Lifeboat Foundation

X-ray laser experiments show that intense light distorts the structure of a thermoelectric material in a unique way, opening a new avenue for controlling the properties of materials.

Thermoelectric materials convert heat to electricity and vice versa, and their atomic structures are closely related to how well they perform.

Now researchers have discovered how to change the atomic structure of a highly efficient thermoelectric material, tin selenide, with intense pulses of laser light. This result opens a new way to improve thermoelectrics and a host of other materials by controlling their structure, creating materials with dramatic new properties that may not exist in nature.

The industrial application of two-dimensional (2D) materials strongly depends on the large-scale manufacturing of high-quality 2D films and powders. Here, the authors analyze three state-of-the art mass production techniques, discussing the recent progress and remaining challenges for future improvements.

Heirloom uses cheap and widely available limestone to suck carbon from the air. The latest funds will help build its first pilot-scale facility.

Scientists have created a piece of fabric that can hear.

The new study reimagines the response of fabric to sound, however. Researchers made it out of a material that turns any movement of the fabric into an electrical signal – and it can do that with sounds.

In testing, the fabric was able to pick up a wide variety of sounds, vibrating in proportion with the noises that happened around it. “This shows that the performance of the fiber on the membrane is comparable to a handheld microphone,” said Grace Noel, a co-author on the paper.

Continue reading “Scientists create a fabric that can hear” »

While many say that Moore’s Law is dead, scientists are hard at work discovering new semiconductor materials which will help increase CPU and GPU performance well into the 2030’s right on track of Moore’s Laws exponential properties. Companies such as TSMC and Intel could use Graphene to make the smallest possible transistors and much improve their efficiency as electricity prices skyrocket. 2nm or 1nm processors might soon come out.
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TIMESTAMPS:
00:00 The Revival of Moore’s Law.
01:15 Smallest Transistor ever made.
03:54 What actually are transistors?
05:49 Moore’s Law Is Dead?
07:55 Last Words.
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#cpu #mooreslaw #graphene

Coating implantable electronics in the polymer PEDOT can extend their life, which could make more common in the future.

Future cities could be 3D printed – using concrete made with recycled glass.

3D printed concrete may lead to a shift in architecture and construction. Because it can be used to produce new shapes and forms that current technologies struggle with, it may change the centuries-old processes and procedures that are still used to construct buildings, resulting in lower costs and saved time.

New battery material offers promise for the development of all-solid batteries.

In the quest for the perfect battery, scientists have two primary goals: create a device that can store a great deal of energy and do it safely. Many batteries contain liquid electrolytes, which are potentially flammable.

As a result, solid-state lithium-ion batteries, which consist of entirely solid components, have become increasingly attractive to scientists because they offer an enticing combination of higher safety and increased energy density — which is how much energy the battery can store for a given volume.