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    Category Technology/Electronics

    Suiker’s Equations prevent 3D-printed Walls from Collapsing or Falling over

    February 16, 2018, Categories  Physics, Technology/Electronics, Chemistry/Nanotechnology

    These are rectangular shapes printed at the TU Eindhoven 3-D-concrete printer. Suiker elaborated his equations for rectangular layouts like these. Credit: Rob Wolfs/Eindhoven University of Technology

    These are rectangular shapes printed at the TU Eindhoven 3-D-concrete printer. Suiker elaborated his equations for rectangular layouts like these. Credit: Rob Wolfs/Eindhoven University of Technology

    3D-printed materials commonly are soft and flexible during printing, leaving printed walls susceptible to collapse or falling over. Akke Suiker, professor in Applied Mechanics at Eindhoven University of Technology, had a Eureka moment and saw the solution to this structural problem. He developed a model with which engineers can now easily determine the dimensions and printing speeds for which printed wall structures remain stable. His formulae are so elementary that they can become commonplace in the fast growing field of 3D printing.

    Conventional concrete deposited in formwork typically is al...

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    Engineers develop Smart Material that Changes Stiffness when Twisted or Bent

    February 15, 2018, Categories  Physics, Technology/Electronics, Chemistry/Nanotechnology

    Examples of the new smart material, left to right: A flexible strip; a flexible strip that stiffened when twisted; a flexible strip transformed into a hard composite that can hold up a weight. Credit: Christopher Gannon/Iowa State University

    Examples of the new smart material, left to right: A flexible strip; a flexible strip that stiffened when twisted; a flexible strip transformed into a hard composite that can hold up a weight. Credit: Christopher Gannon/Iowa State University

    Scientists have developed a rubbery material that transforms itself into a hard composite when bent, twisted or squeezed. The new material could be used in medicine to support delicate tissues or in industry to protect valuable sensors. Stress a muscle and it gets stronger. Mechanically stress the rubbery material – say with a twist or a bend – and the material automatically stiffens by up to 300%, the engineers said...

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    New Fuel Cell demonstrates exceptional Power Density and Stability

    February 13, 2018, Categories  Physics, Technology/Electronics, Chemistry/Nanotechnology

    3. Scanning electron microsopy images before and after stability measurement for 700 h. Interface between PBSCF cathode and BZCYYb4411 electolyte (a) before stability measurement. (b) after stability measurement. High-magnification of microstructure of cathode. (c) before stability measurement. (d) after stability measurement. (e) EDS line scan at the cathode and electrolyte interface after stability measurement

    Scanning electron microsopy images before and after stability
    measurement for 700 h. Interface between PBSCF cathode and BZCYYb4411 electolyte (a)
    before stability measurement. (b) after stability measurement. High-magnification of
    microstructure of cathode. (c) before stability measurement. (d) after stability measurement. (e)
    EDS line scan at the cathode and electrolyte interface after stability measurement

    By combining a high-activity cathode with a new composition of matter, fuel cell operates at 500C – a commercialization sweet spot...

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    Forging a Quantum Leap in Quantum Communication

    February 10, 2018, Categories  Physics, Technology/Electronics

    In quantum communication, the participating parties can detect eavesdropping by resorting to the fundamental principle of quantum mechanics -- a measurement affects the measured quantity. Thus, an eavesdropper can be detected by identifying traces his measurements of the communication channel leave behind. The major drawback of quantum communication is the slow speed of data transfer, limited by the speed at which the parties can perform quantum measurements. Researchers at Bar-Ilan University have devised a method that overcomes this, and enables an increase in the rate of data transfer by more than 5 orders of magnitude! This image illustrates their technique, in which they replaced electrical nonlinearity with a direct optical nonlinearity, transforming the quantum information into a classical optical signal. Credit: Bar-Ilan University

    In quantum communication, the participating parties can detect eavesdropping by resorting to the fundamental principle of quantum mechanics — a measurement affects the measured quantity. Thus, an eavesdropper can be detected by identifying traces his measurements of the communication channel leave behind. The major drawback of quantum communication is the slow speed of data transfer, limited by the speed at which the parties can perform quantum measurements...

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