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    Category Technology/Electronics

    Cactus-Inspired Skin gives Electric Cars a Spike

    April 28, 2016, Categories  Technology/Electronics, Chemistry/Nanotechnology, Physics

    Basic concept of self-humidifying nanovalved membrane.

    Basic concept of self-humidifying nanovalved membrane. A hydrophobic coating layer provides a self-controlled mechanism for water conservation using nanometre-sized cracks (nanocracks) tuned by membrane swelling behaviour in response to external humidity conditions, which act as nanovalves. Credit: Chi Hoon Park et al. Nature (2016). DOI: 10.1038/nature17634 

    Inspired by the humble cactus, a new type of membrane has the potential to significantly boost the performance of fuel cells and transform the electric vehicle industry. In hot conditions the membrane, which features a water repellent skin, can improve the efficiency of fuel cells by a factor of 4...

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    Chemists use DNA to build the World’s Tiniest Thermometer

    April 27, 2016, Categories  Technology/Electronics, Health/Medical, Biology/Biotechnology

    Developing molecules, switches, probes or nanomaterials that are able to respond to specific temperature changes should prove of utility for several applications in nanotechnology. Here, we describe bioinspired strategies to design DNA thermoswitches with programmable linear response ranges that can provide either a precise ultrasensitive response over a desired, small temperature interval (±0.05 °C) or an extended linear response over a wide temperature range (e.g., from 25 to 90 °C). Using structural modifications or inexpensive DNA stabilizers, we show that we can tune the transition midpoints of DNA thermometers from 30 to 85 °C. Using multimeric switch architectures, we are able to create ultrasensitive thermometers that display large quantitative fluorescence gains within small temperature variation (e.g., > 700% over 10 °C). Using a combination of thermoswitches of different stabilities or a mix of stabilizers of various strengths, we can create extended thermometers that respond linearly up to 50 °C in temperature range. Here, we demonstrate the reversibility, robustness, and efficiency of these programmable DNA thermometers by monitoring temperature change inside individual wells during polymerase chain reactions. We discuss the potential applications of these programmable DNA thermoswitches in various nanotechnology fields including cell imaging, nanofluidics, nanomedecine, nanoelectronics, nanomaterial, and synthetic biology.

    Developing molecules, switches, probes or nanomaterials that are able to respond to specific temperature changes should prove of utility for several applications in nanotechnology. Here, we describe bioinspired strategies to design DNA thermoswitches with programmable linear response ranges that can provide either a precise ultrasensitive response over a desired, small temperature interval (±0.05 °C) or an extended linear response over a wide temperature range (e.g., from 25 to 90 °C). Using structural modifications or inexpensive DNA stabilizers, we show that we can tune the transition midpoints of DNA thermometers from 30 to 85 °C...

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    Flipping a Chemical Switch helps Perovskite Solar Cells Beat the Heat

    April 26, 2016, Categories  Chemistry/Nanotechnology, Physics, Technology/Electronics

    Thin films of crystalline materials called perovskites provide a promising new way of making inexpensive and efficient solar cells. Now, an international team of researchers has shown a way of flipping a chemical switch that converts one type of perovskite into another -- a type that has better thermal stability and is a better light absorber. Credit: Padture Lab / Brown University

    Thin films of crystalline materials called perovskites provide a promising new way of making inexpensive and efficient solar cells. Now, an international team of researchers has shown a way of flipping a chemical switch that converts one type of perovskite into another — a type that has better thermal stability and is a better light absorber. Credit: Padture Lab / Brown University

    Thin films of crystalline materials, perovskites provide a promising new way of making inexpensive and efficient solar cells. An international team has shown a way of flipping a chemical switch that converts one type of perovskite into another – a type that has better thermal stability and is a better light absorber...

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    Promising Route for Combined Optical and Solid State-based Quantum Information processing

    April 26, 2016, Categories  Physics, Technology/Electronics

    Some rare atoms can store quantum information, an important phenomenon for scientists in their ongoing quest for a quantum Internet. New research exploits a system that has the potential to transfer optical quantum information to locally stored solid-state quantum format, needed for quantum communication.

    “Our research aims at creating a quantum analog of current fiber optic technology in which light is used to transfer classical information — bits with values zero or one — between computers,” said author Dirk Bouwmeester, a professor in UCSB’s Department of Physics. “The rare earth atoms we’re studying can store the superpositions of 0 and 1 used in quantum computation. In addition, the light by which we communicate with these atoms can also store quantum information.”

    Rare earth element - Yttrium

    Rare earth element...

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