Energy & Particles : Science World Report

Apr 23, 2012 01:47 PM EDT

ORNL Microscopy Yields First Proof of Ferroelectricity in Simplest Amino Acid

The boundary between electronics and biology is blurring with the first detection by researchers at Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory of ferroelectric properties in an amino acid called glycine.

Apr 23, 2012 11:26 AM EDT

The Asian Century and Australiaâ€™s Energy Future

How that growth in energy demand will be met depends on technology development and policy for climate change and energy security. These choices will profoundly affect the prospects of energy exporters such as Australia. A prudent strategy would not assume that coal will always reign supreme but prep...

Apr 23, 2012 09:34 AM EDT

Chemists Explain the Molecular Workings of Promising Fuel Cell Electrolyte

Researchers from New York University and the Max Planck Institute in Stuttgart reveal how protons move in phosphoric acid in a Nature Chemistry study that sheds new light on the workings of a promising fuel cell electrolyte.

Apr 23, 2012 08:26 AM EDT

Controlling Heat Flow with Atomic-level Precision

Through a combination of atomic-scale materials design and ultrafast measurements, researchers at the University of Illinois have revealed new insights about how heat flows across an interface between two materials.

Apr 23, 2012 07:57 AM EDT

Self-assembling Highly Conductive Plastic Nanofibers

Researchers from CNRS and the UniversitÃ© de Strasbourg, headed by Nicolas Giuseppone1 and Bernard Doudin2, have succeeded in making highly conductive plastic fibers that are only several nanometers thick.

Apr 23, 2012 07:25 AM EDT

Rice University Researchers Find Two-dimensional Boron Has Potential Advantages over Graphene

When is nothing really something? When it leads to a revelation about boron, an element with worlds of unexplored potential.

Apr 21, 2012 03:17 PM EDT

Virginia Tech Spin-off Company MiserWare Offers Free Product to Measure Carbon Footprint

MiserWare, a spin-off company of Virginia Tech's College of Engineering, is launching a free product that allows companies or individuals to measure their carbon footprint in terms of total power usage.

Apr 21, 2012 01:41 PM EDT

IceCube Neutrino Observatory Provides New Insights into Origin of Cosmic Rays

Analysis of data from the IceCube Neutrino Observatory, a massive detector deployed in deep ice at the U.S. Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station in Antarctica at the geographic South Pole, recently provided new insight into one of the most enduring mysteries in physics, the production of cosmic rays.

Apr 21, 2012 07:17 AM EDT

FDA says Nanotech May Need Extra Safety Tests

U.S. health regulators said consumer products that use nanotechnology may have unknown effects on the human body, and advised food and cosmetic companies to further study the safety of these tiny particles.

Jan 05, 2012 12:28 PM EST

Carbon Capture and Storage -- New Research from UKERC Shows Tough Road Ahead to Realize Potential

Government plans to develop carbon capture and storage (CCS) technologies to reduce carbon emissions received a cautious welcome today. A new report concluded that most of the uncertainties facing these technologies can - in principle - be resolved.

Jan 05, 2012 11:50 AM EST

Raising the Prospects for Quantum Levitation

More than half-a-century ago, the Dutch theoretical physicist Hendrik Casimir calculated that two mirrors placed facing each other in a vacuum would attract. The mysterious force arises from the energy of virtual particles flitting into and out of existence, as described by quantum theory.

Apr 20, 2012 12:45 PM EDT

IBM Creates High-density, Light-weight Lithium-air Battery

A century ago, more automobiles were powered by electricity than by gasoline. But the need for longer travel ranges, the availability of a more affordable fuel source and a reliable power infrastructure soon turned internal combustion engines into the predominant means of motor transportation.