ScienceDaily: Matter & Energy News

Developers help fund transit through value capture plans Posted: 25 Feb 2015 05:58 PM PST Transit improvements increase property values, and cities increasingly are asking real estate developers to help fund transit facilities that will benefit their projects, according to a new report.

Simple way to make and reconfigure complex emulsions Posted: 25 Feb 2015 11:24 AM PST Researchers have devised a new way to make complex liquid mixtures, known as emulsions, that could have many applications in drug delivery, sensing, cleaning up pollutants, and performing chemical reactions.

Clusters of aluminum metal atoms become superconductive at surprisingly high temperatures Posted: 25 Feb 2015 10:22 AM PST Clusters of atoms known as 'superatoms' represent an entirely new family of superconductors -- one that appears to work at temperatures well above standard superconductors.

Physicists offer a solution to the puzzle of the origin of matter in the universe Posted: 25 Feb 2015 10:22 AM PST Most of the laws of nature treat particles and antiparticles equally, but stars and planets are made of particles, or matter, and not antiparticles, or antimatter. That asymmetry, which favors matter to a very small degree, has puzzled scientists for many years. Physicists offer a possible solution to the mystery of the origin of matter in the universe.

Bending a highly energetic electron beam with crystal Posted: 25 Feb 2015 10:21 AM PST Scientists have demonstrated that a bent silicon crystal can bend the paths of focused, very energetic electron beams much more than magnets used today. The method could be of interest for particle accelerator applications such as next-generation X-ray lasers that will help scientists unravel atomic structures and motions in unprecedented detail.

New flow battery to keep big cities lit, green and safe Posted: 25 Feb 2015 09:27 AM PST The new zinc-polyiodide redox flow battery uses an electrolyte that has more than two times the energy density of the next-best flow battery used to store renewable energy and support the power grid. It's high energy density, and resulting lower cost, make it ideal for large cities where space is at a premium.

New technology could make treatment of oil and gas wastewater simpler, cheaper Posted: 25 Feb 2015 09:27 AM PST Oil and gas operations in the United States produce about 21 billion barrels of wastewater per year. The saltiness of the water and the organic contaminants it contains have traditionally made treatment difficult and expensive.

Cellular communication offers easy fog detection for roads and runways Posted: 25 Feb 2015 08:44 AM PST Thick fogbanks can blanket open roads and runways and dramatically reduce visibility -- often causing devastating accidents. A new study suggests that a practical solution to fog detection can be found in cellular communication networks already in place all over the world.

Learning by eye: Silicon micro-funnels increase the efficiency of solar cells Posted: 25 Feb 2015 08:44 AM PST A biological structure in mammalian eyes has inspired scientists to design an inorganic counterpart for use in solar cells: micron-sized vertical funnels were etched shoulder-to-shoulder in a silicon substrate. Using mathematical models and experiments, they tested how these kind of funnel arrays collect incident light and conduct it to the active layer of a silicon solar cell. Their result: this arrangement of funnels increases photo absorption by about 65 percent in a thin-film solar cell.

Electric-car driving range and emissions depend on where you live Posted: 25 Feb 2015 08:43 AM PST Many car buyers weighing whether they should go all electric to help the planet have at least one new factor to consider before making the switch: geography. Based on a study of a commercially available electric car, scientists report that emissions and driving range can vary greatly depending on regional energy sources and climate.

Magnetic nanoparticles enhance performance of solar cells Posted: 25 Feb 2015 08:43 AM PST Magnetic nanoparticles can increase the performance of solar cells made from polymers -- provided the mix is right. Adding about one per cent of such nanoparticles by weight makes the solar cells more efficient, according to new findings.

Cherenkov Effect improves radiation therapy for patients with cancer Posted: 25 Feb 2015 08:41 AM PST The complex parts of the blue light known as the Cherenkov Effect can be measured and used in dosimetry to make therapies safer and more effective, scientists report.

In quest for better lithium-air batteries, chemists boost carbon's stability Posted: 25 Feb 2015 06:43 AM PST Chemists report nano-coatings increased the stability of a unique form of carbon, yielding performance gains focused on next generation lithium-air batteries.

Researchers enable solar cells to use more sunlight Posted: 25 Feb 2015 06:41 AM PST Scientists report progress in photovoltaic research: they have improved a component that will enable solar cells to use more energy of the sun and thus create a higher current.

Graphene shows potential as novel anti-cancer therapeutic strategy Posted: 25 Feb 2015 05:29 AM PST Graphene has been used to target and neutralize cancer stem cells while not harming other cells, investigators report. This new development opens up the possibility of preventing or treating a broad range of cancers, using a non-toxic material, they say.

Flexible nanosensors for wearable devices Posted: 25 Feb 2015 05:28 AM PST Scientists will now be able to fabricate optical nanosensors capable of sticking to uneven surfaces and biological surfaces, like human skin. This result can boost the use of wearable devices to monitor parameters such as temperature, breath and heart pressure. This is a low cost technology, as the researchers use materials like standard polycarbonate compact disks, aluminum films and adhesive tapes.

Spin laser: Rapid data transfer thanks to quantum physics Posted: 25 Feb 2015 05:25 AM PST Engineers have developed a new concept for accelerating data transfer in server farms. To this end, the team has applied a quantum-mechanical variable, i.e. the spin. Researchers are optimizing the so-called spin lasers for data transfer.

New nanowire structure absorbs light efficiently: May be used in LEDs and solar cells Posted: 25 Feb 2015 05:25 AM PST Researchers have developed a new method to implement different types of nanowires side-by-side into a single array on a single substrate. The new technique makes it possible to use different semiconductor materials for the different types of nanowires.