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...
Blowin’ in the wind – tiny battery-free sensor devices float like dandelion seeds (w/video)
Mar 16, 2022 (Nanowerk News) Wireless sensors can monitor how temperature, humidity or other environmental conditions vary across large swaths of land, such as farms or forests. These tools could provide unique insights for a variety of applications, including digital agriculture and monitoring climate change. One problem, however, is that...
A fabric that ‘hears’ your heartbeat
Mar 16, 2022 (Nanowerk News) Having trouble hearing? Just turn up your shirt. That’s the idea behind a new “acoustic fabric” developed by engineers at MIT and collaborators at Rhode Island School of Design. The team has designed a fabric that works like a microphone, converting sound first into mechanical...
New method could lead to cheaper, more efficient ways to capture carbon
Mar 16, 2022 (Nanowerk News) University of Colorado Boulder researchers have developed a new tool that could lead to more efficient and cheaper technologies for capturing heat-trapping gases from the atmosphere and converting them into beneficial substances, like fuel or building materials. Such carbon capture technology may be needed at...
Inhalable aerogel triggers immunity to COVID-19 in mice, may block transmission
Mar 16, 2022 (Nanowerk News) An inhalable ‘aerogel’ loaded with DNA that encodes for the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein successfully induces an immune response against COVID-19 in the lungs of mice, according to new research conducted at Penn State. The team said its aerogel could be used to create an inhalable...