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Less Expensive Displays: New Technique Allows Polymer
Processing of a Key
Solid-state Fluorescent Material
By chemically attaching a difficult-to-process solid-state fluorescent
material to a universal polymer backbone, researchers at the Georgia Institute
of Technology have built what may be a foundation for a new generation of
optoelectronic display devices based on inexpensive organic light-emitting
diodes (OLEDs).
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MIT’s smart surface reverses properties
MIT engineers and colleagues from the University of
California are reporting a unique design of a “smart surface” that
can reversibly switch properties in response to an external stimulus.
The work paves the way for systems that could, for example, release or
absorb cells and chemicals from surfaces on demand.
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Almost there: a
commercially viable fuel cell
Berkeley Lab researchers have developed a solid oxide fuel cell
(SOFC)
that promises to generate electricity as cheaply as the most efficient gas
turbine. Their innovation, which paves the way for pollution-free power generators
that serve neighborhoods and industrial sites, lies in replacing ceramic
electrodes with stainless-steel-supported electrodes that are stronger,
easier to manufacture, and, most importantly, cheaper. This latter advantage
marks a turning point in the push to develop commercially viable fuel cells.
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Nanoparticles could aid biohazard
detection,
computer industry
Nanotechnology could make life easier for computer
manufacturers and tougher for terrorists, reports a Purdue University
research team. A group led by Jillian Buriak has found a rapid and cost-effective method
of forming tiny particles of high-purity metals on the surface of advanced
semiconductor materials such as gallium arsenide.
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Nanocomposites: Chemical Force Microscopy Helps
Choose Right Materials for Future Composites Based on Nanotubes
A microscopy technique originally developed to image the molecular-scale
topography of surfaces is now helping engineers choose the right materials for
a new generation of lightweight high-strength composites based on carbon
nanotubes.
Light, conductive and nearly as strong as steel, carbon nanotubes are being
combined with lightweight polymers to produce composite materials with
properties attractive for use on future space vehicles. But choosing the right
polymer for optimal mechanical performance at the nanometer scale requires a
lengthy trial-and-error process.
Source: Georgia Institute of
Technology |
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OSU
engineers create world's first transparent transistor
Engineers at Oregon State University have
created the world's first transparent transistor, a see-through electronics
component that could open the door to many new products. The advance has been
reported in a professional journal, Applied Physics Letters, and a patent has
been applied for. The university is already consulting with major electronics
companies about the findings and their potential applications. The discovery
"is a significant development in the context of transparent
electronics," the scientists said in their publication, but added that
it's too early to tell what applications may evolve.
Source: Oregon State University |
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Electric
field provides 'handle'
to manipulate tiny particles
Intricate patterns formed by
granular materials under the influence of electrostatic fields have scientists
at Argonne National Laboratory dreaming of new ways to create smaller structures
for nanotechnologies.
Source: Argonne National Laboratory
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UCSD
researchers develop flexible, biocompatible polymers with optical properties of
hard crystalline sensors
Researchers at the University of
California, San Diego have discovered how to transfer the optical properties of
silicon crystal sensors to plastic, an achievement that could lead to the
development of flexible, implantable devices capable of monitoring the delivery
of drugs within the body, the strains on a weak joint or even the healing of a
suture.
Source: University of California, San Diego
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New
Measurements Show Silicon Nanospheres Rank Among Hardest Known Materials
University of Minnesota researchers have made the
first-ever hardness measurements on individual silicon nanospheres and shown
that the nanospheres' hardness falls between the conventional hardness of
sapphire and diamond, which are among the hardest known materials. Being able to
measure such nanoparticle properties may eventually help scientists design
low-cost superhard materials from these nanoscale building blocks.
Source: NSF
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