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The ocean floor and the ground beneath our feet are riddled with tiny nanowires created by billions of bacteria that can generate electric currents from organic waste. Yale researchers have now described how this hidden power grid could be activated with a short jolt of electric field.
Researchers at Rice University have developed the strongest and most conductive fibers yet, made of long carbon nanotubes through a wet spinning process. The researchers noted that wet-spun carbon nanotube fibers have doubled in strength and conductivity every three years, a trend that spans almost two decades. The threadlike fibers, with tens of millions of nanotubes in cross section, are being studied for use as bridges to repair damaged hearts, as electrical interfaces with the brain, and for use in cochlear implants.
Researchers at Rice University have developed the strongest and most conductive fibers yet, made of long carbon nanotubes through a wet spinning process. The researchers noted that wet-spun carbon nanotube fibers have doubled in strength and conductivity every three years, a trend that spans almost two decades. The threadlike fibers, with tens of millions of nanotubes in cross section, are being studied for use as bridges to repair damaged hearts, as electrical interfaces with the brain, and for use in cochlear implants.
One promising approach to turn sunlight and water into fuel is to use mixtures of tiny nanoparticles, whereby different particles play different roles. For example, gold nanoparticles absorb sunlight well, but they can’t efficiently make fuel by themselves. They need particles of another material nearby. The trick is to transfer electrons produced by the gold donor particles, as they absorb light, to the acceptor particles that start the chemical reaction to produce. Now, scientists have found a way to count how many electrons transfer between the two materials, which could help develop more efficient donor-acceptor combinations.
One promising approach to turn sunlight and water into fuel is to use mixtures of tiny nanoparticles, whereby different particles play different roles. For example, gold nanoparticles absorb sunlight well, but they can’t efficiently make fuel by themselves. They need particles of another material nearby. The trick is to transfer electrons produced by the gold donor particles, as they absorb light, to the acceptor particles that start the chemical reaction to produce. Now, scientists have found a way to count how many electrons transfer between the two materials, which could help develop more efficient donor-acceptor combinations.
Researchers at Carnegie Mellon University are working to “immunize” plants against drought and extreme heat. The researchers sprayed tomato leaves with nanoparticles that release a temperature-programmed antimicrobial agent. The programmed release of antimicrobial agents occurred once temperatures within the plants reached 35-40 degrees Celsius.
Researchers at Carnegie Mellon University are working to “immunize” plants against drought and extreme heat. The researchers sprayed tomato leaves with nanoparticles that release a temperature-programmed antimicrobial agent. The programmed release of antimicrobial agents occurred once temperatures within the plants reached 35-40 degrees Celsius.
Engineers at the University of Pennsylvania have developed a system of nanoscale semiconductor strips that uses structural color interactions to eliminate the strips' intrinsic color entirely. Structural color comes from the interaction of light with microstructures or nanostructures on some surfaces, while intrinsic color comes from light reflected by some materials. Fine-tuning such a system has implications for holographic displays and optical sensors.
Engineers at the University of Pennsylvania have developed a system of nanoscale semiconductor strips that uses structural color interactions to eliminate the strips' intrinsic color entirely. Structural color comes from the interaction of light with microstructures or nanostructures on some surfaces, while intrinsic color comes from light reflected by some materials. Fine-tuning such a system has implications for holographic displays and optical sensors.
Researchers at Oregon State University have devised a new catalyst for the conversion of carbon dioxide into carbon monoxide via electrochemical reduction. The catalyst, which consists of nickel phthalocyanine molecules supported on carbon nanotubes, achieved carbon dioxide conversion performances that are superior to aggregated molecular catalysts in terms of stability, activity, and selectivity.
