The quest to harness a broader spectrum of sunlight's energy to produce electricity has taken a radically new turn, with the proposal of a "solar energy funnel" that takes advantage of materials under elastic strain.
Optics & Photonics
Nov 26, 2012
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(Phys.org)—Stanford University scientists have built the first solar cell made entirely of carbon, a promising alternative to the expensive materials used in photovoltaic devices today.
Nanomaterials
Oct 31, 2012
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A new approach that allows objects to become "invisible" has now been applied to an entirely different area: letting particles "hide" from passing electrons, which could lead to more efficient thermoelectric devices and new ...
General Physics
Oct 12, 2012
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Using genes as interchangeable parts, synthetic biologists design cellular circuits that can perform new functions, such as sensing environmental conditions. However, the complexity that can be achieved in such circuits has ...
Cell & Microbiology
Oct 8, 2012
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(Phys.org)—Physicists in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at MIT have developed a new theory derived from calculations that suggest it should be possible to construct an electron cloaking device, similar in principle ...
Tiny, fully biocompatible electronic devices that are able to dissolve harmlessly into their surroundings after functioning for a precise amount of time have been created by a research team led by biomedical engineers at ...
Engineering
Sep 27, 2012
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(Phys.org)—Materials called transition metal oxides have physicists intrigued by their potentially useful properties—from magnetoresistance (the reason a hard drive can write memory) to superconductivity.
Condensed Matter
Sep 5, 2012
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The discovery of graphene, a material just one atom thick and possessing exceptional strength and other novel properties, started an avalanche of research around its use for everything from electronics to optics to structural ...
Nanophysics
Aug 23, 2012
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(Phys.org) -- UCLA researchers have developed a new transparent solar cell that is an advance toward giving windows in homes and other buildings the ability to generate electricity while still allowing people to see outside. ...
Nanophysics
Jul 20, 2012
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Researchers from North Carolina State University have developed highly conductive and elastic conductors made from silver nanoscale wires (nanowires). These elastic conductors could be used to develop stretchable electronic ...
Nanophysics
Jul 12, 2012
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