Category Technology/Electronics

How the catalyst works. Credit: University of Melbourne

A radical new process that allows hydrogen to be efficiently sourced from liquid formic acid could be one step forward in making the dream of hydrogen-powered cars an economic reality. Using formic acid to produce hydrogen has never been considered viable because it requires high temperatures to decompose and also produces waste by-products. But the Uni of Melbourne’s Professor Richard O’Hair has led an international team of scientists in designing a molecular catalyst that forces formic acid to produce only H2 and CO2 and at a low temperature of only 70°C.

It marks a new frontier in catalyst design at the molecular level...

This picture shows an OLED with the composite structure of TiO2/graphene/conducting polymer electrode in operation. The OLED exhibits 40.8% of ultrahigh external quantum efficiency (EQE) and 160.3 lm/W of power efficiency. The device prepared on a plastic substrate shown in the right remains intact and operates well even after 1,000 bending cycles at a radius of curvature as small as 2.3 mm. Credit: KAIST

The arrival of a thin, lightweight computer that even rolls up like a piece of paper will not be in the far distant future. Flexible organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs), built upon a plastic substrate, have received greater attention lately for their use in next-generation displays that can be bent or rolled while still operating...

A new “bionic leaf” system uses solar energy to produce liquid fuel. Credit: Courtesy of Jessica Polka/Silver Lab

New system surpasses efficiency of photosynthesis. Prof Nocera, and Prof Silver of Harvard University, have co-created a system that uses solar energy to split water molecules and hydrogen-eating bacteria to produce liquid fuels. “This is a true artificial photosynthesis system,” Nocera said. “Before, people were using artificial photosynthesis for water-splitting, but this is a true A-to-Z system, and we’ve gone well over the efficiency of photosynthesis in nature.”

While the study shows the system can be used to generate usable fuels, its potential doesn’t end there...

VR is the buzz industry at Asia’s largest tech fair, Computex, being held in Taiwan’s capital Taipei this week. The island is hoping to become a development hub for virtual reality technology

Reducing errors in surgery, bringing school books to life, enabling us to browse shops from the comfort of home—virtual reality is not just about gaming, it will change our lives, according to some tech leaders. “VR” is the buzz industry at Asia’s largest tech fair, Computex, being held in Taiwan’s capital Taipei this week.

“We know that gaming will be the first wave of revenue and gamers the first wave of consumers, but our vision is larger than gaming,” said Raymond Pao, VP of VR New Technology at Taiwanese smartphone maker HTC, which recently released its first VR headset: Vive...