ScienceDaily: Matter & Energy News

New catalyst process uses light, not metal, for rapid polymerization Posted: 12 Jan 2015 03:13 PM PST A team of chemistry and materials science experts has created a novel way to overcome one of the major hurdles preventing the widespread use of controlled radical polymerization.

3-D printed Shelby Cobra Posted: 12 Jan 2015 11:12 AM PST A new 3-D printed vehicle pays homage to the classic Shelby Cobra in celebration of the racing car’s 50th anniversary.

Water, water, everywhere: Controlling the properties of nanomaterials Posted: 12 Jan 2015 10:39 AM PST Properties of water molecules on the surface of metal oxides can be used to better control these minerals and use them to make products such as more efficient semiconductors for organic light emitting diodes and solar cells, safer vehicle glass in fog and frost, and more environmentally friendly chemical sensors for industrial applications.

Solar cell polymers with multiplied electrical output Posted: 12 Jan 2015 10:39 AM PST Scientists paired up photovoltaic polymers that produce two units of electricity per unit of light instead of the usual one on a single molecular polymer chain. Having the two charges on the same molecule means the light-absorbing, energy-producing materials work efficiently when dissolved in liquids, which opens the way for a wide range of industrial scale manufacturing processes, including "printing" solar-energy-producing material like ink.

From the bottom up: Manipulating nanoribbons at the molecular level Posted: 12 Jan 2015 10:39 AM PST Researchers have developed a new precision approach for synthesizing graphene nanoribbons from pre-designed molecular building blocks. Using this process the researchers have built nanoribbons that have enhanced properties--such as position-dependent, tunable bandgaps--that are potentially very useful for next-generation electronic circuitry.

Vision system for household robots Posted: 12 Jan 2015 08:07 AM PST For household robots ever to be practical, they'll need to be able to recognize the objects they're supposed to manipulate. But while object recognition is one of the most widely studied topics in artificial intelligence, even the best object detectors still fail much of the time. A new algorithm could enable household robots to better identify objects in cluttered environments.

Graphene plasmons go ballistic Posted: 12 Jan 2015 06:32 AM PST Graphene combined with the insulting power of boron nitride enables light control in tiny circuits with dramatically reduced energy loss.

Using wearable technology, man leaves hospital without a human heart Posted: 12 Jan 2015 06:30 AM PST Wearable technology allows 24-year-old with a total artificial heart to wait at home for a heart transplant. It's the latest milestone in efforts to replace the failing heart.

They see flow signals: Researchers identify nature of 'sixth sense' in fish Posted: 12 Jan 2015 06:30 AM PST A team of scientists has identified how a "sixth sense" in fish allows them to detect flows of water, which helps resolve a long-standing mystery about how these aquatic creatures respond to their environment.

'Batman' leads way to extremely fast and precise data storage Posted: 12 Jan 2015 05:29 AM PST Researchers have succeeded in switching tiny, magnetic structures using laser light and tracking the change over time. In the process, a nanometer-sized area bizarrely reminiscent of the Batman logo appeared. The research results could render data storage on hard drives faster, more compact and more efficient.

Flame protection for the jet set Posted: 09 Jan 2015 01:55 AM PST A new coating protects business jet interiors against fire. Not only is the agent more environmentally friendly than before; it can also be applied more quickly. This new coating could also be used in textiles and wood-based furnishing and architectural systems.