Mar 17, 2022 (Nanowerk News) In recent years, physicists have discovered materials that are able to switch their electrical character from a metal to an insulator, and even to a superconductor, which is a material in a friction-free state that allows electrons to flow with zero resistance. These materials, which...
Paving the way to tailor-made carbon nanomaterials
Mar 17, 2022 (Nanowerk News) Carbon exhibits a remarkable tendency to form nanomaterials with unusual physical and chemical properties, arising from its ability to engage in different bonding states. Many of these “next-generation” nanomaterials, which include nanodiamonds, nanographite, amorphous nanocarbon and nano-onions, are currently being studied for possible applications spanning...
Mathematical paradoxes demonstrate the limits of AI
Mar 17, 2022 (Nanowerk News) Humans are usually pretty good at recognising when they get things wrong, but artificial intelligence systems are not. According to a new study, AI generally suffers from inherent limitations due to a century-old mathematical paradox. Like some people, AI systems often have a degree of...
Moon’s orbit proposed as a gravitational wave detector
Mar 17, 2022 (Nanowerk News) Researchers from the UAB, IFAE and University College London propose using the variations in distance between the Earth and the Moon, which can be measured with a precision of less than a centimeter, as a new gravitational wave detector within a frequency range that current...
Removing hotspots from hybrid solar panels improves electrical and thermal energy output
Mar 17, 2022 (Nanowerk News) A new model that demonstrates how solar panels could more effectively harness both electrical and thermal energy by addressing the issue of hotspots on solar cells has been developed as part of an international study involving London's Kingston University. Solar power forms a key part...
Unlocking the market potential of community bioenergy
Mar 17, 2022 (Nanowerk News) Bioenergy, a form of energy derived from organic matter called biomass, is one of many renewable energy sources available to help meet the world’s increasing demand for electricity, heat, fuels and other products. However, even though bioenergy holds the highest potential when it comes to...
Clicking confinement strategy as new breakthrough in fabricating single-atom catalysts
Mar 17, 2022 (Nanowerk Spotlight) High-efficiency energy storage, represented by rechargeable batteries, lays one of the foundations of modern society. Rechargeable zinc–air batteries are one of the next-generation techniques to substitute the current lithium-ion batteries technology, considering their ultrahigh theoretical energy density, inherent safety, and low cost. However, the cathodic...
BirdBot is energy-efficient thanks to nature as a model
Mar 17, 2022 (Nanowerk News) If a Tyrannosaurus Rex living 66 million years ago featured a similar leg structure as an ostrich running in the savanna today, then we can assume bird legs stood the test of time – a good example of evolutionary selection. Graceful, elegant, powerful – flightless...
Stem cell-derived retinal patch is shown to survive post-implantation
Mar 16, 2022 (Nanowerk News) A retinal stem cell patch developed through a collaboration of researchers at UC Santa Barbara, University of Southern California and California Institute of Technology continues to make progress in its bid to secure approval from the Food and Drug Administration. The latest milestone? Results finding...
Toward a quantum computer that calculates molecular energy
Mar 16, 2022 (Nanowerk News) Quantum computers are getting bigger, but there are still few practical ways to take advantage of their extra computing power. To get over this hurdle, researchers are designing algorithms to ease the transition from classical to quantum computers. In a new study in Nature ("Unbiasing...