On the edge of graphene: Edges have different conductivity

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The conductivity at the edges of graphene devices is different to that of the central material, researchers have discovered. Local scanning electrical techniques were used to examine the local nanoscale electronic properties of epitaxial graphene, in particular the differences between the edges and central parts of graphene Hall bar devices.

via Science Daily

New material structures bend like microscopic hair

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MIT engineers have fabricated a new elastic material coated with microscopic, hairlike structures that tilt in response to a magnetic field. Depending on the field’s orientation, the microhairs can tilt to form a path through which fluid can flow; the material can even direct water upward, against gravity. Each microhair, made of nickel, is about 70 microns high and 25 microns wide — about one-fourth the diameter of a human hair. The researchers fabricated an array of the microhairs onto an elastic, transparent layer of silicone. In experiments, the magnetically activated material directed not just the flow of fluid, but also light — much as window blinds tilt to filter the sun. Researchers say the work could lead to waterproofing and anti-glare applications, such as “smart windows” for buildings and cars. “You could coat this on your car windshield to manipulate rain or sunlight,” says Yangying Zhu, a graduate student in MIT’s Department of Mechanical Engineering. “So you could filter how much solar radiation you want coming in, and also shed raindrops. This is an opportunity for the future.” MIT engineers show their magnetic microhairs in action. Video: Melanie Gonick/MIT In the near term, the material could also be embedded

The post New material structures bend like microscopic hair has been published on Technology Org.

Similar news or articles:

1. Man-made material pushes the bounds of superconductivity

 
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ASTRONOMY POSTERS

Here's a great poster featuring a beautiful image from deep space

ASTRONOMY POSTERS

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Perseid in Moonlight

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Bright moonlight from a Full Moon near perigee illuminates the night and casts shadows in this skyscape from central Iran. Taken on August 12, near the peak of the annual Perseid meteor shower the exposure also captures a bright and colorful perseid streak above the shady tree in the foreground. This year the super moonlight interfered with meteor watching into the early morning hours, overwhelming the trails from many fainter perseids in the shower. Brighter perseids like this one were still visible though, their trails pointing back to the heroic constellation Perseus outlined at the right. Swept up as planet Earth orbits through dust left behind from periodic comet Swift-Tuttle, the cosmic grains that produce perseid meteors enter the atmosphere at nearly 60 kilometers per second, heated to incandesence and vaporized at altitudes of about 100 kilometers. Next year, Perseid meteors will flash through dark skies under a New Moon.

Zazzle Space Gifts for young and old

Retina Nebula Wall Skin

Here's a great wall decal featuring a beautiful image from deep space

Retina Nebula Wall Skin

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"Like many other so-called planetary nebulae, IC 4406 exhibits a high degree of symmetry; the left and right halves of the Hubble image are nearly mirror images of the other. If we could fly around IC 4406 in a starship, we would see that the gas and dust form a vast donut of material streaming outward from the dying star. From Earth, we are viewing the donut from the side."

(qtd. from HubbleSite.org NewsCenter release STScI-2002-14)

Credit: NASA and The Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA)

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Tarantula Nebula Hubble Space Wall Sticker

Here's a great wall decal featuring a beautiful image from deep space

Tarantula Nebula Hubble Space Wall Sticker

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Hubble photograph of the Tarantula Nebula & Hodge 301 Cluster

This is a photograph of the Tarantula Nebula taken by the Hubble Space Telescope. The Hodge 301 star cluster can be seen in the lower right hand corner (may not be visible on some products). This image has beautiful shades of pink and magenta, against a dark background studded with stars.

Credit: Hubble Heritage Team (AURA/STScI/NASA/ESA)

You can personalise the design further if you'd prefer, such as by adding your name or other text, or adjusting the image - just click 'Customize it' to see all the options. IMPORTANT: If you choose a different sized version of the product, it's important to click Customize and check the image in the Design view to ensure it fills the area to the edge of the product, otherwise white edges may be visible.

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Hubble IPad Case

Here's a great iPad case from Zazzle featuring a Hubble-related design. Maybe you'd like to see your name on it? Click to personalize and see what it's like!

Hubble IPad Case

tagged with: hubble

Hubble

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Enhancing biofuel yields from biomass with novel new method

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Charles Cai, a graduate student at UC Riverside, holds a mixture of maple wood and tetrahydrofuran (THF). A team of researchers, led by Professor Charles E. Wyman, at the University of California, Riverside’sBourns College of Engineering have developed a versatile, relatively non-toxic, and efficient way to convert raw agricultural and forestry residues and other plant matter, known as lignocellulosic biomass, into biofuels and chemicals. The patent-pending method, called Co-solvent Enhanced Lignocellulosic Fractionation (CELF), brings researchers closer to solving the long elusive goal of producing fuels and chemicals from biomass at high enough yields and low enough costs to become a viable alternative or replacement for petroleum-based fuels and chemicals. “Real estate is about location, location, location,” said Wyman, the Ford Motor Company Chair in Environmental Engineering at UC Riverside’s Center for Environmental Research and Technology (CE-CERT). “Successful commercialization of biofuels technology is about yield, yield, yield, and we obtained great yields with this novel technology.” The key to the UC Riverside technology is using tetrahydrofuran (THF) as a co-solvent to aid in the breakdown of raw biomass feedstocks to produce valuable primary and secondary fuel precursors at high yields at moderate temperatures. Those fuel precursors can then be converted into ethanol, chemicals or

The post Enhancing biofuel yields from biomass with novel new method has been published on Technology Org.

Similar news or articles:

1. New Biofuel Conversion Process Cuts Costly Separating Step
2. ‘Unzipping’ poplars’ biofuel potential
3. Researchers hope better catalysts lead to better ways of converting biomass to fuel

 
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NASAs Saturn V rocket Print

Here's a great poster featuring a beautiful image from deep space

NASAs Saturn V rocket Print

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Saturn V rocket, used for the American manned lunar landing missions

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Seven tiny grains captured by Stardust likely visitors from interstellar space

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The 1999 Stardust mission flew by comet Wild-2 in 2004, capturing cometary and interstellar dust, and delivered its dust-loaded collectors to Earth in 2006. Scientists now report preliminary results of their eight-year analysis of the interstellar particles: seven dust motes that likely originated in another solar system less than 100 million years ago. The particles are more diverse than expected, and fluffier, like a tossed salad.

via Science Daily

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Dark bands in starlight: New Milky Way maps help solve stubborn interstellar material mystery

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An international team of sky scholars has produced new maps of the material located between the stars in the Milky Way. The results should move astronomers closer to cracking a stardust puzzle that has vexed them for nearly a century.

via Science Daily

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Star Cloud Wall Decal

Here's a great wall decal featuring a beautiful image from deep space

Star Cloud Wall Decal

tagged with: star cloud, stars, space, astronomy, clouds, outer space, nebulae, astronauts, science, scientist, exploration, hubble, space pictures, space photographs, outer space pictures

A picture of a star cloud in a star forming region of space.

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