nanotechnology tagged posts

Nanofiber mat electrode (John Russell / Vanderbilt)

The project is part of a $13 million Department of Energy program to advance fuel cell performance and durability and hydrogen storage technologies announced last month. The $4.5 million collaboration is based on a new nanofiber mat technology developed by Peter Pintauro, the H. Eugene McBrayer Professor of Chemical Engineering at Vanderbilt, that replaces the conventional electrodes used in fuel cells. The nanofiber electrodes boost the power output of fuel cells by 30% while being less expensive and more durable than conventional catalyst layers...

A) Classical configuration where the two rotating magnets (shown in rotation in red, green and blue arrows) share the same rotation axis (gray arrows). A similar setup is used in modern milk frothers and food mixers, as well as magnetic stirrers in chemistry labs. B) One configuration studied in this research with the rotating magnets having their rotation axes (gray arrows) perpendicular to each other. Credit: Image courtesy of Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University – OIST

The new milk frother you are using to prepare your cappuccino is likely using magnetic gears. Magnetic gears transmit rotary motion like mechanical gears but instead of teeth they use magnetic attraction and repulsion between rotating magnets...

Stanford researchers are using spiky nanoparticles of graphene-coated nickel to create a lithium-ion battery that shuts down when it’s too hot, then quickly restarts when it cools (1µ =1 micrometer). Credit: Zheng Chen, Stanford University

The new technology could prevent the kind of fires that have prompted recalls and bans on a wide range of battery-powered devices, from recliners and computers to navigation systems and hoverboards. “People have tried different strategies to solve the problem of accidental fires in lithium-ion batteries,” said Prof. Zhenan Bao, chemical engineering, Stanford. It “can be shut down and revived over repeated heating and cooling cycles without compromising performance.”

A typical Li-ion battery consists of 2 electrodes and a liquid or gel electrolyte that c...

Schematic diagrams depicting the conformation of amphipathic binaphthyl and its molecular deformation caused by compression at the air-water interface. a) Pliers representing amphipathic binaphthyl (left), chemical formula of amphipathic binaphthyl (center), and three-dimensional conformation of amphipathic binaphthyl. b) and c) Schematic representation of compressed and expanded amphipathic binaphthyl molecules that are arranged in a line at the air-water interface. These forces cause conformational change similar to opening and closing pliers. Credit: Copyright NIMS

It takes advantage of the property that molecular machines aggregate on the surface of water and  will contribute to development of basic technology for operation of various molecular machines in sensors and other types of de...