Chemistry: Thermodynamics Energy: Nuclear Physics: General
Published

New plasma escape mechanism could protect fusion vessels from excessive heat      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

The exhaust heat generated by a fusing plasma in a commercial-scale reactor may not be as damaging to the vessel's innards as once thought, according to new research about escaping plasma particles.

Chemistry: Biochemistry Chemistry: Inorganic Chemistry Chemistry: Thermodynamics Offbeat: General Offbeat: Space Physics: Optics Space: General
Published

Researchers engineer new approach for controlling thermal emission      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

If a material absorbs light, it will heat up. That heat must go somewhere, and the ability to control where and how much heat is emitted can protect or even hide such devices as satellites. An international team of researchers has published a novel method for controlling this thermal emission in Science.

Chemistry: Thermodynamics
Published

Newly developed material logs and stores stress information of infrastructure      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A new material may be the key to quickly flag damaged infrastructure. This material offers a way to reduce the manpower required to regularly monitor structures that undergo daily use such as bridges. Compared to previous methods, this environmentally friendly material boasts the ability to operate without a power supply, and store information about previous incidents of mechanical stress. The application of this mechanoluminescent material is expected to make it easier and less costly to assess the safety of structures we may use in our everyday lives.

Chemistry: Thermodynamics Physics: General
Published

Pushing an information engine to its limits      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

The molecules that make up the matter around us are in constant motion. What if we could harness that energy and put it to use? Over 150 years ago Maxwell theorized that if molecules' motion could be measured accurately, this information could be used to power an engine. Until recently this was a thought experiment, but technological breakthroughs have made it possible to build working information engines in the lab. Researchers have now teamed up to build an information engine and test its limits.

Chemistry: Thermodynamics Energy: Technology Environmental: General Geoscience: Environmental Issues
Published

Overcoming barriers to heat pump adoption in cold climates and avoiding the 'energy poverty trap'      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Converting home heating systems from natural gas furnaces to electric heat pumps is seen as a way to address climate change by reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

Chemistry: General Chemistry: Inorganic Chemistry Chemistry: Organic Chemistry Chemistry: Thermodynamics
Published

Researchers create materials with unique combo of stiffness, thermal insulation      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers have demonstrated the ability to engineer materials that are both stiff and capable of insulating against heat. This combination of properties is extremely unusual and holds promise for a range of applications, such as the development of new thermal insulation coatings for electronic devices.

Chemistry: Inorganic Chemistry Chemistry: Thermodynamics Environmental: General Environmental: Water Geoscience: Environmental Issues
Published

Performance of eco-friendly cooling applications enhanced      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers have developed a sustainable and controllable strategy to manipulate interfacial heat transfer, paving the way for improving the performance of eco-friendly cooling in various applications such as electronics, buildings and solar panels.

Chemistry: Thermodynamics Energy: Nuclear Environmental: General Environmental: Water Geoscience: Environmental Issues
Published

Breakthrough discovery uses engineered surfaces to shed heat      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Splash a few drops of water on a hot pan and if the pan is hot enough, the water will sizzle and the droplets of water seem to roll and float, hovering above the surface. The temperature at which this phenomenon, called the Leidenfrost effect, occurs is predictable, usually happening above 230 degrees Celsius. A team has now discovered a method to create the aquatic levitation at a much lower temperature.

Chemistry: Thermodynamics Energy: Alternative Fuels Energy: Batteries Energy: Technology Environmental: General Environmental: Water Geoscience: Environmental Issues Physics: General Physics: Optics
Published

Renewable grid: Recovering electricity from heat storage hits 44% efficiency      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Closing in on the theoretical maximum efficiency, devices for turning heat into electricity are edging closer to being practical for use on the grid, according to new research.

Chemistry: Thermodynamics Engineering: Nanotechnology Offbeat: General Physics: General Physics: Quantum Computing
Published

Strings that can vibrate forever (kind of)      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers have engineered string-like resonators capable of vibrating longer at ambient temperature than any previously known solid-state object -- approaching what is currently only achievable near absolute zero temperatures. Their study pushes the edge of nanotechnology and machine learning to make some of the world's most sensitive mechanical sensors.

Chemistry: Inorganic Chemistry Chemistry: Thermodynamics Energy: Technology Engineering: Nanotechnology
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.

Chemistry: Biochemistry Chemistry: Thermodynamics
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.

Chemistry: Thermodynamics Energy: Technology Environmental: General Geoscience: Environmental Issues
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.

Chemistry: Inorganic Chemistry Chemistry: Thermodynamics Energy: Alternative Fuels Environmental: General
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.

Chemistry: Thermodynamics Computer Science: General Physics: General
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.

Chemistry: Thermodynamics Energy: Technology
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.

Chemistry: Biochemistry Chemistry: Thermodynamics Computer Science: General Mathematics: Modeling Mathematics: Statistics Physics: General
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.

Chemistry: Thermodynamics Energy: Technology Engineering: Nanotechnology
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.

Computer Science: Encryption Computer Science: Virtual Reality (VR) Engineering: Biometric
Published

VR may pose privacy risks for kids: A new study finds parents aren't as worried as they should be      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

New research finds that, while an increasing number of minors are using virtual reality (VR) apps, not many parents recognize the extent of the security and privacy risks that are specific to VR technologies. The study also found that few parents are taking active steps to address those security and privacy issues, such as using parental controls built into the apps.