Category Physics

Namib Desert beetle. Credit: © Rafael Ben-Ari / Fotolia

In a discovery that may lead to ways to prevent frost on airplane parts, condenser coils, and even windshields, a team of researchers led by Virginia Tech has used chemical micropatterns to control the growth of frost caused by condensation. They used photolithography to pattern chemical arrays that attract water over top of a surface that repels water, thereby controlling or preventing the spread of frost.

The inspiration for the work came from an unlikely source — the Namib Desert Beetle, which makes headlines because it lives in one of the hottest places in the world, yet it still collects airborne water...

The A-Gear robotic arm in use. Credit: Image courtesy of University of Twente

Researchers have developed A-Gear: a robotic arm that can support the daily activities of people suffering the muscular disease Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy. They recently put the final touches to the 1st prototype for a discreet, body-connected support aid that can be worn under the clothing and that can support independent operation of the arm during important daily activities. Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy occurs in1 in 5000 live born boys. The muscles become weaker during their life. As a result, boys with Duchenne lose the ability to use their arms until, eventually, they are unable to use them at all.

Over the past 4 years, the researchers have been working on 2 arm supports: a passive arm support – controlled...

A slab of conductive concrete demonstrates its de-icing capability outside the Peter Kiewit Institute in Omaha during a winter storm in December 2015. The concrete carries just enough current to melt ice while remaining safe to the touch. Credit: Courtesy photo/Chris Tuan and Lim Nguyen

Civil engineers are working with the Federal Aviation Administration to perfect the de-icing properties of concrete that can conduct electricity. A 200-sq-ft slab of seemingly ordinary concrete sits just outside the Peter Kiewit Institute as snowflakes begin parachuting toward Omaha on a frigid afternoon in late December. The snow accumulates on the grass surrounding the slab and initially clings to the concrete, too...

Illustration depicting semiconductor nanocrystal to molecule triplet energy transfer and established subsequent reactions. Credit: Image generated by Dr. Cedric Mongin

It extends the lifetime of originally prepared excited state by 6 orders of magnitude. This has implications for solar energy conversion to photochemical synthesis to optoelectronics to light therapy for cancer Rx. Excitons are the electron/hole pairs formed in semiconductor nanocrystals upon absorption of light, temporarily storing it as chemical energy. In solar cells, for example, excitons transport energy through the material so that it can be collected and converted into electricity.

In terms of photochemistry, the major drawback to using most semiconductor nanocrystals as photosensitizers lies in their short excited st...