A new cost-effective polymer membrane can decrease the cost of alkaline batteries and fuel cells by allowing the replacement of expensive platinum catalysts without sacrificing important aspects of performance, according ...
Materials Science
Aug 7, 2013
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Scientists have spent decades trying to build flexible plastic solar cells efficient enough to compete with conventional cells made of silicon. To boost performance, research groups have tried creating new plastic materials ...
Materials Science
Aug 4, 2013
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(Phys.org) —Forming perfect porous polymer films is not enough; they need both large and small pores, and the process of making them needs to be simple, versatile and repeatable. Creatively combining already established ...
Polymers
Aug 2, 2013
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Professor Ravi Silva of the University of Surrey's Advanced Technology Institute has identified the range of combinations of organic and inorganic materials that will underpin new 4th generation solar cell technology – ...
Energy & Green Tech
Jul 29, 2013
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(Phys.org) —A small plastic strip can do "weight training" to effortlessly lifts many times its own weight, driven by cyclic changes in the humidity of the surrounding air. This strong "artificial arm" is based on the interaction ...
Biochemistry
Jul 24, 2013
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Flame retardants are often extremely harmful to health. Despite this, they are found in many types of synthetic materials which would otherwise ignite quickly. Empa researchers have now succeeded in producing non-harmful ...
Environment
Jul 23, 2013
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Dinesh Basker applied to graduate schools around the world. He was accepted to three, but you might say he "saw the light" in choosing McMaster.
Optics & Photonics
Jul 23, 2013
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Japanese researchers report that incorporating magnetic nanoparticles and an anticancer drug into crosslinked polymer nanofibers presents a twofold treatment for fighting cancer with diminished side effects.
Bio & Medicine
Jul 16, 2013
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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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Large flakes of graphene oxide are the essential ingredient in a new recipe for robust carbon fiber created at Rice University.
Nanomaterials
Jul 8, 2013
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