The wonder material. It’s just one atom thick but 200 times stronger than steel; extremely conductive but see-through and flexible. Graphene has shot to fame since its discovery in 2004 by UK-based researchers Andre Geim and Konstantin Novoselov, for which the University of Manchester pair were awarded the 2010 Nobel prize in physics.
Graphene beyond the hype | Chemistry World.
“We’ve created what is essentially the world’s thinnest light bulb,” says Hone, Wang Fon-Jen Professor of Mechanical Engineering at Columbia Engineering and co-author of the study. “This new type of ‘broadband’ light emitter can be integrated into chips and will pave the way towards the realization of atomically thin, flexible, and transparent displays, and graphene-based on-chip optical communications.”
Read more at: http://phys.org/news/2015-06-graphene-bright-world-thinnest-lightbulb.html#jCp
Multibillion-dollar projects are slowly moving ahead on the nuclear fusion frontier, but less traditional efforts to harness the power that fuels the sun say they’re making progress as well.
In the most basic fusion reaction, molecules of hydrogen isotopes are smashed together under high temperature and pressure to create helium — with part of the hydrogen mass converted into energy, in accordance with E=mc² from Albert Einstein’s special theory of relativity. The energy payoff can be immense, as demonstrated by the sun’s glare or the blast of an H-bomb. But can the reaction be controlled on Earth?
Read more at: http://www.nbcnews.com/science/science-news/unorthodox-nuclear-fusion-research-ventures-report-progress-n370131
A new alloy produced recently by engineers will soon be used widely in the medical field, BBC reportedd. The alloy proved to be the most resilient material on record, which “springs back into shape even after it is bent more than 10 million times.”
The alloy is made up of nickel, copper and titanium, which can be applied in several areas, aircraft parts, artificial heart valves and refrigerators, the BBC report added. As it is, shape memory alloys are the choice material for heart stents.
Read more at: http://www.ibtimes.com.au/memory-alloy-made-base-transition-metals-find-greater-use-medical-field-1450636
A team of researchers at MIT has developed a way of coating these condenser surfaces with a layer of graphene, just one atom thick, and found that this can improve the rate of heat transfer by a factor of four—and potentially even more than that, with further work. And unlike polymer coatings, the graphene coatings have proven to be highly durable in laboratory tests.
Read more at: http://phys.org/news/2015-06-graphene-layer-quadruple-condensation.html#jCp
Karl A. Gschneidner and fellow scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Ames Laboratory have created a new magnetic alloy that is an alternative to traditional rare-earth permanent magnets.
The new alloy—a potential replacement for high-performance permanent magnets found in automobile engines and wind turbines—eliminates the use of one of the scarcest and costliest rare earth elements, dysprosium, and instead uses cerium, the most abundant rare earth.
The result, an alloy of neodymium, iron and boron co-doped with cerium and cobalt, is a less expensive material with properties that are competitive with traditional sintered magnets containing dysprosium.
Read more at: http://www.rdmag.com/news/2015/04/ames-laboratory-scientists-create-cheaper-magnetic-material-cars-wind-turbines
While 3D printing technology has proven to be a revolutionary solution with wide-ranging technological applications, a number of research teams have already begun looking beyond 3D printing, to the realm of 4D printing technology. While a number of 4D printed successes have already been achieved, researchers from the University of Wollongong in Australia have now created something very remarkable: a 4D printed a valve that automatically opens and contracts when exposed to either water or to high temperatures.
Read more at: http://www.3ders.org/articles/20150424-researchers-used-4d-printing-to-create-self-folding-valve.html
The solar panels that Idaho inventors Scott and Julie Brusaw have built aren’t meant for rooftops. They are meant for roads, driveways, parking lots, bike trails and, eventually, highways.
Scott Brusaw, an electrical engineer, says the hexagon-shaped panels can withstand the wear and tear that comes from inclement weather and vehicles, big and small, to generate electricity.
Read more at: http://www.cbc.ca/news/technology/solar-roadways-pushes-ahead-with-power-producing-pavement-1.2703852
Stanford University scientists have invented a way to recharge a phone in minute using an aluminium battery.
In a breakthrough Stanford University has invented the first high-performance aluminium battery that is fast-charging, long-lasting and inexpensive. It is also flexible too so can be used in new folding devices in development.
However at present the rechargeable aluminium battery generates about two volts of electricity, the highest achieved yet with aluminium.”
Imagine pulling smartphone out of your pocket, taking a snapshot of an object with its integrated 3D imager, sending it to the 3D printer and within minutes you have reproduced an accurate replica of the original object.
This feat may soon be possible because of a new tiny high-resolution 3D imager developed by researchers at California Institute of Technology.
A Blog for Browsing Mining, Mineral Processing, and Metals Info 