Science Daily May 31, 2018 Researchers in France have designed a flying robot called Quad-Morphing which has two rotating arms each equipped with two propellers for helicopter-like flight. A system of elastic and rigid wires allows the robot to change the orientation of its arms in flight so that they are either perpendicular or parallel to its central axis. It adopts the parallel position, halving its wingspan, to traverse a narrow stretch and then switches back to perpendicular position to stabilize its flight, all while flying at a speed of 9 km/h. It paves the way for a new generation […]
Better, faster, stronger: Building batteries that don’t go boom
Nanowerk May 29, 2018 Dendrites fill pre-existing microscopic flaws–grooves, pores and scratches at the interface between the lithium anode and the solid electrolyte separator increasing pressure on lithium. An international team of researchers (USA – Michigan Technological University, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, India) explored how the metal reacts to pressure. They provide a statistical model that explains the conditions under which lithium undergoes an abrupt transition that further facilitates its ability to alleviate pressure. They also provide a model that directly links the mechanical behavior of lithium to the performance of the battery… read more. Open Access TECHNICAL ARTICLE 1 , 2 , 3
Building nanomaterials for next-generation computing
Science Daily May 30, 2018 Researchers at Northwestern University tested different conditions to map out the different parameters required to grow specific heterostructures from four types of 2-D materials: molybdenum disulfide and diselenide, and tungsten disulfide and diselenide. The unified Time-Temperature-Architecture Diagrams provide directions for the exact conditions required to generate numerous heterostructure morphologies and compositions. Using these diagrams, the researchers developed a unique library of nanostructures with physical properties of interest to physicists and materials scientists which may be useful for heterostructure fabrication beyond the first four materials… read more. Open Access TECHNICAL ARTICLE
A fresh sensation in sensing technology
Phys.org June 01, 2018 In optical fiber sensor networks a fiber Bragg grating is one of the key sensor devices used because of compactness and immunity to electromagnetic interference. But their sensitivity is not always satisfactory. Researchers in Japan have developed an inexpensive super spectral resolution method for multi-channel spectrometers to conventional interrogators for optical fiber sensing. The technology may find applications in IoT… read more. TECHNICAL ARTICLE
From face recognition to phase recognition
Nanowerk May 31, 2018 An international team of researchers (USA – Stony Brook University, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Latvia) has developed a tool to extract “hidden” signatures of an unknown structure from measurements made by existing tools. The network training is similar to how machine learning is used in facial-recognition technology. The technique is useful for studying the dynamics of phase changes, and to monitor the arrangements of nanoparticles in catalysts and other materials… read more. TECHNICAL ARTICLE
Here’s How Spies Can Use Your Phone to Find You And Eavesdrop With Ease
Science Alert June 01, 2018 The SS7 (Signaling System 7) created in the 1970s as a way for telecommunications carriers to exchange information as they routed calls, has little security, allowing intelligence agencies and some criminal gangs to spy on unwitting targets – based on nothing more than their cellphone numbers. As the number of companies with access to SS7 grew to many thousands, the lack of built-in security became a growing problem. It was easy for anyone with access to the network to pretend to be a carrier making legitimate requests for information about customers. According to an Israeli […]
New research could improve wireless sensing and communication
EurekAlert May 29, 2018 Researchers at Binghamton University are working on a project sponsored by ONR called “Supercapacitive micro-bio-photovoltaics for sustainable wireless sensor networks” to create a micro-device that uses bio-photovoltaic (BPV) technology to act as a supercapacitator capable of improving wireless sensing and communication. The idea is to use cyanobacterial photosynthesis process via a micro device to harness the sun’s energy and convert that into usable electricity. Once energy is harnessed the device is used as a supercapacitor. According to the researchers this will make wireless sensor networks sustainable… read more.
Novel insulators with conducting edges
Eurekalert June 1, 2018 An international team of researchers (Switzerland, Spain, USA – Princeton University, Germany, France) has predicted a new class of topological insulators, called “higher-order topological insulators”, that have conducting properties on the edges of crystals rather than on their surface. The conducting edges are extraordinarily robust. If an imperfection gets in the way of the current, it simply flows around the impurity, if the crystal breaks, the new edges automatically conduct current and in theory electricity can be conducted without any dissipation. They have proposed tin telluride as the first compound to show these novel properties. The […]
Plastic crystals hold key to record-breaking energy transport
Nanowerk May 29, 2018 Researchers in the UK developed a new way to make highly ordered crystalline semiconducting structures using polymers. The distance that the photo-exited states travelled reached distances of 200 nanometres – 20 times further than was previously possible. 200 nanometres is especially significant because it is greater than the thickness of material needed to completely absorb ambient light, making these polymers more suitable as “light harvesters” for solar cells and photodetectors… read more. TECHNICAL ARTICLE
Prototype nuclear battery packs 10 times more power
Phys.org June 01, 2018 Researchers in Russia developed a nuclear battery prototype consisting of 200 diamond converters interlaid with nickel-63 and stable nickel foil layers. The amount of power generated by the converter depends on the thickness of the nickel foil and the converter itself, because both affect how many beta particles are absorbed. For maximum power density they found that the nickel-63 source should be 2 micrometers thick, and the optimal thickness of the converter based on Schottky barrier diamond diodes is around 10 micrometers… read more. The findings have prospects for medical and space industry applications. TECHNICAL ARTICLE