In order to link human brains to computers, the interface needs to be delicate enough not to damage nerve tissue, but resilient enough to last for decades.
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Tag: material science
Scientists Change the Color of Gold
Scientists in Southampton, UK, are now able to change the color of gold, which could have applications in jewelry-making and security features.
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Nanosheet-Flower Structure Boosts Energy Storage
This flower-like structure is made out of germanium sulfide (GeS), a semiconductor material that has extremely thin petals with an enormous surface area. The GeS flower may help boost the energy performance for the next generation for storage devices and solar cells.
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Magnets Used to Eradicate Cancer Cells
A group of South Korean researchers has developed a new method to cause cell death in both living fish and lab bowel cancer cells using a magnetic field. This application of electro-magnetism triggers a death signal that leads to programmed cell death.
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Room-Temperature Superconductivity Might Have Been Attained
Material scientists in Germany have claimed that they have discovered a material that can act at a superconductor at room temperature. If this is accurate, then there could be huge potential energy savings since superconductors transmit electricity with zero resistance. Until now, the superconductors work at temperatures of about -110°C and lower.
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Superhydrophobic Coating Allows Boiling Water without the Creation of Bubbles
Water can be made to boil without any bubbling if a boiling surface is specifically treated so that the vapor cushion does not break down. This is linked to the Leidenfrost effect.
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Obayashi’s Space Elevator to Be Operational by 2050
The holy grail of getting into orbit has always been the ultimate development of space elevators, long, thin strands that could ferry passengers and cargo into orbit at minimal expenditure. Now a Japanese company, Obayashi Corp, specializing in engineering and construction, announced that it aims to complete a space elevator by 2050.
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Graphite Foam Could Harness Energy from Temperature Gradient in Oceans
Researchers at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) think that they could use graphite foam to harness energy from the temperature gradient in tropical waters, where the difference between surface and bottom varies as much as 70 to 80 degrees.
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Elastomeric “Soft” Robots Running on Pneumatic Actuators
These new prototype robots, which were molded from paper and silicone rubber, can twist, bend, grip, and lift more than 100 times their own weight. The more astonishing fact is that they run on pneumatic actuators, which means that they basically run on air.
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Self-Healing Polymer Mechanism Rediscovered After 60 Years
There’s been a lot more research into self-healing organic polymers, but it’s only recently that a self-healing mechanism from more than 60 years ago was rediscovered. The process, which is called siloxane equilibration, allows silicone rubber that’s been cut in half to completely repair itself through heat-activated reversible bonding.
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