italy

Iowa State, Ames Lab physicist says nanoparticle assembly is like building with LEGOs

by

New processes that allow nanoparticles to assemble themselves into designer materials could solve some of today’s technology challenges The controlled self-assembly of nanoparticles could help researchers create new materials with unique electrical, optical, mechanical or transport properties. “Nanoparticle self-assembly has entered the LEGO era,” Travesset said. “You can really work with nanoparticles in the same …

Read more

Notre Dame researchers make neurological disease breakthrough

by

Results of a study by a group of University of Notre Dame researchers represent a promising step on the road to developing new drugs for a variety of neurological diseases. Gelatinases, a class of enzymes, have been implicated in a host of human diseases from cancer to cardiovascular conditions and in particular neurological conditions such …

Read more

India has $35 Tablets Made by DataWind

by

India rolled out what it is calling the world’s cheapest tablet computer Relevant Products/Services on Wednesday. The government is aiming the tablet, called Aakash, at college students and will offer a subsidy to drive the price down to $35. There are plans to sell it at retail for $60 EETimes – Called “Aakash” (or sky), …

Read more

First Energy-Storage Membrane

by

A team from the National University of Singapore’s Nanoscience and Nanotechnology Initiative (NUSNNI), led by principle investigator Dr Xie Xian Ning, has developed the world’s first energy-storage membrane. The new membrane promises greater cost-effectiveness in delivering energy, but also an environmentally-friendly solution. The researchers used a polystyrene-based polymer to deposit the soft, foldable membrane that, …

Read more

Airbus sees demand for over 27,800 aircraft in the next 20 years

by

In the midst of troubled financial markets, Airbus foresees strong ongoing demand for commercial aircraft. According to its latest Global Market Forecast (GMF), by 2030 some 27,800 new aircraft will be required to satisfy future robust market demand. The combined value of the over 26,900 passenger aircraft (above 100 seats) and more than 900 new …

Read more

Manufacturing method paves way for commercially viable quantum dot-based LEDs

by

Researchers have created a high-performance hybrid LED (light emitting diode), comprised of both organic and QD-based (Quantum dot) layers. Until recently, however, engineers have been vexed by a manufacturing problem that hindered commercial development. An industrial process known as vacuum deposition is the common way to put the necessary organic molecules in place to carry …

Read more

Nanoparticle infused film for moisture-resistant coating can enable cheap flexible plastic electronic devices

by

A nanoparticle-infused film brings innovative lighting and display technologies closer to reality. A moisture-resistant coating that extends the lifetime and reliability of plastic electronic devices, such as organic solar cells or flexible displays, has garnered the intense interest of developers of next-generation lighting materials. By cranking out large sheets of polymers bearing electronic circuitry using …

Read more

Adding Hydrogen triples Graphene Transistor Performance

by

A technique that uses hydrogen to improve transistor performance on real-world graphene devices has been demonstrated on the wafer-scale by researchers in Penn State’s Electro-Optics Center (EOC). The researchers demonstrated a 3 times improvement in electron mobility of epitaxial graphene grown on the silicon face of a 100 mm silicon carbide wafer, as well as …

Read more

People are biased against creative ideas

by

Fresh research indicates people don’t even know what a creative idea looks like and that creativity, hailed as a positive change agent, actually makes people squirm. In the journal Psychological Science there is a report on two 2010 experiments at the University of Pennsylvania involving more than 200 people. The studies’ findings include: * Creative …

Read more

Protean Wheel Motors and batteries provides easy retrofit of vans and cars to plug in hybrid

by

Protean Drive™ is a fully-integrated, direct-drive solution. Each motor has a built-in inverter, control electronics and software – no separate large, heavy and costly inverter required. Direct drive reduces part count, complexity and cost, so there is no need to integrate traditional drive train components such as external gearing, transmissions, drive-shafts, axles and differentials. Protean …

Read more

Biologically-Inspired Massively-Parallel Architectures – computing beyond a million processors

by

Biologically-Inspired Massively-Parallel Architectures – computing beyond a million processors (10 pages) Steve Furber, who was a principal designer of the BBC Microcomputer and the ARM 32-bit RISC microprocessor, is a leader of the Spinnaker project. The SpiNNaker project aims to develop parallel computer systems with more than a million embedded processors. The goal of the …

Read more