Science

Tags:

In quest for better lithium-air batteries, chemists boost carbon's stability: Nanoparticle coatings improve stability, cyclability of '3DOm' carbon

To power a car so it can travel hundreds of miles at a time, lithium-ion batteries of the future are going to have to hold more energy without growing too big in size.

50988.jpg
Chemists from Boston College and UMass Amherst applied two nano-scale coatings to a unique form of carbon, known as 3DOm. The resulting boost in 3DOm's stability produced performance gains that could lead to the material's use in lithium-air batteries.

Tags:

New nanowire structure absorbs light efficiently: Dual-type nanowire arrays can be used in applications such as LEDs and solar cells

Researchers at Aalto University, Finland have developed a new method to implement different types of nanowires side-by-side into a single array on a single substrate. The new technique makes it possible to use different semiconductor materials for the different types of nanowires.

50987.jpg
Initially the substrate is prepared by depositing Au nanoparticles on it and covering it with a hole-patterned oxide. The first nanowires grow from these holes and after the oxide is removed, the other type of nanowires are grown via the deposited nanoparticles. The resulting dual-type array is presented on the electron micrograph on the right.

Tags:

Learning by eye: Silicon micro-funnels increase the efficiency of solar cells

The fovea centralis, or fovea for short, sits in the middle of the Macula lutea (or macula) of the retina, where the slender, funnel-like ocular cones are especially closely packed together. We see an image with greatest acuity in this small region because each cone there is connected to a nerve cell.

50986.jpg
The scanning electron microscopies (SEM) show how regularly the funnels etched in a silicon substrate are arranged (left: the line segment = 5 microns; right: 1 micron). The funnels measure about 800 nanometers in diameter above and run down to about a hundred nanometers at the tip.

Tags:

Purification of Industrial Wastewater Using Visible-Light Sensitive Photocatalysts

Researchers from Iran and South Korea used nanotechnology to synthesize photocatalysts which have applications in various industries, including textile and pharmaceutics.

50971_0.jpg

Tags:

Ultra-thin nanowires can trap electron 'twisters' that disrupt superconductors

Superconductor materials are prized for their ability to carry an electric current without resistance, but this valuable trait can be crippled or lost when electrons swirl into tiny tornado-like formations called vortices. These disruptive mini-twisters often form in the presence of magnetic fields, such as those produced by electric motors.

50972.jpg
This illustration depicts a short row of vortices held in place between the edges of a nanowire developed by Johns Hopkins scientists.

Tags:

KIT Increases Commitment in Asia: DAAD Funds Two New Projects: Strategic Partnerships with Chinese Universities and Communi-cation Technologies Network

Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) has successfully acquired funding for two projects by the DAAD (German Academic Exchange Service): Under "StratP_KIT - China", KIT plans to establish an interdisciplinary research and innovation platform with four Chinese universities in the Jiangsu Province and in the Shanghai Metropolitan Region. Under "CLICS", KIT will extend the existing research network with partner universities in Hong Kong, Japan, and the USA and develop new joint education programs in the area of communication technologies.

Both projects ideally fit into the internationalization concept of KIT. Among others, this concept focuses on the establishment of international innovation networks, the internationalization of higher education, and the setup of joint infrastructures abroad. Cooperation with institutions in Asia and in particular in China is of major interest to KIT due to the rapid development of science and research in that country and its high economic power. So far, KIT has pursued some 100 cooperative ventures with more than 40 institutions in China.

Tags:

Application of Biocompatible Polymers in Production of Nanodrugs

Iranian researchers succeeded in the production of a new drug delivery nano-system with applications in the treatment of cancer.

50960.jpg

Tags:

Production of Biosensor in Iran to Detect Oxalic Acid

Iranian researchers from University of Mazandaran applied nanotechnology to produce a sensor to detect oxalic acid in natural samples.

50936.jpg

Tags:

Researchers developed a cost-effective and efficient rival for platinum

Researchers succeeded in creating an electrocatalyst that is needed for storing electric energy made of carbon and iron.

50937.jpg
This image shows single shell carbon-encapsulated iron nanoparticles.

Tags:

Monitoring the real-time deformation of carbon nanocoils under axial loading

Carbon nanocoils (CNCs) composed of helical shaped carbon nanofibers have potential applications including mechanical springs and nano-solenoids. There are some reports which measure the spring constant of CNCs.

50939.jpg
This is a real-time observation of CNC tensile tests and SIM images of variations in the coil geometry over time.

Could not connect2