Achieving optimal efficiencies for nanoengines

(PhysOrg.com) -- "There's a lot of recent interest in understanding the functioning and optimal performance of small systems," Katja Lindenberg tells PhysOrg.com. Lindenberg is a scientist in the Department of Chemistry ...

Advances in simple crystals for thermoelectric technology

Space probes, gas pipelines, and other applications require an ongoing source of thermoelectric power without direct human maintenance, but current technologies for the corresponding energy conversion are inefficient. Now, ...

Optimizing efficiency of quantum circuits

Quantum circuits, the building blocks of quantum computers, use quantum mechanical effects to perform tasks. They are much faster and more accurate than the classical circuits that are found in electronic devices today. In ...

Fish simulations provide new insights into energy costs of swimming

A new computational analysis suggests that maximizing swimming speeds while minimizing energy costs depends on an optimal balance between a fish's muscle dynamics and the way its size, shape, and swimming motion affect its ...

New thermodynamic framework for cells

Physicists at the University of Luxembourg have developed theoretical tools to analyze and optimize chemical engines ranging from simple chemical reaction networks to complex metabolic pathways.

Slow 'hot electrons' could improve solar cell efficiency

Photons with energy higher than the band gap of the semiconductor absorbing them give rise to what are known as hot electrons. The extra energy in respect to the band gap is lost very fast, as it is converted into heat and ...

New formula expected to spur advances in clean energy generation

Researchers from the University of Houston have devised a new formula for calculating the maximum efficiency of thermoelectric materials, the first new formula in more than a half-century, designed to speed up the development ...

The efficient choice among combustion engines

(Phys.org) —Researchers at ETH Zurich have developed an internal combustion engine that emits less than half the CO2 compared to a regular engine without compromising performance. This corresponds to fuel consumption of ...

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