Category Technology/Electronics

1.Prototype of a semi-transparent perovskite solar cell with thermal-mirror functionality.
Copyright : Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST)
2. Thermal images are taken by an infrared camera to compare the heat rejection performance of automobile window film, semi-transparent solar cell and glass.
Copyright : Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST)
3. Typical solar cells today are made of crystalline silicon, which is difficult to make translucent.
Copyright : Liu Fuyu / 123rf

A Korean team has developed semi-transparent perovskite solar cells that could be great candidates for solar windows...

Electron microscopy images of perovskite quantum dots embedded in the protective alumina matrix, and a photograph of the same film stable in water. Credit: © R. Buonsanti/EPFL

EPFL scientists have built a new type of inorganic nanocomposite that makes perovskite quantum dot exceptionally stable against air exposure, sunlight, heat, and water. Quantum dots are nanometer-size, semiconducting materials whose tiny size gives them unique optical properties. Much effort has been put in building quantum dots from perovskites, which already show much promise for solar panels, LEDs and laser technologies.

The new approach to stabilize the perovskite quantum dots was developed in the lab of Raffaella Buonsanti at EPFL Valais Wallis...

Medical resident Jarod Roland, MD, tries out a device that detects electrical activity in his brain and causes his hand to open and close in response to brain signals. A new study shows that this device can help chronic stroke patients recover some control over their paralyzed limbs. Credit: Leuthardt lab

Device reads brain signals, converts them into motion. Stroke patients who learned to use their minds to open and close a device fitted over their paralyzed hands gained some control over their hands, according to a new study from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis...

Researchers at MIT have explored the secrets behind the conch shell’s extraordinary impact resilience. The findings are reported in a new study by MIT graduate student Grace Gu (right), postdoc Mahdi Takaffoli (left), and McAfee Professor of Engineering Markus Buehler. Credit: Melanie Gonick/MIT

Three-tiered structure of these impact-resistant shells could inspire better helmets, body armor. As recent research has demonstrated, one type of shell stands out above all the others in its toughness: the conch. Now, researchers at MIT have explored the secrets behind these shells’ extraordinary impact resilience. And they’ve shown that this superior strength could be reproduced in engineered materials, potentially to provide the best-ever protective headgear and body armor.

Conch shells “have ...