Tag: materials

A new polymer could make phone screen repairs a thing of the past

If you’ve ever had to deal with a cracked smartphone screen, you know what a hassle it can be. Slapping a screen protector on it is only a stopgap until you have to have the screen replaced , which comes with a decent price tag. Now, researchers in Tokyo have discovered a new polymer that may actually heal itself, potentially leading the way to a future of self-healing phone screens. The study was published in Science by a team of researchers led by Professor Takuzo Aida from the University of Tokyo. Titled “Mechanically robust, readily repairable polymers via tailored noncovalent cross-linking, ” the research promises a unique hard glass-like polymer called “polyether-thioureas” that can heal itself with only hand pressure. This makes it different than other materials that need high heat to heal up from a break. “High mechanical robustness and healing ability tend to be mutually exclusive, ” said researchers. “In most cases, heating to high temperatures, on the order of 120 degrees Celsius or more, to reorganize their cross-linked networks is necessary for the fractured portions to repair.” According to The Guardian , the special glass polymer was discovered by mistake by a graduate student, Yu Yanagisawa, who thought the material would become a type of glue. He found that cut edges of the polymer would stick to each other, and formed a strong sheet after being compressed by hand at 21 degrees Celsius. This isn’t the first time we’ve seen self-repairing phone tech, of course, with screen protectors that heal themselves and a Motorola patent for a self-repairing screen. However, new breakthroughs like this may help make broken screens and costly repairs a thing of the past. Via: The Guardian Source: Science

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A new polymer could make phone screen repairs a thing of the past

Researchers craft an LED just two atoms thick

Enlarge / Hexagonal boron nitride, one of the materials used here. (credit: Wikimedia Commons ) Modern computers are, in many ways, limited by their energy consumption and cooling requirements. Some of that comes from the process of performing calculations. But often, the majority of energy use comes from simply getting data to the point where calculations are ready to be performed. Memory, storage, data transfer systems, and more all create power draws that, collectively, typically end up using more power than the processor itself. Light-based communications offers the possibility of dropping power consumption while boosting the speed of connections. In most cases, designs have focused on situations where a single external laser supplies the light, which is divided and sent to the parts of the system that need it. But a new paper in Nature Nanotechnology suggests an alternate possibility: individual light sources on the chip itself. To demonstrate this possibility, the team put together an LED just two atoms thick  and integrated it with a silicon chip. Better still, the same material can act as a photodetector, providing a way of building all the needed hardware using a single process. Atomic The work relied on two different atomically thin materials. These materials consist of a planar sheet of atoms chemically linked to each other. While their study was pioneered using graphene, a sheet of carbon atoms, they developed a variety of other materials with similar structures. The materials being used here are molybdenum ditelluride (MoTe 2 ), a semiconductor, and hexagonal boron nitride. Read 7 remaining paragraphs | Comments

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Researchers craft an LED just two atoms thick

Reebok will introduce plant-based sustainable shoes this year

While others try shoes that lace themselves or have 3D printed soles , Reebok will have “plant-based” footwear on shelves this year. Adidas already sold a sneaker produced from ocean-plastic , but Reebok’s “Cotton + Corn” push is focused on shoes that are made from sustainable, growing materials, that can even be used as compost after they’re worn out. According to Reebok Future head Bill McInnis “We like to say, we are ‘growing shoes’ here at Reebok. Ultimately, our goal is to create a broad selection of bio-based footwear that can be composted after use. We’ll then use that compost as part of the soil to grow the materials for the next range of shoes. We want to take the entire cycle into account; to go from dust to dust.” While the shoe itself won’t arrive until later this year, Reebok says it’s using DuPont’s Susterra Propanediol to create the sole. It originates from “non-food source” industrially grown corn, while the upper will be made of organic cotton. Last year, the Future department the Liquid Speed shoes made with 3D drawing technology , and this next project will fit right alongside them. More importantly, McInnis claims this is “just the beginning, ” and expects to use it as a blueprint moving forward. Source: Reebok

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Reebok will introduce plant-based sustainable shoes this year

Retinal implant could add years to your eyesight

Scientists have been struggling to fight retinal degeneration in an elegant way. The most practical solution so far involves external devices that send wires to the back of your eyes. There might be a much more graceful approach before long, however. Researchers have developed an implant whose light-sensitive material could at least partially restore retinas and preserve your eyesight. Their invention combines a biocompatible substance (in this case, silk) with a conductive polymer and an organic semiconductor to send electricity to nerve cells whenever the implant is subjected to typical environmental light. Previous attempts at photovoltaic devices like this have required either exceptionally bright light or unusual light wavelengths to work, so this would be far more practical in the real world. Early experiments are promising, although they do reveal some limits. Rats with the implants don’t show any improvement over their afflicted peers in low light (since the light-sensitive material isn’t kicking in), but their response to brighter light is nearly as good as that of a healthy animal. And since the materials are organic-friendly, the rats kept the implants in place for 6 months with no inflamed tissue. Don’t get too excited by the discovery. The scientists aren’t entirely clear how the electrical charges turn into nerve responses, for one thing. And as Ars Technica explains , there’s also the question of how much vision the implants are actually restoring. The rats may be responsive to light, but that doesn’t mean that they have the eyesight they did before retinal degeneration kicked in. Look at it this way, though: even if a future human implant only offered a partial fix, it could give basic visual cues to people who might otherwise go blind. Via: Ars Technica Source: Nature

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Retinal implant could add years to your eyesight

New battery tech lasts for days, charges in seconds

Scientists from the University of Central Florida (UCF) have created a supercapacitor battery prototype that works like new even after being recharged 30, 000 times. The research could yield high-capacity, ultra-fast-charging batteries that last over 20 times longer than a conventional lithium-ion cell. “You could charge your mobile phone in a few seconds and you wouldn’t need to charge it again for over a week, ” says UCF postdoctoral associate Nitin Choudhary. Supercapacitors can be charged quickly because they store electricity statically on the surface of a material, rather than using chemical reactions like batteries. That requires “two-dimensional” material sheets with large surface areas that can hold lots of electrons. However, much of the research, including that by EV-maker Henrik Fisker and UCLA , uses graphene as the two-dimensional material. Yeonwoong “Eric” Jung from UCF says it’s a challenge to integrate graphene with other materials used in supercapacitors, though. That’s why his team wrapped 2D metal materials (TMDs) just a few atoms thick around highly-conductive 1D nanowires, letting electrons pass quickly from the core to the shell. That yielded a fast charging material with high energy and power density that’s relatively simple to produce. “We developed a simple chemical synthesis approach so we can very nicely integrate the existing materials with the two-dimensional materials, ” Jung says. The research is in early days and not ready for commercialization, but it looks promising. “”For small electronic devices, our materials are surpassing the conventional ones worldwide in terms of energy density, power density and cyclic stability, ” Choudhary said. Jung calls the research “proof-of-concept, ” and the team is now trying to patent its new process. While it could go nowhere like many other battery developments, it’s worth looking at new supercapacitor research closely. If commercialized, it could allow for longer-range EVs that can be charged in minutes rather than hours, long-lasting (non-explosive) smartphones that can be charged in seconds and grid or home energy storage solutions that drastically reduce our reliance on fossil fuels. Source: UCF

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New battery tech lasts for days, charges in seconds

Scientists built a chip without semiconductors

Remember when you saw those old-timey photos of room-sized vacuum-tube-powered computers , and laughed and laughed? That tech might be making a comeback, thanks to work from scientists from UC San Diego . They’ve built the first semiconductor-free, laser-controlled microelectronics device using free electrons in air, much like how vacuum tubes work. The research could result in better solar panels and faster microelectronic devices that can carry more power. Semiconductors based on silicon and other materials are great, obviously, having helped us squeeze billions of transistors into a few square inches. But they have some issues: Electron velocity is limited by the resistance of semiconductor materials, and a boost of energy is required to just to get them flowing through the “band gap” caused by the insulating properties of semiconductors like silicon. Vacuum tubes don’t have those problems, since they use free electrons in the air to carry (or not) a current. Getting free electrons at nanoscale sizes is problematic, however — you need either high voltages (over 100 volts), high temperatures or a powerful laser to knock them loose. The UC San Diego team solved that problem by building gold “mushroom” nanostructures with adjacent parallel gold strips (above). By combining a relatively low amount of power (10 volts) with a low-powered laser, they were able to dislodge electrons from the gold metal. The result was a tenfold (1000 percent) increase in conductivity in the system, a change sufficient “to realize on and off states, that is, the structure performs as an optical switch, ” according to the paper in Nature . The device can thus act as a transistors, power amplifier or photodetector, much as semiconductors do. However, it can theoretically work with less resistance and handle higher amounts of power. So far, the research is just a proof-of-concept, but it’s very promising. “Next, we need to understand how far these devices can be scaled and the limits of their performance, ” says author Dan Sievenpiper. The team aims to explore applications not just in electronics, but photovoltaics, environmental applications and, possibly, weaponry — the research was funded, after all, by DARPA. Source: UC San Diego

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Scientists built a chip without semiconductors

Honda unveils first hybrid motor without heavy rare earth metals

Honda pledged to reduce its use of rare earth metals a decade ago, and the automaker took another step towards that goal this week. It unveiled its new hybrid motor that was co-developed alongside Daido Steel, another Japan-based company. The new motor doesn’t use heavy rare earth metals like dysprosium and terbium, instead relying on magnets from Daido Steel that cost 10 percent less and weigh 8 percent lighter than the previous components. In fact, the automaker is the first to develop a hybrid motor that doesn’t use the heavy metals. Honda says the new engines will reduce its reliance on the pricey rare earth metals that are primarily supplied by China. The new hybrid motors will make their debut in the compact Freed minivan this fall, a vehicle that’s already on the road in Asia. Honda also noted during the announcement that not only would cutting out the rare earth metals save money, but it would also reduce the potential for price fluctuations on the materials it uses to build the engines. The new motors don’t nix rare earth elements entirely though, as the new version still has neodymium which is found in North America, Australia and China. Source: Reuters

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Honda unveils first hybrid motor without heavy rare earth metals

Miners Just Unearthed This Huge Diamond—the Largest To Be Found in 100 Years

Imagine putting this thing on a ring. You’re looking at the biggest diamond to be found in the last 100 years, which was discovered in a mine in north-central Botswana. Read more…

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Miners Just Unearthed This Huge Diamond—the Largest To Be Found in 100 Years

This  Full-Color Display is Just Microns Thick and Flexible Like Skin

The prospect of a material that can change color yet is still flexible enough to wear as clothing is a perennial sci-fi dream—and now amazingly close to reality. This new electronic skin is just a few microns thick and yet manages to change color, acting as a credible digital display. Read more…

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This  Full-Color Display is Just Microns Thick and Flexible Like Skin

Crazy No-Stick Coating Is Coming to a Bottle of Glue Near You

Remember that no-stick ketchup bottle of the future an MIT professor made a few years ago? Well, the MIT team created a company to sell the super slippery technology, and Elmer’s recently signed an exclusive license to use it in their glue bottles. Pretty slick! (Sorry.) Read more…

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Crazy No-Stick Coating Is Coming to a Bottle of Glue Near You