Technology

TeYu Chien, a UW assistant professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy, uses a low-temperature scanning tunneling microscope in his lab to observe nanomaterials. Chien is the lead author of a paper that appears in the journal …more Mechanical properties of nanomaterials can be altered due to the application of voltage, University of Wyoming researchers have discovered. The researchers, ... Read More »

Scanning and transmission electron micrographs of the cathode material at different magnifications. These images show that the 10-micron spheres (a) can be hollow and are composed of many smaller nanoscale particles (b). Chemical …more Building a better battery is a delicate balancing act. Increasing the amounts of chemicals whose reactions power the battery can lead to instability. Similarly, smaller particles ... Read More »

Triboelectric nanogenerators use a combination of the triboelectric effect and electrostatic induction to generate small amounts of electrical power from mechanical motions such as rotation, sliding or vibration. Credit: Zhong Lin Wang Laboratory A two-stage power management and storage system could dramatically improve the efficiency of triboelectric generators that harvest energy from irregular human motion such as walking, running or ... Read More »

The ‘lock’ DNA (red) of the closed nanopore binds with the ‘key’ DNA (green) to open the channel. Credit: Jonathan Burns et al. Nature Nanotechnology, DOI 10.1038/nnano.2015.279 DNA has been used as a ‘molecular building block’ to construct synthetic bio-inspired pores which will improve the way drugs are delivered and help advance the field of synthetic biology, according to scientists ... Read More »

A nanophotonic incandescent light bulb demonstrates the ability to tailor light radiated by a hot object. Credit: MIT Traditional light bulbs, thought to be well on their way to oblivion, may receive a reprieve thanks to a technological breakthrough. Incandescent lighting and its warm, familiar glow is well over a century old yet survives virtually unchanged in homes around the ... Read More »

Artistic illustration showing an ultrasensitive detection platform termed slippery liquid infused porous surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SLIPSERS). In this platform, an aqueous or oil droplet containing gold nanoparticles and captured …more A technique that combines the ultrasensitivity of surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) with a slippery surface invented by Penn State researchers will make it feasible to detect single molecules of a ... Read More »

Mark Zuckerberg wants to build an artificially intelligent assistant in 2016 to help run his home and assist him at work, the Facebook Inc founder and chief executive said on Sunday. Zuckerberg, who commits to a new personal challenge every year, revealed his plan in a Facebook post. “You can think of it kind of like Jarvis in Iron Man,” ... Read More »

Instagram last month added the 3D Touch feature in its app v7.13.0. However, it later for a short time pulled the feature for unknown reasons. Now it appears as if the company has brought back the feature in v7.14.0 of the app, which is rolling out to users. Support for 3D Touch allows users to use ‘Peek and Pop’ gestures ... Read More »

Origami, the Japanese art of paper folding, can be used to create beautiful birds, frogs and other small sculptures. Now a Binghamton University engineer says the technique can be applied to building batteries, too. Seokheun “Sean” Choi developed an inexpensive, bacteria-powered battery made from paper, he writes in the July edition of the journal Nano Energy. The battery generates power ... Read More »

Solar Impulse 2 took off from the UAE on March 9, powered by 17,000 solar cells, with the aim of promoting renewable energy through a round-the-world flight The sun-powered plane Solar Impulse 2, grounded in Hawaii since the summer for repairs, will be ready to fly again by April 20, the project’s spokeswoman told AFP Wednesday. The plane completed nearly ... Read More »