(Phys.org)—As physicists work on miniaturizing devices, they will eventually run into the ultimate limit: the atom. A fundamental question in this area is whether it's even possible to scale down a macroscale engine such ...
(PhysOrg.com) -- Steam engines, combustion engines, and diesel engines are all different types of heat engines, which operate by converting heat energy into mechanical work. Although heat engines have existed for a long time, ...
Researchers from North Carolina State University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill used chiral phonons to convert wasted heat into spin information—without needing magnetic materials. The finding could ...
Condensed Matter
Feb 13, 2023
1
256
Ultrathin carbon nanotubes crystals could have wonderous uses, like converting waste heat into electricity with near-perfect efficiency, and Rice University engineers have taken a big step toward that goal.
Nanophysics
Mar 9, 2020
0
243
Physicists have demonstrated that energy quantization can improve the efficiency of a single-atom heat engine to exceed the performance of its classical counterpart. Energy quantization, in which the energy levels of a system ...
A solid can serve as a medium for heat and sound wave interactions just like a fluid does for thermoacoustic engines and refrigerators - resulting in leak-free machines that can stay operating longer.
General Physics
May 10, 2018
0
445
Although mobile devices such as tablets and smartphones let us communicate, work and access information wirelessly, their batteries must still be charged by plugging them in to an outlet. But engineers at the University of ...
Optics & Photonics
Feb 20, 2018
9
1080
A University of California, Riverside assistant professor has combined photosynthesis and physics to make a key discovery that could help make solar cells more efficient. The findings were recently published in the journal ...
Nanophysics
Nov 30, 2016
9
7345
Conduction and thermal radiation are two ways in which heat is transferred from one object to another: Conduction is the process by which heat flows between objects in physical contact, such as a pot of tea on a hot stove, ...
Nanophysics
Apr 7, 2015
1
1797
Ever stop to consider why lotus plant leaves always look clean? The hydrophobic – water repelling – characteristic of the leaf, termed the "Lotus effect," helps the plant survive in muddy swamps, repelling dirt and producing ...
Materials Science
Apr 21, 2014
0
0
