Tag: physical sciences
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Material Developed to Reflect Sun’s Heat, Cool Buildings
Engineers at Stanford University in California developed a new type of cooling material based on nanotechnology that radiates sunlight back into space. The team led by Stanford engineering professor Shanhui Fan published its findings earlier this month in the journal Nano Letters (paid subscription required). Fan, with doctoral candidates Eden Rephaeli and Aaswath Raman, engineered…
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Graphene/Vanadium Oxide Ribbons Boost Battery Storage
Ultra-thin ribbons made of vanadium oxide coated with graphene can provide a superior material for lithium-ion battery cathodes, according to new research at Rice University in Houston. The team led by Rice materials scientist P. M. Ajayan published its findings online in a recent issue of the journal Nano Letters (paid subscription required). Graphene is…
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NSF Funding Organic Crystals Research for Electronics
A physics professor at Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, North Carolina received a $400,000 National Science Foundation grant for research on the physical structure and electronic properties of organic semiconductor crystals. The five-year award to Wake Forest’s Oana Jurchescu was made under NSF’s Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) program. Organic semiconductors are hydrocarbon substances like…
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ARPA-E to Fund Vehicle Metals, Bio Gas Conversion Research
The Advanced Research Projects Agency – Energy (ARPA-E) in the U.S. Department of Energy is making $40 million available for two new research programs involving transportation. Half of the $40 million will go for research to make lighter metals in cars and trucks more feasible, while the remaining $20 million will support biological conversion of…
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Alternative Quantum Computing Data Storage Process Found
Physicists at Technical University Munich (Technische Universitaet Muenchen, TUM) in Germany found an alternative method for storing data as quantum bits for quantum computers using carbon nanotubes. The findings of TUM’s Simon Rips and Michael Hartmann appear online today in the journal Physical Review Letters (paid subscription required). Quantum computing is a more powerful method…
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Tests Show Many Laser Pointers Giving Off Excessive Power
In tests by researchers at National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) in Gaithersburg, Maryland, many laser pointers on the market, including most pointers with a green beam, emitted more power than allowed by federal regulations. The team led by Joshua Hadler, NIST’s laser safety officer, reported on the tests today at the International Laser…
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Investment Fund to Support Canadian Quantum Technologies
Quantum Valley Investments, a new venture fund in Waterloo, Ontario, plans to invest $100 million to develop and commercialize quantum computing technologies in its region. The fund, started by Blackberry co-founders Michael Lazaridis and Doug Fregin, aims to make stimulate development of Waterloo and vicinity into a Quantum Valley technology hub, similar to Silicon Valley…
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University Developing Wearable Artificial Lung Device
Biomedical engineers at University of Pittsburgh are developing a portable artificial lung for patients awaiting a transplant, yet still retain their mobility. The project headed by William Federspiel, director of the university’s medical device lab, is funded by a $3.4 million grant from National Institutes of Health. The device will serve as a bridge for…
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Polymer Light-Trapping Properties Enhanced for Photonics
Researchers at North Carolina State University and University of North Carolina developed a process for enhancing a polymer’s ability to trap light waves, making it a better material for photonic semiconductors. The team led by NC State materials scientist Lewis Reynolds published its findings online in a recent issue of the journal Applied Physics Letters.…
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Database Enables Documentation of Rare Genetic Disorders
A new online database developed by Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore and Baylor College of Medicine in Houston will make it possible for researchers and clinicans to collect data on diseases caused by single faulty genes. The database, known as PhenoDB is described in a recent online issue of the journal Human Mutation. PhenoDB is…