University of Illinois Archives – The Green Optimistic green tech news, since 2008 Wed, 17 Apr 2013 13:23:34 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=7.0 2667534 Micro-Battery Finally Catching up with Electronics Miniaturization https://www.greenoptimistic.com/micro-battery-university-illinois-20130417/ https://www.greenoptimistic.com/micro-battery-university-illinois-20130417/#respond Wed, 17 Apr 2013 13:23:32 +0000 https://www.greenoptimistic.com/?p=36364 Electrical devices have gotten smaller over time but, in spite of advances in circuit miniaturization, the batteries that power them are still monstrous by comparison. A micro-battery could change all of that. The first cell phone, or what we might recognize as a mobile phone, was produced in 1973 by Motorola, weighed 40oz and took […]

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]]> https://www.greenoptimistic.com/micro-battery-university-illinois-20130417/feed/ 0 36364 New Nanofibers Making Sulfur-Free Fuels https://www.greenoptimistic.com/new-nanofibers-clean-fuels-from-sulfur-compounds-20121219/ https://www.greenoptimistic.com/new-nanofibers-clean-fuels-from-sulfur-compounds-20121219/#respond Wed, 19 Dec 2012 07:23:44 +0000 https://www.greenoptimistic.com/?p=30044 Sulfur compounds in fuels can cause problems. Big problems. To combat this issue, researchers at the University of Illinois have developed mats of metal oxide nanofibers that scrub sulfur from petroleum-based fuels in a much more effective way than traditional materials and methods. Employing this technique would improve performance for fuel-based catalysis, facilitate toxic gas […]

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]]> https://www.greenoptimistic.com/new-nanofibers-clean-fuels-from-sulfur-compounds-20121219/feed/ 0 30044 Newly Designed Carbon Spheres Paving the Way For Better Gas Filters and Catalysts https://www.greenoptimistic.com/iron-carbon-spheres-nanoparticles-20101216/ https://www.greenoptimistic.com/iron-carbon-spheres-nanoparticles-20101216/#respond Thu, 16 Dec 2010 09:47:56 +0000 https://www.greenoptimistic.com/?p=16177 Solutions are always evolving for the polluting world out there, to compensate for the millions of tons of contaminants that poison the gas we breathe and the water we drink. One such innovatory solution comes from the University of Illinois in the form of tiny carbon spheres embedded with iron nanoparticles, to make more efficient catalysts and filters.

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]]> https://www.greenoptimistic.com/iron-carbon-spheres-nanoparticles-20101216/feed/ 0 16177 Now possible: Environmentally-Friendly Houses Made From Corn https://www.greenoptimistic.com/houses-made-from-corn-20101008/ https://www.greenoptimistic.com/houses-made-from-corn-20101008/#respond Fri, 08 Oct 2010 18:04:18 +0000 https://www.greenoptimistic.com/?p=10987 Corn Board Manufacturing, Inc has patented a corn-based composite board that can successfully replace the traditional plywood fiberboard. The invention makes use of corn stover, (corn husks and stalks) providing a non-toxic material for construction.

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