Flexible polymer opals
A synthetic material which mimics the brightest and most vivid colours in nature, and changes colour when twisted or stretched, has been developed by researchers at the University of Cambridge, and could have important ...
May 29, 2013
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Transparent electrode innovation could bring flexible solar cells, transistors, displays
(Phys.org) —Researchers have created a new type of transparent electrode that might find uses in solar cells, flexible displays for computers and consumer electronics and future "optoelectronic" circuits for sensors and ...
Paper a cost-efficient and simple means of generating electrically conducting structures
(Phys.org) —Paper is becoming a high-tech material. Researchers at the Max Planck Institute of Colloids and Interfaces in Potsdam-Golm have created targeted conductive structures on paper using a method that is quite simple: ...
Engineers monitor heart with paper-thin flexible 'skin'
(Phys.org) —Engineers combine layers of flexible materials into pressure sensors to create a wearable heart monitor thinner than a dollar bill. The skin-like device could one day provide doctors with a safer way to check ...
Solar panels as inexpensive as paint? It's possible due to new research
(Phys.org) —Most Americans want the U.S. to place more emphasis on developing solar power, recent polls suggest. A major impediment, however, is the cost to manufacture, install and maintain solar panels. Simply put, most ...
Team develops in vivo flexible large scale integrated circuits (w/ Video)
A team led by Professor Keon Jae Lee from the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at KAIST has developed in vivo silicon-based flexible large scale integrated circuits (LSI) for bio-medical wireless communication.
Harvesting unused energy with flat thermoelectrics
A large proportion of the energy we produce disappears unused into thin air via waste heat. Tiny thermoelectric generators can tap this potential, whereby the electricity is produced by way of temperature differences. However, ...
New solar-cell design based on dots and wires
Using exotic particles called quantum dots as the basis for a photovoltaic cell is not a new idea, but attempts to make such devices have not yet achieved sufficiently high efficiency in converting sunlight to power. A new ...
Whale's streaming baleen tangles to trap food
Many whales filter food from water using racks of baleen plates in their mouths, but no one had ever investigated how baleen behaves in real life. According to Alexander Werth from Hampden-Sydney College, baleen was viewed ...
Tough, light and strong: Lessons from nature could lead to the creation of new materials
In a sweeping review of the field of bio-inspired engineering and biomimicry in the Feb. 15 issue of the journal Science, two engineers at the University of California, San Diego, identify three characteristics of biological ...
