Quantum physics meets genetic engineering
A team of researchers has used engineered viruses to provide quantum-based enhancement of energy transport. The work points the way toward inexpensive and efficient solar cells or light-driven catalysis.
A team of researchers has used engineered viruses to provide quantum-based enhancement of energy transport. The work points the way toward inexpensive and efficient solar cells or light-driven catalysis.
A detailed account has been provided by researchers of how to control the electron charge of nanoparticles of platinum, an important catalyst in fuel cells, to maximize the efficiency of the process.
An international group of scientists has developed ion-exchange synthetic membranes based on amphiphilic compounds that are able to convert the energy of chemical reactions into electrical current. The new development could potentially be used in fuel cells, and in separation and purification processes.
They sound like futuristic weapons, but electron guns are actually workhorse tools for research and industry: They emit streams of electrons for electron microscopes, semiconductor patterning equipment and particle accelerators, to name a few important uses. Now scientists have figured out how to increase these electron flows 13,000-fold by applying a single layer of diamondoids – tiny, perfect diamond cages – to an electron gun’s sharp gold tip.
The constant battle to reduce greenhouse gases has resulted in a constant search for more environmentally focused waste disposal systems – from an influx of recycled materials being crafted into other useful objects, through to sourcing eco-friendly treatment systems for our waste water – finding new ways to protect the environment is high on everybody’s radar. The Effect Of Anaerobic Digestion It is this constantly reaching for better solutions that has driven Anaerobic digestion to where it is now. By combining biodegradable materials, we now have an additional process for creating electricity and organic compost. This means fewer fossil fuels will be burned to heat our homes, chemical fertilisers won’t be in such high demand and our food will have a milder treatment system in place.
Researchers are using the bacterium Moorella thermoacetica to perform photosynthesis and also to synthesize semiconductor nanoparticles in a hybrid artificial photosynthesis system for converting sunlight into valuable chemical products.
Male moths locate females by navigating along the latter’s pheromone (odor) plume. Two strategies are involved: males must find the outer envelope of the pheromone plume, and then head upwind. Can understanding such insect behavior be useful for robotics research? Yes, according to an entomologist, whose research using computer simulations shows that such insect behavior has implications for airborne robots (drones) that ply the sky searching for signature odors.