Thermodynamics News

September 9, 2016

Printed Graphene For Paper Electronics

Team Tricks Solid Into Acting as Liquid

Keeping Cool Without Losing Your Shirt

Sponge Creates Steam Using Ambient Sunlight

Latest Headlines

updated 12:44am EDT

Researchers Design Solids That Control Heat With Spinning Superatoms

Sep. 6, 2016 — Superatom crystals are periodic arrangements of C60 fullerenes and similarly sized inorganic molecular clusters. There are two nearly identical formations, one with rotating ... read more

Low-Cost Solar Device Converts Sunlight to Steam in Dusty Environment

Sep. 6, 2016 — A novel, low-cost solar thermal energy conversion system has been developed that can easily generate steam from sunlight. The solar conversion system can help make ... read more

Wearable Integrated Thermocells Based on Gel Electrolytes Use Body Heat as Power Source

Sep. 6, 2016 — Electronics integrated into textiles are gaining in popularity: Systems like smartphone displays in a sleeve or sensors to detect physical ... read more

3-D Graphene Has Promise for Bio Applications

Sep. 2, 2016 — Graphene oxide flakes can be welded together into solid materials that may be suitable for bone implants, according to an ... read more

Plastic Crystals Could Improve Fabrication of Memory Devices

Aug. 31, 2016 — A novel 'plastic crystal' has switching properties suitable for ... read more

Flywheel Technology Could Create New Savings for Light Rail Transit

Aug. 30, 2016 — Two engineering professors have examined the use of flywheel technology to store energy generated when light rail transit trains decelerate and stop. Trains such as the LRT ... read more

A Device to Control 'Color' of Electrons in Graphene Provides Path to Future Electronics

Aug. 29, 2016 — A device made of bilayer graphene is one step forward in a new field of physics ... read more

Admitting Visible Light, Rejecting Infrared Heat

Aug. 25, 2016 — The transparency of glass to visible light makes it the most common way to let light into a building. But because glass is also transparent to near-infrared radiation -- ... read more

'4-D Printing' a New Dimension for Additive Manufacturing

Aug. 23, 2016 — Researchers have demonstrated the 3-D printing of shape-shifting structures that can fold or unfold to reshape themselves when exposed to heat or electricity, an approach ... read more

New Flexible Material Can Make Any Window 'Smart'

Aug. 22, 2016 — Scientists have developed a new low-temperature process for coating a new smart material on plastic. At the heart of the team's study is their rare insight into the ... read more

Pain-Free Ultrasonic Device Measures Brain Pressure

No More Curtains Smart Windows

Nanotechnology Makes Cheap, Improved, Water Filters

Matt Damon, Rejoice! Water-Extracting Device Headed To Mars In 2018

New Theory Could Lead to New Generation of Energy Friendly Optoelectronics

Aug. 22, 2016 — Researchers have created a new theoretical framework which could help physicists and device engineers design better optoelectronics, leading to less heat generation and power consumption in ... read more

How to Keep the Superhot Plasma Inside Tokamaks from Chirping

Aug. 19, 2016 — Physicists have learned which conditions within fusion plasma make the occurrence of chirping modes more ... read more

Scientists Have Created a Ceramic, Resistant to Extreme Temperatures

Aug. 19, 2016 — Scientists managed to create a new multi-layered ceramic material with heat resistance of the upper layer of more than 3,000 degrees ... read more

Physicists Discover 'Apparent Departure from the Laws of Thermodynamics'

Aug. 19, 2016 — Physicists have revolutionized our understanding of a popular technique, known as buffer gas cooling, which is crucial in fields ranging from forensics to the production of ... read more

Using Nature's Recipe to Create Mother of Pearl

Aug. 18, 2016 — Researchers have created a synthetic nacre remarkably similar to the natural material, which is also known as mother of pearl, though their synthetic version forms in weeks instead of months or ... read more

Transparent Wood Windows Are Cooler Than Glass: Study

Aug. 16, 2016 — Engineers demonstrate in a new study that windows made of transparent wood could provide more even and consistent natural lighting and better energy efficiency than ... read more

Solid Batteries Improve Safety

Aug. 16, 2016 — A new lithium-ion battery made entirely of solid material has been developed by scientists. They report that it contains neither liquids nor gels. The battery cannot ignite, even at very high ... read more

New Residential Water Heater Concept Promises High Efficiency, Lower Cost

Aug. 15, 2016 — Scientists have developed a novel method that could yield lower-cost, higher-efficiency systems for water heating in residential buildings, outlines a new report. The newly termed ... read more

Cement Design Should Take Into Account the Water Confined in the Smallest Pores

Aug. 9, 2016 — Cement paste has a large amount of water in its structure, and much of it is confined in the smallest pores of the cement which are about one manometer in size. The extreme temperatures in which ... read more

Quick-Destructing Battery to Power 'Transient' Devices

Aug. 4, 2016 — Scientists have developed a working battery that self-destructs in water. It's part of a field of study called 'transient electronics.' The battery project presented many challenges, ... read more

Perpetual 'Ice Water': Stable Solid-Liquid State Revealed in Nanoparticles

Aug. 3, 2016 — Researchers have discovered that gallium nanoparticles can form a solid core surrounded by a liquid outer layer over a temperature span of 1000 degrees Fahrenheit. The discovery marks the first time ... read more

Gentle Cancer Treatment Using Nanoparticles Works

Aug. 3, 2016 — Cancer treatments based on laser irridation of tiny nanoparticles that are injected directly into the cancer tumor are working and can destroy the cancer from within. Researchers have developed a ... read more

New Silicon Structures Could Make Better Biointerfaces

Aug. 1, 2016 — A team of researchers have engineered silicon particles one-fiftieth the width of a human hair, which could lead to "biointerface" systems designed to make nerve cells fire and heart cells ... read more

New High-Temperature Device Captures a Broader Solar Wavelength Spectrum

Aug. 1, 2016 — Using a heat-resistant device, made of tungsten and alumina layers, researchers have found that the device can absorb the sun's broad spectrum radiation and convert it to ... read more

Heating the Exterior of Suitcases May Decrease the Spread of Bed Bugs Through Luggage

Aug. 1, 2016 — New research indicates that brief heat treatment is a promising way to decrease the spread of bed bugs being transported on the outer surface of ... read more

Diamonds Help Generate New Record for Static Pressures for Study

July 30, 2016 — An international team has devised a method for achieving 1 terapascal of static pressure - vastly higher than any previously ... read more

Scientists Unveil Fundamental Properties of Spin Seebeck Effect

July 28, 2016 — Physicists have revealed essential properties of the spin Seebeck effect. Their findings contribute to a more thorough understanding of the underlying processes of this effect and thereby support its ... read more

Beating the Heat a Challenge at the Nanoscale

July 28, 2016 — A little heat from a laser can disrupt measurements of materials at the nanoscale, according to ... read more

The Hot Attraction of Gold

July 27, 2016 — Gold had long been considered a non-magnetic metal. But researchers recently discovered that gold can in fact be magnetized by applying ... read more

Molten Storage and Thermophotovoltaics Offer New Solar Power Pathway

July 27, 2016 — A new wrinkle on an old technology -- solid-state thermophotovoltaics (TPV) -- could provide a high-efficiency alternative for directly converting high-temperature heat from concentrated solar ... read more

Monday, August 22, 2016