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Categories: Anthropology: Cultures, Energy: Technology
Published Visualizing spatial distribution of electric properties at microscales with liquid crystal droplets
(via sciencedaily.com) Existing sensor probes for microelectrical devices can measure only their average electric properties, providing no information on their spatial distribution. Liquid crystal droplets (LCDs) -- microscopic droplets of soft matter that respond to electric field -- are promising in this regard. Accordingly, researchers recently visualized the electric field and electrostatic energy distribution of microstructured electrodes by recording the motion of LCDs under an applied voltage, making for high detection accuracy and spatial resolution.
Published Optical switching at record speeds opens door for ultrafast, light-based electronics and computers
(via sciencedaily.com) Imagine a home computer operating 1 million times faster than the most expensive hardware on the market. Now, imagine that being the industry standard. Physicists hope to pave the way for that reality.
Published Global experts propose a path forward in generating clean power from waste energy
(via sciencedaily.com) Scientists have created a comprehensive 'roadmap' to guide global efforts to convert waste energy into clean power.
Published Robot caterpillar demonstrates new approach to locomotion for soft robotics
(via sciencedaily.com) Researchers have demonstrated a caterpillar-like soft robot that can move forward, backward and dip under narrow spaces. The caterpillar-bot's movement is driven by a novel pattern of silver nanowires that use heat to control the way the robot bends, allowing users to steer the robot in either direction.
Published New invention: The oxygen-ion battery
(via sciencedaily.com) An oxygen-ion-battery has been invented, based on ceramic materials. If it degrades, it can be regenerated, therefore it potentially has an extremely long lifespan. Also, it does not require any rare elements and it is incombustible. For large energy storage systems, this could be an optimal solution.
Published Cracking the concrete code
(via sciencedaily.com) New research introduces metamaterial concrete for the development of smart civil infrastructure systems. Researchers present a new concept for lightweight and mechanically-tunable concrete systems that have integrated energy harvesting and sensing functionality.
Published Synthesis gas and battery power from sunlight energy
(via sciencedaily.com) Plants use photosynthesis to harvest energy from sunlight. Now researchers have applied this principle as the basis for developing new sustainable processes which in the future may produce syngas (synthetic gas) for the large-scale chemical industry and be able to charge batteries.
Published 'Y-ball' compound yields quantum secrets
(via sciencedaily.com) Scientists investigating a compound called 'Y-ball' -- which belongs to a mysterious class of 'strange metals' viewed as centrally important to next-generation quantum materials -- have found new ways to probe and understand its behavior.
Published High-energy-density, long life-cycle rechargeable lithium metal batteries
(via sciencedaily.com) Research shows promise for developing high-energy-density rechargeable lithium-metal batteries and addressing the electrochemical oxidation instability of ether-based electrolytes.
Published 'Green' hydrogen: How photoelectrochemical water splitting may become competitive
(via sciencedaily.com) Sunlight can be used to produce green hydrogen directly from water in photoelectrochemical (PEC) cells. So far, most systems based on this 'direct approach' have not been energetically competitive. However, the balance changes as soon as some of the hydrogen in such PEC cells is used in-situ for a catalytic hydrogenation reaction, resulting in the co-production of chemicals used in the chemical and pharmaceutical industries. The energy payback time of photoelectrochemical 'green' hydrogen production can be reduced dramatically, the study shows.
Published Researchers create breakthrough spintronics manufacturing process that could revolutionize the electronics industry
(via sciencedaily.com) Researchers have developed a breakthrough process for making spintronic devices that has the potential to create semiconductors chips with unmatched energy efficiency and storage for use in computers, smartphones, and many other electronics.
Published Cyprus's copper deposits created one of the most important trade hubs in the Bronze Age
(via sciencedaily.com) The coveted metal copper and a sheltered location turned the Cypriot village of Hala Sultan Tekke into one of the most important trade hubs of the Late Bronze Age. Recent excavations confirm the importance of the Bronze Age city in the first period of international trade in the Mediterranean.
Published Indigenous Ashaninka DNA helps geneticists write new chapters of pre-colonial history in South America
(via sciencedaily.com) Geneticists have written new chapters in the reconstruction of pre-colonial Americas history after using DNA from the indigenous Ashaninka people from Amazonian Peru. They have discovered previously unexpected levels of genetic variation in this group and uncovered a strong hint that these people were involved in a South-to-North migration that led to the transition from an archaic to ceramic culture in the Caribbean islands.
Published Uncovering the ritual past of an ancient stone monument in Saudi Arabia
(via sciencedaily.com) A comprehensive analysis of an archaeological site in Saudi Arabia sheds new light on mustatils -- stone monuments from the Late Neolithic period thought to have been used for ritual purposes.
Published Minimizing electric vehicles' impact on the grid
(via sciencedaily.com) Some projections show that widespread adoption of electric vehicles might require costly new power plants to meet peak loads in the evening. A new study shows that placing EV charging stations strategic ways and setting up systems to initiate charging at delayed times could lessen or eliminate the need for new power plants.
Published Propeller advance paves way for quiet, efficient electric aviation
(via sciencedaily.com) Electrification is seen as having an important role to play in the fossil-free aviation of tomorrow. But electric aviation is battling a trade-off dilemma: the more energy-efficient an electric aircraft is, the noisier it gets. Now, researchers have developed a propeller design optimization method that paves the way for quiet, efficient electric aviation.
Published Game-changing high-performance semiconductor material could help slash heat emissions
(via sciencedaily.com) Researchers have engineered a material with the potential to dramatically cut the amount of heat power plants release into the atmosphere.
Published Lasers and chemistry reveal how ancient pottery was made -- and how an empire functioned
(via sciencedaily.com) Peru's first great empire, the Wari, stretched for more than a thousand miles over the Andes Mountains and along the coast from 600-1000 CE. The pottery they left behind gives archaeologists clues as to how the empire functioned. In a new study researchers showed that rather than using 'official' Wari pottery imported from the capital, potters across the empire were creating their own ceramics, decorated to emulate the traditional Wari style. To figure it out, the scientists analyzed the pottery's chemical make-up, with help from laser beams.
Published Researchers develop soft robot that shifts from land to sea with ease
(via sciencedaily.com) Most animals can quickly transition from walking to jumping to crawling to swimming if needed without reconfiguring or making major adjustments. Most robots cannot. But researchers have now created soft robots that can seamlessly shift from walking to swimming, for example, or crawling to rolling using a bistable actuator made of 3D-printed soft rubber containing shape-memory alloy springs that react to electrical currents by contracting, which causes the actuator to bend. The team used this bistable motion to change the actuator or robot's shape. Once the robot changes shape, it is stable until another electrical charge morphs it back to its previous configuration.
Published Are piezoelectrics good for generating electricity? Perhaps, but we must decide how to evaluate them
(via sciencedaily.com) A 'best practice' protocol for researchers developing piezoelectric materials has been developed by scientists. The protocol was developed by an international team led by physicists in response to findings that experimental reports lack consistency. The researchers made the shocking discovery that nine out of 10 scientific papers miss experimental information that is crucial to ensure the reproducibility of the reported work.