Science

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Plantations of nanorods on carpets of graphene capture the Sun's energy

The Sun can be a better chemist, thanks to zinc oxide nanorod arrays grown on a graphene substrate and "decorated" with dots of cadmium sulphide. In the presence of solar radiation, this combination of zero and one-dimensional semiconductor structures with two-dimensional graphene is a great catalyst for many chemical reactions. The innovative photocatalytic material has been developed by a group of scientists from the Institute of Physical Chemistry of the Polish Academy of Sciences in Warsaw and Fuzhou University in China.

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This is the microscopic image of the novel 3D photocatalytic material, designed by scientists from the Institute of Physical Chemistry of the Polish Academy of Sciences in Warsaw, Poland, and the Fuzhou University, China.

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On the way to breaking the terahertz barrier for graphene nanoelectronics: Simple thermodynamics defines the performance of ultrafast graphene transistors and photodetectors

A team of scientists at the Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research (MPI-P) discovered that electrical conduction in graphene on the picosecond timescale - a picosecond being one thousandth of one billionth of a second - is governed by the same basic laws that describe the thermal properties of gases. This much simpler thermodynamic approach to the electrical conduction in graphene will allow scientists and engineers not only to better understand but also to improve the performance of graphene-based nanoelectronic devices.

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Interaction of the terahertz field with graphene leads to efficient electron heating, which in turn strongly changes graphene conductivity.

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Molecular fuel cell catalysts hold promise for efficient energy storage

In the quest for better, less expensive ways to store and use energy, platinum and other precious metals play an important role. They serve as catalysts to propel the most efficient fuel cells, but they are costly and rare.

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A team of chemists from the University of Wisconsin-Madison has introduced a new fuel cell catalyst approach that uses a molecular catalyst system instead of solid catalysts.

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Nanomembranes Boost Efficiency in Wastewater Treatment

Iranian researchers designed a nanomembrane to purify dye and industrial wastewater in one stage with very high efficiency.

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NASA Study Finds Indian, Pacific Oceans Temporarily Hide Global Warming

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Temperature data from the global ocean (2003-2012) at four depths shows the warmest water at depths of about 330-660 feet (third panel from top) in the western Pacific and Indian Oceans.

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A tunable, highly sensitive graphene-based molecule sensor: Researchers at EPFL and ICFO have developed a reconfigurable sensor made from graphene to detect nanomolecules such as proteins and drugs; the device exploits the unique electronic and optical pr

Many areas of fundamental research are interested in graphene owing to its exceptional characteristics. It is made of one layer of carbon atoms, which makes it light and sturdy, and it is an excellent thermal and electrical conductor. Its unique features make it potentially suitable for applications in a number of areas . Scientists at EPFL's Bionanophotonic Systems Laboratory (BIOS) together with researchers from ICFO- The Institute of Photonic Sciences in Barcelona, have now harnessed graphene's unique optical and electronic properties to develop a reconfigurable highly sensitive molecule sensor. The results are described in an article appearing in the latest edition of the journal Science.

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Mid-infrared graphene molecule sensor

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NASA Missions Have Their Eyes Peeled on Pluto

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Artist conception of New Horizons Spacecraft.

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Surfing a wake of light: Researchers observe and control light wakes for the first time

When a duck paddles across a pond or a supersonic plane flies through the sky, it leaves a wake in its path. Wakes occur whenever something is traveling through a medium faster than the waves it creates -- in the duck's case water waves, in the plane's case shock waves, otherwise known as sonic booms.

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This is an artistic rendition of the superluminal running wave of charge that excites the surface plasmon wakes.

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Production of Zirconium Carbide Nanoparticles at Low Temperature without Thermal Operations

Iranian researchers used a new method for the production of a type of nanoparticles, which does not require high temperature and therefore, it decreases the production cost.

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Fundamental observation of spin-controlled electrical conduction in metals: Ultrafast terahertz spectroscopy yields direct insight into the building block of modern magnetic memories

Modern magnetic memories, such as hard drives installed in almost every computer, can store a very large amount of information thanks to very tiny, nanoscale magnetic sensors used for memory readout. The operation of these magnetic sensors, called the spin-valves, is based on the effect of giant magnetoresistance (GMR), for which its inventors Albert Fert and Peter Gruenberg were awarded a Nobel Prize in Physics in 2007.

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Difference in conduction by electrons with opposite spins in ferromagnetic metals can be precisely resolved using terahertz waves.