In a breakthrough that could free nanomachines from the bulk of batteries, researchers have developed a novel nanogenerator–an array of tiny filaments that converts the smallest motions into electrical current.
The nanowires are crafted from zinc oxide, a safe material that would allow the generator to be used in biomedical applications, and may eventually power nanomotors, tiny sensors, and if in large enough arrays, macroscale devices.
Georgia Institute of Technology engine More …
Archives for the 'Discovery' Category
Miniscule Generators Convert Motion Into Nanoscale Electricity Source
4 April 2007 at 11:00 pm
Getting a Feel for the Nano World
26 March 2007 at 11:00 pm
When it comes to research at the nanoscale, vision is not necessarily an advantage. The subjects are so small, no one can see them. To encourage people with visual impairments to pursue fields in nanotechnology, educators have developed a way to craft accurate, detailed and touch-friendly models of nanoscale objects like carbon nanofibers, allowing the students to "see" those objects for the first time.
While students have learned from abstract models of chemical structures More …
A Mathematical Solution for Another Dimension
18 March 2007 at 11:00 pm
Ever since 1887, when Norwegian mathematician Sophus Lie discovered the mathematical group called E8, researchers have been trying to understand the extraordinarily complex object described by a numerical matrix of more than 400,000 rows and columns.
Now, an international team of experts using powerful computers and programming techniques has mapped E8–a feat numerically akin to the mapping of the human genome–allowing for breakthroughs in a wide range of problems in geometry, numbe More …
Modern Technology Reveals Ancient Footpaths Buried in 2,500 Years Worth of Volcanic Ash
12 March 2007 at 11:00 pm
Central-American villagers created sacred burial customs despite volcanic eruptions More …
New Coating Is Virtual Black Hole for Reflections
28 February 2007 at 11:00 pm
Researchers have created an anti-reflective coating that allows light to travel through it, but lets almost none bounce off its surface. At least 10 times more effective than the coating on sunglasses or computer monitors, the material, which is made of silica nanorods, may be used to channel light into solar cells or allow more photons to surge through the surface of a light-emitting diode (LED).
Publishing in the March 1, 2007, Nature Photonics, lead author Jong Kyu Kim and More …
Life Can Be a Strain
20 February 2007 at 11:00 pm
From enormous mining trucks to human knee implants, sensor technology is teaching us when enough is enough More …
From Farm Waste to Fuel Tanks
15 February 2007 at 11:00 pm
Using corncob waste as a starting material, researchers have created carbon briquettes with complex nanopores capable of storing natural gas at an unprecedented density of 180 times their own volume and at one seventh the pressure of conventional natural gas tanks.
The breakthrough, announced today in Kansas City, Mo., is a significant step forward in the nationwide effort to fit more automobiles to run on methane, an abundant fuel that is domestically produced and cleaner burning tha More …
Hydrogen-Powered Lawnmowers?
21 January 2007 at 11:00 pm
In a breakthrough that could make fuel cells practical for such small machines as lawnmowers and chainsaws, researchers have developed a new mechanism to efficiently control hydrogen fuel cell power.
Many standard fuel cell designs use electronics to control power output, but such designs require complex systems to manage humidity and fuel recovery and recycling systems to achieve acceptable efficiency.
The new process controls the hydrogen feed to match the required power out More …
You Still Can’t Drink the Water, But Now You Can Touch It
8 January 2007 at 11:00 pm
Engineers have developed a system that uses a simple water purification technique that can eliminate 100 percent of the microbes in New Orleans water samples left from Hurricane Katrina. The technique makes use of specialized resins, copper and hydrogen peroxide to purify tainted water.
The system–safer, cheaper and simpler to use than many other methods–breaks down a range of toxic chemicals. While the method cleans the water, it doesn’t yet make the water drinkable. However, the m More …
2006: Year in Review
8 January 2007 at 11:00 pm
A look back at some of the NSF-supported activities highlighted last year More …
Universe’s Oldest Objects Emerge from the Background
17 December 2006 at 11:00 pm
The deepest reaches of space are permeated by a cloak of infrared radiation, an uneven energy swath generated by long-dead objects from the early universe.
Now, researchers have teased apart overlapping signals from that cosmic infrared background, building upon an earlier study to show that uneven patches of energy may actually be clusters of the first objects to emerge from the Big Bang.
The astronomers believe the objects are either extremely bright stars more than 1,000 ti More …
Windows on American Life
6 December 2006 at 11:00 pm
Social science research offers insights into American lifestyles and opinions More …
Melts in Your Body, Not in Your Hand
6 December 2006 at 11:00 pm
Leaded crystal and common glass may look similar, but the crystal is made of a rigid scaffolding of atoms, while the glass is a disordered, atomic slurry.
Researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison have developed a method for crafting some of the most stable glasses ever formed–materials that are strong and durable like crystal and yet free of the confining properties of an ordered atomic skeleton. They hope the new method will enable drug manufacturers to take advantage of c More …
Understanding the Building Blocks of Language and Thought
5 December 2006 at 11:00 pm
Language shapes how infants learn spatial concepts More …
The Smell of Money
19 November 2006 at 11:00 pm
It’s not hard to recall the pungent scent of a handful of pocket change. Similar smells emanate from a sweat-covered dumbbell or the water emerging from an old metal pipe. Yet no one has been able to identify the exact chemical cause of these familiar odors.
Now, researchers supported by a National Science Foundation (NSF) MUSES More …









