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Yearly Archives: 2010
Self-Powered Solar Circuit Could Help Computing Become Greener and Faster
A team of scientists at the University of Pennsylvania have developed the world's first circuit powered by solar energy that can power itself, as long as it's left in a beam of sunshine. It could eventually power a new line of consumer devices or even model the human brain.
Japanese Thermoelectric Modules Aim Reaching Record of 11% Efficiency
A new test will be performed by Showa Denko on Feb. 15, 2010. The thermoelectric device is designed to be attached to the exhaust pipe of a car and supply electricity to the car's air conditioner, thus improving the fuel mileage.
Astounding Discovery: Marine Algae Using Quantum Mechanics Principles for Light Harvesting
Professor Greg Scholes, the lead author of the study published recently in Nature, says: "There's been a lot of excitement and speculation that nature may be using quantum mechanical practices. Our latest experiments show that normally functioning biological systems have the capacity to use quantum mechanics in order to optimize a process as essential to their survival as photosynthesis."
Sixtron's Antireflective Coatings Solve Safety and Efficiency Issues in Solar Cell Technology
Up to now, the most used antireflective coating method has been the vapor deposition of a silicon nitride film by using a highly-flamable silane gas, which can ignite when exposed to air. Transporting, storing, ventilating silane gas and other safety-keeping operation make the process very expensive.
Electric Field Induced Hydrogen Storage: A New Step Forward
Scientists from Virginia Commonwealth University, Peking University in Beijing and the Chinese Academy of Science in Shanghai made a discovery that could help other researchers build hydrogen containers that could make the gas compete with petrol-based fuels in terms of energy density and availability.
Newly Discovered TiO2-Coated Nanotubes Could Build Better Li-Ion Battery Electrodes
Titanium dioxide (TiO2) by itself makes up a very low performance electrode, because the electrons move very slowly through it (can take years until you could fill a millimiter-thick TiO2 piece). When you reduce its thickness, though, TiO2 acts like a very good electrode.
Levitating Magnet: MIT's New Approach to Nuclear Fusion
University of Columbia researchers, along with their colleagues from MIT, have some results in reproducing the Earth's magnetic fields for developing nuclear power plants based on nuclear fusion - the ultimate dream of scientists that uses the same principle that the Sun operates on.
SOccket – A Soccer Ball That Generates and Stores Renewable Energy
A group of students at the Harvard University have come up with an ingenious idea that could change the lives of African people. They have developed an energy harvesting soccer ball called sOccket that is able to produce electric energy when being kicked around.
Ene Pocket: A Radio-Controlled Toy Car Fueled by Sugar
Takara Tomy is a Japanese toy maker that recently developed a radio-controlled toy car called "Ene Pocket". The thing is equipped with a Sony bio-battery fueled by sugars like those in sodas and fruit drinks.
New Piezoelectric Flexible Nanoribbons Prove 80% Efficient Conversion
Pacemaker owners all over the world and other people in need of a reliable, small current source will surely be glad when they'll hear that Princeton University scientists have developed an ultra-efficient (80%) piezoelectric system, able to transform mechanical work into electricity.
