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  Thermoelectric power: New ways to power portable electronics, sensors Addition of thin films to fabrics could power portable electronics, sensors   Summary: Scientists have reported significant advances in the thermoelectric performance of organic semiconductors based on carbon nanotube thin films that could be integrated into fabrics to convert waste heat into electricity or serve as a small power source.  Scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) reported significant advances in the thermoelectric performance of organic semiconductors based on carbon nanotube thin films that could be integrated into fabrics to convert waste heat into electricity or serve as a small power source. The research demonstrates significant potential for semiconducting single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) as the primary material for efficient thermoelectric generators, rather than being used as a component in a "c...

----------------------------------------------------   Quantum dots visualize tiny vibrational resonances Innovative device could lead to the development of new sensing technologies   Summary: When laser light is used to drive the motion of a thin, rigid membrane, the membrane vibrates in resonance with the light. The resulting patterns can be visualized through an array of quantum dots, where these tiny structures emit light at a frequency that responds to movement.  In the late 18th century, Ernst Chladni, a scientist and musician, discovered that the vibrations of a rigid plate could be visualized by covering it with a thin layer of sand and drawing a bow across its edge. With the bow movement, the sand bounces and shifts, collecting along the nodal lines of the vibration. Chladni's discovery of these patterns earned him the nickname, "father of acoustics." His discovery is still used in the design and construction of acoustic instruments, such...

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Smart Ring: Mobile on-body devices can be precisely and discreetly controlled using a tiny sensor   Summary: Mobile end-user devices, such as the new version of the “Apple Watch”, have a drawback: their small screen size makes them difficult to use. Computer scientists have now developed an alternative, which they call “DeformWear”. A tiny switch, no larger than the head of a pin, is built into a ring for example, and worn on the body. It can be moved in all directions, pressed, pinched, and pushed toward the right, left, up, and down.  "With mobile devices such as the smartwatch, the interactive screens are so small that only a few control commands can be triggered by individual touches," explains Jürgen Steimle, professor of human-computer interaction at Saarland University. With his research group in the Cluster of Excellence ...

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Heavy metal thunder: Protein can be switched on to conduct electricity like a metal   Summary: When pushing the boundaries of discovery, sometimes even the most experienced of scientists can get a surprise jolt from a completely unpredictable result. About four years ago, Stuart Lindsay's research team got a lab result that even he couldn't quite believe. As with most scientific surprises, it goes against all conventional wisdom: the first evidence of a protein that could conduct electricity like a metal.          When pushing the boundaries of discovery, sometimes even the most experienced of scientists can get a surprise jolt from a completely unpredictable result. That was the case for ASU Regents' Professor and biophysicist Stuart Lindsay, who has spent his career building new microsco...

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Envisioning a new engineering field: Understanding atomic-scale patterns   Summary: The phenomenon that forms interference patterns on television displays when a camera focuses on a pattern like a person wearing stripes has inspired a new way to conceptualize electronic devices. Researchers are showing how the atomic-scale version of this phenomenon may hold the secrets to help advance electronics design to the limits of size and speed.  The phenomenon that forms interference patterns on television displays when a camera focuses on a pattern like a person wearing stripes has inspired a new way to conceptualize electronic devices. Researchers at the University of Illinois are showing how the atomic-scale version of this phenomenon may hold the secrets to help advance electronics design to the limits of size and speed. In their...

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Rapid cellphone charging getting closer to reality   Summary: The ability to charge cellphones in seconds is one step closer after researchers used nanotechnology to significantly improve energy-storage devices known as supercapacitors.  The ability to charge cellphones in seconds is one step closer after researchers at the University of Waterloo used nanotechnology to significantly improve energy-storage devices known as supercapacitors. Their novel design roughly doubles the amount of electrical energy the rapid-charging devices can hold, helping pave the way for eventual use in everything from smartphones and laptop computers, to electric vehicles and high-powered lasers. "We're showing record numbers for the energy-storage capacity of supercapacitors," said Michael Pope, a professor of chemical engi...

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Electronic entropy enhances water splitting Cerium's large entropy makes it ideal for hydrogen production Summary: An electron transitioning from state to state increases cerium's entropy, making it ideal for hydrogen production, researchers have found Researchers have long known that cerium is the best element to use when splitting water into hydrogen and oxygen -- a key technique in creating hydrogen gas for fuel. But why, exactly, cerium is so successful has been far less understood. Now a Northwestern University team led by Chris Wolverton has discovered that cerium's electronic entropy, which is created when an electron transitions among various states within an electron shell, is the underlying reason for its success. This finding could help researchers better exploit cerium's entropy for water-splitti...

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Taming 'wild' electrons in graphene Discovery could lead to novel electronic devices   Summary: Graphene -- a one-atom-thick layer of carbon -- is a better conductor than copper and is very promising for electronic devices, but with one catch: Electrons that move through it can't be stopped. Until now, that is. Scientists have learned how to tame the unruly electrons in graphene, paving the way for the ultra-fast transport of electrons with low loss of energy in novel systems.  Graphene -- a one-atom-thick layer of carbon -- is a better conductor than copper and is very promising for electronic devices, but with one catch: Electrons that move through it can't be stopped. Until now, that is. Scientists at Rutgers University-New Brunswick have learned how to tame the unruly electron...

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Liquid metal discovery ushers in new wave of chemistry and electronics A 'once-in-a-decade' discovery set to revolutionize the way we do chemistry   Summary: Researchers use liquid metal to create atom-thick 2-D never before seen in nature. The research could transform how we do chemistry and could also be applied to enhance data storage and make faster electronics.  Researchers from RMIT University in Melbourne, Australia, have used liquid metal to create two-dimensional materials no thicker than a few atoms that have never before been seen in nature. The incredible breakthrough will not only revolutionise the way we do chemistry but could be applied to enhance data storage and make faster electronics. The "once-in-a-decade" discovery has been published in Science . The researchers dissolve metals in liquid metal to ...

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Terahertz spectroscopy goes nano   Summary: Researchers have improved the resolution of terahertz emission spectroscopy -- a technique used to study a wide variety of materials -- by 1,000-fold, making the technique useful at the nanoscale.  Brown University researchers have demonstrated a way to bring a powerful form of spectroscopy -- a technique used to study a wide variety of materials -- into the nano-world. Laser terahertz emission microscopy (LTEM) is a burgeoning means of characterizing the performance of solar cells, integrated circuits and other systems and materials. Laser pulses illuminating a sample material cause the emission of terahertz radiation, which carries important information about the sample's electrical properties. "This is a well-known tool for studying essentially any material that absorbs light, ...

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Nanoelectronics breakthrough could lead to more efficient quantum devices Study reveals the potential for even smarter transistors Summary: Researchers have made a breakthrough that could help your electronic devices get even smarter. Their findings examine electron behavior within nanoelectronics, as outlined in a new article. Researchers from Concordia have made a breakthrough that could help your electronic devices get even smarter. Their findings, which examine electron behaviour within nanoelectronics, have been published in the journal Nature Communications. The article was co-authored by current PhD student Andrew McRae (MSc 13) and Alexandre Champagne, associate professor of physics in the Faculty of Arts and Science, along with two Concordia alumni, James M. Porter (MSc 15, BSc 11) and Vahid Tayari (PhD 14). Champagne is...

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Injecting electrons jolts 2-D structure into new atomic pattern Study is first to show potential of energy-efficient next-gen electronic memory Summary: The same electrostatic charge that can make hair stand on end and attach balloons to clothing could be an efficient way to drive atomically thin electronic memory devices of the future, according to a new study. Scientists have found a way to reversibly change the atomic structure of a 2-D material by injecting it with electrons. The process uses far less energy than current methods for changing the configuration of a material's structure.                       The same electrostatic charge that can make hair stand on end and attach balloons to clothing could be an efficient way to drive atomically thin electronic memory devices o...

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Quantum simulator: First functioning component Summary: Hurricanes, traffic jams, demographic development – to predict the effect of such events, computer simulations are required. Many processes in nature, however, are so complicated that conventional computers fail. Quantum simulators may solve this problem. One of the basic phenomena in nature is the interaction between light and matter in photosynthesis. Physicists have now made a big step towards quantum mechanics understanding of plant metabolism. Hurricanes, traffic jams, demographic development -- to predict the effect of such events, computer simulations are required. Many processes in nature, however, are so complicated that conventional computers fail. Quantum simulators may solve this problem. One of the basic phenomena in nature is the interaction between light and matter in photosy...

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Nanoantenna arrays power a new generation of fluorescence-based sensors Summary: Researchers have designed and tested a series of plasmonic nanoantenna arrays that could lead to the development of a new generation of ultrasensitive and low-cost fluorescence sensors that could be used to monitor water quality. Researchers from the Universities of Bristol and Bedfordshire, in collaboration with multinational company ABB, have designed and tested a series of plasmonic nanoantenna arrays that could lead to the development of a new generation of ultrasensitive and low-cost fluorescence sensors that could be used to monitor water quality. The arrays, designed and tested by Dr Neciah Dorh during his PhD at the University of Bristol, are made from aluminium nanorods fabricated using electron beam lithography by commercial partner Kelvin Nanotechn...

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- New headway in desalination technology Summary: Engineers have taken a step forward in developing a saltwater desalination process that is potentially cheaper than reverse osmosis and borrows from battery technology. In their study, the researchers are focusing on new materials that could make desalination of brackish waters economically desirable and energy efficient. Engineers at the University of Illinois have taken a step forward in developing a saltwater desalination process that is potentially cheaper than reverse osmosis and borrows from battery technology. In their study, the researchers are focusing on new materials that could make desalination of brackish waters economically desirable and energy efficient. The need for practical desalinization technology is rising in the context of global climate change. Coastal regions, where the rise ...

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Spin current detection in quantum materials unlocks potential for alternative electronics Summary: A new method that precisely measures the mysterious behavior and magnetic properties of electrons flowing across the surface of quantum materials could open a path to next-generation electronics. A team of scientists has developed an innovative microscopy technique to detect the spin of electrons in topological insulators, a new kind of quantum material that could be used in applications such as spintronics and quantum computing. A new method that precisely measures the mysterious behavior and magnetic properties of electrons flowing across the surface of quantum materials could open a path to next-generation electronics. Found at the heart of electronic devices, silicon-based semiconductors rely on the controlled electrical current responsi...