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Categories: Chemistry: Thermodynamics, Energy: Nuclear
Published New polystyrene recycling process could be world's first to be both economical and energy-efficient
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Engineers have modeled a new way to recycle polystyrene that could become the first viable way of making the material reusable.
Published Powering wearable devices with high-performing carbon nanotube yarns
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Carbon nanotube (CNT) yarns are promising for flexible and fabric-type wearable materials that can convert waste heat into thermoelectricity. To improve the thermoelectric properties of CNT yarns, researchers dispersed CNT filaments in a highly viscous glycerol, enabling the production of CNT yarn with highly aligned bundles together with surfactants that prevent increased thermal conductivity. This innovative approach can significantly improve carbon nanotube-based thermoelectric materials, making it possible to power wearable devices using just body heat.
Published Magnetic imprint on deconfined nuclear matter
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Scientists have the first direct evidence that the powerful magnetic fields created in off-center collisions of atomic nuclei induce an electric current in 'deconfined' nuclear matter. The study used measurements of how charged particles are deflected when they emerge from the collisions. The study provides proof that the magnetic fields exist and offers a new way to measure electrical conductivity in quark-gluon plasma.
Published A powerful tool speeds success in achieving highly efficient thermoelectric materials
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Thermoelectric materials could play an important role in the clean energy transition, as they can produce electricity from sources of heat that would otherwise go to waste. Researchers report a new approach to efficiently predict when thermoelectric materials will have improved performance in converting heat into electricity.
Published Using AI to improve building energy use and comfort
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Researchers have developed a new method that can lead to significant energy savings in buildings. The team identified 28 major heat loss regions in a multi-unit residential building with the most severe ones being at wall intersections and around windows. A potential energy savings of 25 per cent is expected if 70 per cent of the discovered regions are fixed.
Published Much more than a world first image of radioactive cesium atoms
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Thirteen years after the nuclear disaster at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant (FDNPP), a breakthrough in analysis has permitted a world first: direct imaging of radioactive cesium (Cs) atoms in environmental samples.
Published Scientists generate heat over 1,000 degrees Celsius with solar power instead of fossil fuel
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Instead of burning fossil fuels to smelt steel and cook cement, researchers in Switzerland want to use heat from the sun. The proof-of-concept study uses synthetic quartz to trap solar energy at temperatures over 1,000 C (1,832 F), demonstrating the method's potential role in providing clean energy for carbon-intensive industries.
Published The case for sharing carbon storage risk
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Even the most optimistic projections for the rapid build-out of solar, wind, and other low-carbon resources acknowledge that coal, natural gas, and other fossil fuels will dominate the world's energy mix for decades to come. If the vast greenhouse gas emissions from burning these fossil fuels continue to enter the planet's atmosphere, global warming will not be limited to sustainable levels. The capture and geologic sequestration of carbon emissions (CCS) offer a promising solution to the world's carbon conundrum.
Published Using artificial intelligence to speed up and improve the most computationally-intensive aspects of plasma physics in fusion
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Researchers are using artificial intelligence to perfect the design of the vessels surrounding the super-hot plasma, optimize heating methods and maintain stable control of the reaction for increasingly long periods. A new article explains how a researcher team used machine learning to avoid magnetic perturbations, or disruptions, which destabilize fusion plasma.
Published Exceptionally large transverse thermoelectric effect produced by combining thermoelectric and magnetic materials
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source A research team has demonstrated that a simple stack of thermoelectric and magnetic material layers can exhibit a substantially larger transverse thermoelectric effect -- energy conversion between electric and heat currents that flow orthogonally to each other within it -- than existing magnetic materials capable of exhibiting the anomalous Nernst effect. This mechanism may be used to develop new types of thermoelectric devices useful in energy harvesting and heat flux sensing.
Published New work extends the thermodynamic theory of computation
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Physicists and computer scientists have recently expanded the modern theory of the thermodynamics of computation. By combining approaches from statistical physics and computer science, the researchers introduce mathematical equations that reveal the minimum and maximum predicted energy cost of computational processes that depend on randomness, which is a powerful tool in modern computers.
Published Transforming common soft magnets into a next-generation thermoelectric conversion materials by 3 minutes heat treatment
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source A research team has demonstrated that an iron-based amorphous alloy, widely used as a soft magnetic material in transformers and motors, can be transformed into a 'transverse' thermoelectric conversion material that converts electric and thermal currents in orthogonal directions, with just a short period of heat treatment. This is the first example that highlights the importance of microstructure engineering in the development of transverse thermoelectric conversion materials, and provides new design guidelines for materials development to realize environmentally friendly power generation and thermal management technologies using magnetic materials.
Published New Nevada experiments will improve monitoring of nuclear explosions
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source On an October morning in 2023, a chemical explosion detonated in a tunnel under the Nevada desert was the launch of the next set of experiments by the National Nuclear Security Administration, with the goal to improve detection of low-yield nuclear explosions around the world.
Published The big quantum chill: Scientists modify common lab refrigerator to cool faster with less energy
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Scientists have dramatically reduced the time and energy required to chill materials to temperatures near absolute zero. Their prototype refrigerator could prove a boon for the burgeoning quantum industry, which widely uses ultracold materials.
Published Atomic nucleus excited with laser: a breakthrough after decades
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source For the first time, the state of an atomic nucleus was switched with a laser. For decades, physicists have been looking for such a nuclear transition -- now it has been found. This opens up a new field of research with many technological applications. Now, nuclei can be used for extremely precise measurements. For example, a nuclear clock could be built that could measure time more precisely than the best atomic clocks available today.
Published Researchers advance detection of gravitational waves to study collisions of neutron stars and black holes
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Researchers co-led a study that will improve the detection of gravitational waves--ripples in space and time.
Published Diamond dust shines bright in Magnetic Resonance Imaging
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source An unexpected discovery surprised a scientist: nanometer-sized diamond particles, which were intended for a completely different purpose, shone brightly in a magnetic resonance imaging experiment -- much brighter than the actual contrast agent, the heavy metal gadolinium. Could diamond dust -- in addition to its use in drug delivery to treat tumor cells -- one day become a novel contrast agent used for MRI?
Published Major milestone reached for key weapons component
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Scientists have completed a crucial weapons component development milestone, prior to full rate production.
Published New beta-decay measurements in mirror nuclei pin down the weak nuclear force
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Scientists have gained insights into the weak nuclear force from new, more sensitive studies of the beta decays of the 'mirror' nuclei lithium-8 and boron-8. The weak nuclear force drives the process of nuclear beta decay. The research found that the properties of the beta decays of lithium-8 and boron-8 are in perfect agreement with the predictions of the Standard Model.
Published Atom-by-atom: Imaging structural transformations in 2D materials
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Silicon-based electronics are approaching their physical limitations and new materials are needed to keep up with current technological demands. Two-dimensional (2D) materials have a rich array of properties, including superconductivity and magnetism, and are promising candidates for use in electronic systems, such as transistors. However, precisely controlling the properties of these materials is extraordinarily difficult.