HackingTheUniverse

Miniature electronic resonaters known as microrings may significantly alter the way we exchange information of all types. These devices are very small, are low cost, require little power, operate at high frequencies and can handle high speed operations. This technology overcomes most signal interference problems and may enable replacing wire and cable connections with all [...]

Graphene is a flat sheet of carbon atoms packed into a honeycomb like structure that is only one atom thick. Hexagonal Boron Nitride is a synthetically created ceramic that has a microstructure similar to graphite. A single layer of this substance is called a “nanomesh” which looks like an assembly of hexagonal pores. UCLA researchers [...]

In 1951, the movie, “The Man In The White Suit” described the fictional invention of a fiber that never wore out and could repel dirt. The inventor was able to weave the fiber into cloth and made a magical suit from the fabric. Liquid glass is a thin layer of silicon dioxide that can be [...]

Thin film and nanocrystal solar cells are pushing the edge of photovoltaics, but are often constructed using a silicon base doped with various forms of cadmium, tellurium, indium and other elements that push costs up. A substance that is abundant, cheap and has the right optical properties could produce an inexpensive solar cell. Iron sulfide [...]

By coating paper with an ink that contains both carbon nanotubes and silver nanowire, the paper can store an electric charge, allowing it to function as a light and flexible battery or supercapacitor. At Stanford, nanotubes + ink + paper = instant battery – [stanford.edu] Stanford scientists are harnessing nanotechnology to quickly produce ultra-lightweight, bendable [...]

MEMS gyroscopes are very small, cheap gyroscopes that use a vibrating element to detect any change in their orientation. MEMS Gyroscopes – [nanogloss.com] Enabling a device to orient itself and respond to movement, MEMS gyroscopes have produced the next big technological splash: touch-triggered screens. This is what gives devices like the iPhone their interactive edge. [...]

From using colloids to model the behavior of glasses, to windows that can change their tint, to adding peptides that can repel dirt, our understanding of the characteristics of glass is changing. How long can it be before we actually have transparent aluminum? Materials scientists find better model for glass creation – [nanowerk.com] Glasses form [...]

Quasicrystals seem to exist in a state somewhere between glass (disordered atoms) and crystals (ordered atoms) and show qualities of symmetry that were thought impossible. Quasicrystals – [bbc.co.uk] Quasicrystals are interesting quirks of solid-state physics. It used to be thought that the atoms in solid materials1 were either totally ordered (crystalline) or totally disordered (glasses), [...]

Respirocytes are hypothetical, artificial red blood cells, capable of carrying extra oxygen and releasing it into the body and absorbing carbon dioxide and transporting it out. This could make it possible to hold your breath for several hours or to survive life-threatening events such as heart attacks by increasing the minimum response time needed before [...]

Electronic circuits that are transferred onto a thin film of silk can be implanted into biological tissue without being rejected. It is anticipated that this will enable bridging of neural interfaces and a wide variety of cyborg-like applications. Implantable Silicon-Silk Electronics – [technologyreview.com] By building thin, flexible silicon electronics on silk substrates, researchers have made [...]