Introductory chemistry students learn that oil and water repel each other. So do other hydrophobic substances, which carry no electric charge, and hydrophilic substances, which carry an electric charge that allows them to ...
Materials Science
Jul 9, 2013
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Replacing traditional rigid silicon wafers with semiconductors made from flexible polymers would herald an age of advanced, 'wearable' electronics. Switching to these semiconductors, known as organic field-effect transistors ...
Materials Science
Jun 19, 2013
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Stanford University scientists have dramatically improved the performance of lithium-ion batteries by creating novel electrodes made of silicon and conducting polymer hydrogel, a spongy material similar to that used in contact ...
Nanophysics
Jun 4, 2013
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(Phys.org) —Researchers from North Carolina State University have come up with a low-cost way to enhance a polymer called MEH-PPV's ability to confine light, advancing efforts to use the material to convert electricity ...
Optics & Photonics
Mar 18, 2013
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Silicon, the material of high-tech devices from computer chips to solar cells, requires a surface coating before use in these applications. The coating "passivates" the material, tying up loose atomic bonds to prevent oxidation ...
Energy & Green Tech
Feb 13, 2013
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(Phys.org)—The sun's energy is virtually limitless, but harnessing its electricity with today's single-crystal silicon solar cells is extremely expensive—10 times pricier than coal, according to some estimates. Organic ...
General Physics
Jan 25, 2013
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In a remarkable feat, scientists at Empa, the Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology, have developed thin film solar cells on flexible polymer foils with a new record efficiency of 20.4 percent for ...
Energy & Green Tech
Jan 17, 2013
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Researchers at North Carolina State University have come up with a technique to embed needle-like carbon nanofibers in an elastic membrane, creating a flexible "bed of nails" on the nanoscale that opens the door to development ...
Nanomaterials
Jan 15, 2013
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Japanese researchers have developed a manufacturing technology for highly uniform thin films of organic polymer semiconductors without material losses by applying the semiconductor solution on a highly hydrophobic surface ...
Electronics & Semiconductors
Nov 15, 2012
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(Phys.org)—A way of printing lasers using everyday inkjet technology has been created by scientists. The development has a wide range of possible applications, ranging from biomedical testing to laser arrays for displays.
Soft Matter
Sep 19, 2012
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