Category Physics

The newly developed e-wristband is self-powered, highly sensitive and washable. Credit: Image courtesy of American Chemical Society

Electronic textiles could allow a person to control household appliances or computers from a distance simply by touching a wristband or other item of clothing – something that could be particularly helpful for those with limited mobility. Now researchers, reporting in ACS Nano, have developed a new type of e-textile that is self-powered, highly sensitive and washable.

E-textiles are not new, but most existing versions have poor air permeability, can’t be laundered or are too costly or complex to mass-produce...

The fabricated transceiver only measures 3 mm × 4 mm and consists of four transmitting and receiving elements. The subcomponents of TRX1 are displayed. Credit: IEEE Radio Frequency Integrated Circuits Symposium 2018

Scientists at Tokyo Institute of Technology have designed and fabricated a tiny, but incredibly fast, reliable, and accurate 28-GHz transceiver meant for stable high-speed 5G communications. The fabricated transceiver trumps previous designs in various regards by taking a new approach for beam steering.

The importance of wireless communications is evident in modern societies, and thus, a lot of work has been done on 5G communications as it is the upcoming big step in mobile networks...

The structure of the crystal that was studied in the research; an individual molecule is highlighted in red. Credit: Institute for Quantum Matter/JHU

Electrical dipole activity detected in a quantum material unlike any other tested. A theorized but never-before detected property of quantum matter has now been spotted in the lab, a team of scientists reports. The team proved that a particular quantum material can demonstrate electrical dipole fluctuations – irregular oscillations of tiny charged poles on the material – even in extremely cold conditions, in the neighborhood of -450 degrees Fahrenheit.

The material, first synthesized 20 years ago, is called k-(BEDT-TTF)2Hg(SCN)2 Br. It is derived from organic compounds, but behaves like a metal...

The team’s lab setup was used to test the powerplant condenser system. The mesh is placed above the funnel at right to collect the water that condenses on the mesh. Courtesy of researchers

Technology captures water evaporating from cooling towers. A new system devised by MIT engineers could provide a low-cost source of drinking water for parched cities around the world while also cutting power plant operating costs. About 39% of all the fresh water withdrawn from rivers, lakes, and reservoirs in the U.S. is earmarked for the cooling needs of electric power plants that use fossil fuels or nuclear power, and much of that water ends up floating away in clouds of vapor...