Tag: physical sciences
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Membrane Technology to be Studied for Industrial Processes
Engineers and materials scientists at University of Minnesota in Minneapolis received funding from the U.S. Department of Energy to develop membrane technology for energy-efficient separations in a range of process industries. The three-year, $1.8 million grant from the Advanced Research Projects Agency–Energy (ARPA-E) aims to adapt lab research on nanotechnology for membranes that can improve…
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Process Developed to Grow Carbon Nanotubes on Graphene
Researchers from Rice University in Houston developed a method of growing seamless carbon nanotubes on graphene, with a high surface area and electric conductivity. The team that included members from Tianjin University in China and University of Texas at San Antonio published their findings today in the journal Nature Communications (paid subscription required). James Tour…
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University, Corporation Partnering on Paint-Stripping Robots
National Robotics Engineering Center at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh and Concurrent Technologies Corporation in Johnstown, Pennsylvania are developing robotic systems with lasers to strip paint from aircraft. The two-year project is funded by a contract from the National Defense Center for Energy and Environment, part of the U.S. Department of Defense, with participation from the…
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Fuel Cell Generates Power from Green Roofs, Wetlands
An environmental scientist at Wageningen University in the Netherlands designed a fuel cell that can generate electrical power from living plant roots and soil bacteria found in natural wetlands or vegetation on green roofs of urban buildings. Wageningen’s Marjolein Helder defends her doctoral dissertation today describing the technology, and she has started a company to…
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Electric Bus Developer Lands $23 Million in Series B Funds
Proterra Inc. in Greenville, South Carolina, a developer of electric buses for public transportation, secured $23 million in series B funds, the second round of venture financing after initial start-up. New investor Hennessey Capital led the round, with new investor NMT Capital, and current investors Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, GM Ventures, Mitsui & Co.…
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University at Buffalo to Close Shale Research Center
The president of University at Buffalo in New York closed an industry-funded research institute doing studies on shale gas. Satish Tripathi announced the decision to close the Shale Resources and Society Institute yesterday in an open letter to the university community. In the letter, Tripathi said the university’s geographic proximity to large shale deposits holding…
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Anti-Freeze Molecule Behavior Identified, Analyzed
The freezing of water and other substances is normally attributed to temperature, but chemistry researchers at New York University found other molecular processes taking place that influence freezing, with potential applications in food processing and other industries. The NYU team published its findings today online in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences…
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Algorithm Improves Brain-Controlled Cursor Movements
Engineers, neuroscientists, and computer scientists in the U.S. and U.K. designed an algorithm offering more sensitive and accurate control of a computer display cursor controlled by thoughts. The team led by Krishna Shenoy, Stanford University professor of neurobiology and engineering, published its findings online yesterday in the journal Nature Neuroscience (paid subscription required), and aims…
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Process Devised to Reinforce Injectable Hydrogels in Body
Chemical engineers at Massachusetts Institute of Technology developed a way to add structure to hydrogels injected in the body as treatments, to prevent them from liquifying. The team led by MIT engineering professor Bradley Olsen (pictured left) published its findings recently in an online issue of the journal Advanced Functional Materials; paid subscription required. Olsen,…
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High-Tech Sheet Fabric Developed to Reduce Bed Sore Risk
Researchers at Empa, a scientific institute in Switzerland, the Swiss Paraplegic Centre, and Schoeller Group, an advanced textiles company also in Switzerland, created a new type of bed linen that reduces the chance of bed sores developing on immobile patients. Schoeller Group’s medical division plans to introduce the new material as a commercial product next…