is very common among most Europeans. The investigators first identified the gene, FTO, in the DNA of people with type 2, or late-onset diabetes, a condition that is lifestyle-related. Individuals with one copy of the FTO variant had …
Improved cell by cell analysis is made possible as well as injecting drugs into active cells one at time. This development could be combined with improved versions of surgical microbots to achieve something very similar to the vision of nanobot cellular repair nanomedicine. Drexel University College of Engineering researchers have successfully developed carbon nanotube-tipped pipettes …
MIT Technology Review Jason Pontin (JP) interviews Geordie Rose (GR) of Dwave Systems about the Quantum computer The interview gets more interesting around page 4. The first three screens review the old controversy, which will be irrelevant based on targets being hit in 2008. JP: The plan is to demonstrate a 1,024-qubit machine in 2008? …
An autonomous robotic flea has been developed that is capable of jumping nearly 30 times its height, thanks to what is arguably the world’s smallest rubber band. Tiny micro electromechanical systems (MEMS) motors stretch a diminutive nine-micron-thick, two-millimeter-long rubber band in order to allow a microbot to catapult itself through the air like a flea. …
From Nanowerk a spotlight report on native protein nanolithography (NPNL) that allows the fabrication of bioactive protein nanoarrays down to a resolution of 50 nm in a fast and versatile manner without the need of vacuum or ambient atmosphere conditions – but under conditions of a physiological solution. This allow for nanopatterning of more fragile …