ScienceDaily: Top Technology News

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• Holistic cell design leads to high-performance, long cycle-life Li/S battery
• New modelling technique could bypass the need for engineering prototypes
• Enhancing battery performance for portable electronics
• Paradigm shift in organic solar cell research?
• What water looks like to DNA
• Electrons in astrophysical plasma jets simulated
• UV-sensors from the oven: Nanostructure production process revolutionized
• Asteroids' close encounters with Mars: Mars, not Earth, shakes up some near-Earth asteroids
• Technique developed to convert thermoelectric material into high performance electricity
• Computer scientists create new 3-D technique
• New technique controls dimensions of gold nanorods while manufacturing on a large scale
• Pipelines carry out their own health checks
• Engineers use keyboard, mouse and mobile device 'fingerprints' to protect data
• 'Magic numbers' disappear and expand area of nuclear deformation
• Electrified diamonds: Physicists on the trail of quantum information
• A fresh step towards quantum computing
• Testing smart plastics in real time
• Chaotic physics in ferroelectrics hints at brain-like computing
• Scientists fingerprint single cancer cells to map cancer's family tree

Holistic cell design leads to high-performance, long cycle-life Li/S battery Posted: 19 Nov 2013 04:39 PM PST Researchers have demonstrated in the laboratory a lithium-sulfur (Li/S) battery that has more than twice the specific energy of lithium-ion batteries, and that lasts for more than 1,500 cycles of charge-discharge with minimal decay of the battery's capacity. This is the longest cycle life reported so far for any lithium-sulfur battery.

New modelling technique could bypass the need for engineering prototypes Posted: 19 Nov 2013 04:39 PM PST A new modelling technique has been developed that could eliminate the need to build costly prototypes, which are used to test engineering structures such as airplanes.

Enhancing battery performance for portable electronics Posted: 19 Nov 2013 12:30 PM PST The ever-increasing market for portable electronic devices has resulted in an equally heavy demand for rechargeable batteries, lithium-ion (Li-ion) being among the most popular. Scientists and engineers are seeking ways to improve the power density, durability and overall performance of Lithium-ion batteries, and in a recent paper researchers report an advance in Li-ion battery technology that they describe as a major breakthrough.

Paradigm shift in organic solar cell research? Posted: 19 Nov 2013 12:30 PM PST A new study overturns a widely held explanation for how organic photovoltaics turn sunlight into electricity.

What water looks like to DNA Posted: 19 Nov 2013 12:28 PM PST Biochemists and mathematicians have developed a sophisticated geometric model to predict how a biological molecule will interact with water molecules, computing the results up to 20 times faster than other existing approaches. This new approach may help researchers find new drugs to treat human diseases.

Electrons in astrophysical plasma jets simulated Posted: 19 Nov 2013 10:13 AM PST Physicists have been able to simulate the motion of billions of electrons within astrophysical plasma jets and calculate the light they emit with the help of a high-performance computer.

UV-sensors from the oven: Nanostructure production process revolutionized Posted: 19 Nov 2013 10:11 AM PST Placed in fire detectors and water treatment units UV-sensors can save lives; also in many areas of industry and environment the demand for these devices is rising steadily. Scientists have been able to "bake" nanostructures within seconds, in order to fabricate very fast UV-sensors. This new technique totally diminishes the need to use sophisticated equipments and toxic chemicals.

Asteroids' close encounters with Mars: Mars, not Earth, shakes up some near-Earth asteroids Posted: 19 Nov 2013 08:28 AM PST For nearly as long as astronomers have been able to observe asteroids, a question has gone unanswered: Why do the surfaces of most asteroids appear redder than meteorites -- the remnants of asteroids that have crashed to Earth?

Technique developed to convert thermoelectric material into high performance electricity Posted: 19 Nov 2013 08:28 AM PST Physicists have developed a novel technique of tailoring thermoelectric properties of n-type bismuth telluride for high thermoelectric performance.

Computer scientists create new 3-D technique Posted: 19 Nov 2013 08:24 AM PST Computer scientists are using a famous mathematician's theory to make 3-D images that are more accurate approximations of the shapes of the original objects.

New technique controls dimensions of gold nanorods while manufacturing on a large scale Posted: 19 Nov 2013 07:10 AM PST Researchers have developed a technique for efficiently producing nanoscale gold rods in large quantities while simultaneously controlling the dimensions of the nanorods and their optical properties. The optical properties of gold nanorods make them desirable for use in biomedical applications ranging from imaging technologies to cancer treatment.

Pipelines carry out their own health checks Posted: 19 Nov 2013 07:09 AM PST Long pipelines crammed with electronics are being tested in the waters of Orkanger harbor in Norway. They are the first in the world able to report their technical condition to personnel onshore.

Engineers use keyboard, mouse and mobile device 'fingerprints' to protect data Posted: 19 Nov 2013 07:09 AM PST Engineers are working to protect computer networks and data by using unique keyboard, computer mouse and mobile device "fingerprints."

'Magic numbers' disappear and expand area of nuclear deformation Posted: 19 Nov 2013 05:28 AM PST Scientists have demonstrated that the magic numbers 20 and 28 disappear from all neutron-rich magnesium isotopes, thereby establishing a new, larger area of nuclear deformation in the nuclear chart.

Electrified diamonds: Physicists on the trail of quantum information Posted: 19 Nov 2013 05:28 AM PST With the help of tiny diamond crystals, physicists have discovered new possibilities of quantum information: The scientists discovered at specific circumstances electric currents that made it possible to identify defects in the carbon lattice of single diamonds measuring only a few nanometers.

A fresh step towards quantum computing Posted: 19 Nov 2013 05:27 AM PST Scientists have developed a method to manipulate magnetism in atoms. This research makes it possible to drive forward the exploration of new methods of information storage and computation on an atomic scale.

Testing smart plastics in real time Posted: 19 Nov 2013 05:27 AM PST Nano additives can make plastics scratch and flame proof, or give them antibacterial properties. For this to work, the particle distribution within the plastic compound must be absolutely correct. A new device is now able to test the distribution in real time.

Chaotic physics in ferroelectrics hints at brain-like computing Posted: 18 Nov 2013 04:30 PM PST Unexpected behavior in ferroelectric materials supports a new approach to information storage and processing. After studying patterns of domain formation under varying conditions, the researchers realized the complex behavior could be explained through chaos theory.

Scientists fingerprint single cancer cells to map cancer's family tree Posted: 18 Nov 2013 06:17 AM PST Scientists have used a DNA sequencing technique to identify mutations present across thousands of cancer cells in three patients with leukemia. The technique can identify the founding mutations from which a tumor evolved, and uses computer software to map the cancer's family tree. The findings could be used to identify the key mutations that occur early in a tumor's development, allowing doctors to use targeted treatments more effectively.

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