http://phys.org/ en-us Phys.org internet news portal provides the latest news on science including: Physics, Nanotechnology, Life Sciences, Space Science, Earth Science, Environment, Health and Medicine. University of Toronto engineering researchers, working with colleagues from Carnegie Mellon University, have published new insights into how materials transfer heat, which could lead eventually to smaller, more powerful electronic devices. http://phys.org/news287920772.html Physics Thu, 16 May 2013 10:59:48 EST news287920772 Researchers with the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology have confirmed that a naturally occurring mineral, tetrahedrite, which mainly consists of non-toxic and earth-abundant elements, copper (Cu) and sulfur (S), exhibits high thermoelectric performance at approximately 400 ℃. They also clarified that the high performance is attributed to its extremely low lattice thermal conductivity caused by the complex crystal structure of tetrahedrite and the vibration of Cu atoms with anomalously large amplitude. These efforts will significantly contribute to realizing environmentally friendly thermoelectric power generation using materials composed of non-toxic and earth abundant elements. http://phys.org/news287827855.html Chemistry Wed, 15 May 2013 09:11:03 EST news287827855 Many military radio frequency (RF) systems, like radar and communication systems, use a class of power amplifiers (PAs) called monolithic microwave integrated circuits (MIMIC). MMIC PAs using gallium nitride (GaN) transistors hold great promise for enhanced RF performance, but operational characteristics are strongly affected by thermal resistance. Much of this resistance comes at the thermal junction where the substrate material of the circuit connects to the GaN transistor. If the junction and substrate have poor thermal properties, temperature will rise and performance will decrease. http://phys.org/news286617771.html Technology Wed, 01 May 2013 09:30:05 EST news286617771 Hanyang University in collaboration with Stanford University has succeeded in fabricating peel-and-stick thin film solar cells (TFSCs). The Si wafer is clean and reusable. Moreover, as the peeled-off TFSCs from the Si wafer are thin, light-weight, and flexible, it can be attached onto any form or shape of surface like a sticker. http://phys.org/news284805806.html Technology Wed, 10 Apr 2013 09:44:35 EST news284805806 (Phys.org) —BioSolar Inc. maker of solar panel components has announced it has made its first sale of a new product it calls the BioBacksheet—an all natural material that can be used as a backsheet (cover) for solar panels. http://phys.org/news283082862.html Technology Thu, 21 Mar 2013 11:30:01 EST news283082862 (Phys.org)—Rice University's latest nanotechnology breakthrough was more than 10 years in the making, but it still came with a shock. Scientists from Rice, the Dutch firm Teijin Aramid, the U.S. Air Force and Israel's Technion Institute this week unveiled a new carbon nanotube (CNT) fiber that looks and acts like textile thread and conducts electricity and heat like a metal wire. In this week's issue of Science, the researchers describe an industrially scalable process for making the threadlike fibers, which outperform commercially available high-performance materials in a number of ways. http://phys.org/news277045442.html Nanotechnology Thu, 10 Jan 2013 14:00:16 EST news277045442 Researchers at the University of Jaen (Spain) have mixed waste from the paper industry with ceramic material used in the construction industry. The result is a brick that has low thermal conductivity meaning it acts as a good insulator. However, its mechanical resistance still requires improvement. http://phys.org/news275141247.html Technology Wed, 19 Dec 2012 12:07:35 EST news275141247 Microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) are incredibly tiny devices, often built on the scale of millionths of a meter. Conventional MEMS structures tend to be made out of silicon-based materials familiar to the micro-electronics industry, but this ignores a suite of useful materials such as other semiconductors, ceramics, and metals. By using a variety of materials not commonly associated with MEMS technology, a team from Brigham Young University (BYU) in Provo, Utah has created stronger microstructures that can form precise, tall and narrow 3-D shapes – characteristics that were never before possible in MEMS. The researchers will present their latest findings at the AVS 59th International Symposium and Exhibition, held Oct. 28 – Nov. 2, in Tampa, Fla. http://phys.org/news270486428.html Nanotechnology Fri, 26 Oct 2012 17:20:03 EST news270486428 (Phys.org)—Scientists in the Advanced Materials and Nanosystems directorate at the Lockheed Martin Space Systems Advanced Technology Center (ATC) in Palo Alto have developed a revolutionary nanotechnology copper-based electrical interconnect material, or solder, that can be processed around 200 °C. Once fully optimized, the CuantumFuse solder material is expected to produce joints with up to 10 times the electrical and thermal conductivity compared to tin-based materials currently in use. Applications in military and commercial systems are currently under consideration. http://phys.org/news270382846.html Nanotechnology Thu, 25 Oct 2012 11:30:04 EST news270382846 (Phys.org)—Researchers from North Carolina State University have developed new techniques for stretching carbon nanotubes (CNT) and using them to create carbon composites that can be used as stronger, lighter materials in everything from airplanes to bicycles. http://phys.org/news269519766.html Nanotechnology Mon, 15 Oct 2012 11:36:12 EST news269519766 Thermoelectric generators can make better use of the excess heat generated by machines by converting temperature differences directly back into electricity. Now, Masaki Takata from the RIKEN SPring-8 Center, Harima, working in collaboration with colleagues at institutions across Japan, have shown how the thermoelectric properties of a class of materials known as clathrates are enhanced by their unusual atomic structure, thus demonstrating a potential route to more efficient energy usage. http://phys.org/news269247985.html Physics Fri, 12 Oct 2012 08:06:33 EST news269247985 (Phys.org)—An important test is coming up next week to see whether a heat shield made from the soil of the moon, Mars or an asteroid will stand up to the searing demands of a plunge through Earth's atmosphere. http://phys.org/news267088586.html Space & Earth Mon, 17 Sep 2012 08:16:35 EST news267088586 (Phys.org)—The research, which is the first of its kind, has identified a specially engineered steel surface that allows liquids to boil without bubbling. http://phys.org/news266739961.html Physics Thu, 13 Sep 2012 07:26:45 EST news266739961 Diamond anvil cells (DACs) are used routinely in laboratories to apply extreme pressure to materials, recreating conditions that normally only occur deep in planetary interiors or during certain industrial manufacturing techniques. Under these conditions, however, it is difficult to measure how materials conduct heat. http://phys.org/news258131144.html Physics Tue, 05 Jun 2012 16:05:57 EST news258131144 Graphene has caused a lot of excitement among scientists since the extremely strong and thin carbon material was discovered in 2004. Just one atom thick, the honeycomb-shaped material has several remarkable properties combining mechanical toughness with superior electrical and thermal conductivity. http://phys.org/news257616598.html Nanotechnology Wed, 30 May 2012 17:10:15 EST news257616598 The intense interest in harvesting energy from heat sources has led to a renewed push to discover materials that can more efficiently convert heat into electricity. Some researchers are finding those gains by re-designing materials scientists have been working with for years. http://phys.org/news254584536.html Nanotechnology Wed, 25 Apr 2012 14:58:23 EST news254584536 (Phys.org) -- Researchers are developing a technique that uses nanotechnology to harvest energy from hot pipes or engine components to potentially recover energy wasted in factories, power plants and cars. http://phys.org/news253891795.html Nanotechnology Tue, 17 Apr 2012 14:30:15 EST news253891795 A North Carolina State University researcher has developed a more efficient, less expensive way of cooling electronic devices – particularly devices that generate a lot of heat, such as lasers and power devices. http://phys.org/news253185483.html Nanotechnology Mon, 09 Apr 2012 10:18:16 EST news253185483 Xinwei Wang had a hunch that spider webs were worth a much closer look. http://phys.org/news250173825.html Chemistry Mon, 05 Mar 2012 12:43:57 EST news250173825 (PhysOrg.com) -- Scientists at the University of Pennsylvania, the University of Wisconsin-Madison and IBM Research - Zurich have fabricated an ultrasharp silicon carbide tip possessing such high strength that it is thousands of times more wear-resistant at the nanoscale than previous designs. The new tip, which is 100,000 times smaller than the tip of a pencil, represents an important step towards nanomanufacturing for applications, including bio sensors for healthcare and the environment. http://phys.org/news247995725.html Nanotechnology Thu, 09 Feb 2012 07:42:19 EST news247995725 A University of California, Riverside engineering professor and a team of researchers have made a breakthrough discovery with graphene, a material that could play a major role in keeping laptops and other electronic devices from overheating. http://phys.org/news245322976.html Nanotechnology Mon, 09 Jan 2012 09:16:54 EST news245322976 The surprising discovery of a new way to tune and enhance thermal conductivity – a basic property generally considered to be fixed for a given material – gives engineers a new tool for managing thermal effects in smart phones and computers, lasers and a number of other powered devices. http://phys.org/news243090667.html Nanotechnology Wed, 14 Dec 2011 13:11:24 EST news243090667 An accidental discovery in a physicist's laboratory at the University of California, Riverside provides a unique route for tuning the electrical properties of graphene, nature's thinnest elastic material. This route holds great promise for replacing silicon with graphene in the microchip industry. http://phys.org/news236263949.html Nanotechnology Mon, 26 Sep 2011 13:52:38 EST news236263949 The National Physical Laboratory (NPL) has developed a world-leading pvT (pressure-volume-temperature) and thermal conductivity test kit. http://phys.org/news236250397.html Chemistry Mon, 26 Sep 2011 10:06:45 EST news236250397 Graphene, considered the most exciting new material under study in the world of nanotechnology, just got even more interesting, according to a new study by a group of researchers at the University of Colorado Boulder. http://phys.org/news233327029.html Nanotechnology Tue, 23 Aug 2011 14:04:24 EST news233327029 (PhysOrg.com) -- A violation of one of the oldest empirical laws of physics has been observed by scientists at the University of Bristol. Their experiments on purple bronze, a metal with unique one-dimensional electronic properties, indicate that it breaks the Wiedemann-Franz Law. This historic discovery is described in a paper published today in Nature Communications. http://phys.org/news230381723.html Physics Wed, 20 Jul 2011 11:55:38 EST news230381723 Graphene, a form of pure carbon arranged in a lattice just one atom thick, has interested countless researchers with its unique strength and its electrical and thermal conductivity. But one key property it lacks -- which would make it suitable for a plethora of new uses -- is the ability to form a band gap, needed for devices such as transistors, computer chips and solar cells. http://phys.org/news228454545.html Nanotechnology Tue, 28 Jun 2011 04:42:52 EST news228454545 Neutron analysis of the atomic dynamics behind thermal conductivity is helping scientists at the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory gain a deeper understanding of how thermoelectric materials work. The analysis could spur the development of a broader range of products with the capability to transform heat to electricity. http://phys.org/news226595313.html Physics Mon, 06 Jun 2011 16:09:09 EST news226595313 (PhysOrg.com) -- A 3-D model of a volcanic explosion, based on the 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens in Washington state, may enhance our understanding of how some volcanic explosions occur and help identify of blast zones for potentially dangerous locations, according to an international team of volcanologists. http://phys.org/news226155351.html Space & Earth Wed, 01 Jun 2011 13:56:15 EST news226155351 (PhysOrg.com) -- Scientists in the Optical Sciences Division at the Naval Research Laboratory, report a successful demonstration of a novel high-efficiency ceramic laser that is both, light-weight and compact for use in both military and civilian applications. http://phys.org/news225460043.html Physics Tue, 24 May 2011 12:48:08 EST news225460043