Dipping Electrodes in Carbon Nanotubes may improve ultracapacitors and batteries

 

Image sources: Wikipedia, TechnologyReview

Ultracapacitors are capacitors with higher energy density - typically hundreds of times greater than conventional electrolytic capacitors. They provide quick bursts of power and can be recharged infinitely without losing storage capacity, but at most they can only store a 1/10 as much energy as batteries. A new technique developed by Stanford University researchers enabled the use of new types of nanostructured electrode materials that store more energy. More details after the break.


In order to improve the their energy density, researchers have focused on the use of electrode materials with greater surface area - graphene and carbon nanotubes for example, which holds more charge-carrying ions. Based on the top right image, graphic A shows carbon nanotubes (CNT) while graphic D shows Poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) or simply PEDOT. PEDOT nanofibers are produced from vanadium pentoxide nanofibers by a nanofiber seeding method.

The Stanford team led by Yi Cui and Zhenan Bao used composite electrodes made from graphene and manganese oxide. Manganese oxide is ideal due to its abundance and excellent cost-to-usage ratio, on top of high theoretical capacity to store ions for supercapacitors. Previously the idea was scrapped due to its low conductivity, which resulted in a difficulty of ion transfer. The researchers dipped the composite electrodes into either a carbon nanotube solution or a conductive polymer solution which provides a coating that improves the electrodes' conductivity by 20% and charge storage by 45%. Read the link below for the complete article.

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Invisibility Achieved through Mirage effect - Wonders of Carbon Nanotubes [Video]

Image courtesy Wikipedia

Carbon nanotubes are allotropes of carbon with a cylindrical structure. These cylindrical molecules have extraordinary properties, opening doors to new advancements in nanotechnology, electronics, optics and other fields of materials science. Carbon nanotubes exhibit amazing thermal conductivity and mechanical and electrical properties. Scientists are now manipulating carbon nanotubes to form mirages which seems to make things disappear beneath it by refraction. Video and details after the break.

Sadly though, the current experimental project only works under water. The mirage effect comes from thermally modulated transparent carbon nanotube sheets. The manipulation of the sheet of nanotubes origin from photothermal deflection which induces sharp changes in both current and temperature, generating a rapid change of refractive index in the surrounding liquid or gas.



The original papers were published in IOP Science under the category of Nanotechnology on October 3 2011. Here is the abstract of the entire article.

The single-beam mirage effect, also known as photothermal deflection, is studied using a free-standing, highly aligned carbon nanotube aerogel sheet as the heat source. The extremely low thermal capacitance and high heat transfer ability of these transparent forest-drawn carbon nanotube sheets enables high frequency modulation of sheet temperature over an enormous temperature range, thereby providing a sharp, rapidly changing gradient of refractive index in the surrounding liquid or gas. The advantages of temperature modulation using carbon nanotube sheets are multiple: in inert gases the temperature can reach > 2500 K; the obtained frequency range for photothermal modulation is ~ 100 kHz in gases and over 100 Hz in high refractive index liquids; and the heat source is transparent for optical and acoustical waves. Unlike for conventional heat sources for photothermal deflection, the intensity and phase of the thermally modulated beam component linearly depends upon the beam-to-sheet separation over a wide range of distances. This aspect enables convenient measurements of accurate values for thermal diffusivity and the temperature dependence of refractive index for both liquids and gases. The remarkable performance of nanotube sheets suggests possible applications as photo-deflectors and for switchable invisibility cloaks, and provides useful insights into their use as thermoacoustic projectors and sonar. Visibility cloaking is demonstrated in a liquid.

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Steven Paul Jobs - Steve Jobs, co-founder, CEO and Chairman of Apple and Pixar Studios dies at the age of 56

"You've got to find what you love."

Steve Jobs, CEO of Apple and Pixar Studios, June 12, 2005.

The entire population of Earth was struck by a saddening blow as Steve Jobs, co-founder, CEO and Chairman of Apple and Pixar Studios passed away early morning of October 5, 2011, at the age of 56. Apple did not list a specific cause, but Steve has been fighting pancreatic cancer and related illnesses since 2003. His death followed shortly after the Let's Talk iPhone event, passed away in Palo Alto, California. He was the charismatic visionary of the future, reshaping what were computing and entertainment industries in our history books.

"Apple had lost a visionary and creative genius, and the world has lost an amazing human being," said Apple Inc. "Those of us who have been fortunate enough to know and work with Steve have lost a dear friend and an inspiring mentor. Steve leaves behind a company that only he could have built, and his spirit will be the foundation of Apple." 

"We are deeply saddened to announce that Steve Jobs passed away today. Steve's brilliance, passion and energy were the source of countless innovations that enrich and improve all of our lives. The world is immeasurably better because of Steve. His greatest love was for his wife, Laurene, and his family. Our hearts go out to them and to all who were touched by his extraordinary gifts." Apple's board of directors.

You may send you condolences towards Steve Jobs to the address rememberingsteve@apple.com.

Steve Jobs's presentations throughout the years has and had always been revolutionary and breath-taking. His immersive and powerful ways of conveying messages always brought a new light to Apple, every year, every event. His visions for the future are always mind-blogging and years after years, people's lives are changed because of Steve. Apple may or may not have the strongest hard/software point to start with, but Steve's marketing strategies and his understanding towards consumer's needs blows any other factors out of the way, taking Apple's products right into everyone's life. That's what Steve can do.

Steve might not be the typical Oxford PhD you might have guessed. He did not really graduate from any college or experienced any proper education process. The only reason he lives up to what he is today is based on what he believes in his heart. He realized his true interests and intentions in life and instantly fell in love with what he's doing. This contributes to his success through every stage of his life including the founding of Pixar Studios, which was eventually acquired by Disney, was one of his greatest visions of innovation towards man-kind - one of the most successful project being Toy Story. Back in 2005, Steve Jobs was present at a graduation ceremony in Stanford University. He then gave a speech regarding his life and provided three key stories to what he believes had shaped his figure today.

"Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life."

Steve Jobs is truly a legend and a legacy. He saved Apple from dying about a decade ago. He changed the world, he changed lives. Now with his departure, his spirits and legacy are believed to be continued not only in Apple, but truly in our hearts. It is rare to have someone with such compelling intelligence standing life-like right among us, and it would be no one else now than Steve Jobs.

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Ford Escape Undergoes Revamp - drops Hybrid and V6 plans for Turbos

Image credit - USA Today

Cars are getting the futuristic looks going by the years - that doesn't necessarily leave out larger SUVs like the Ford Escape. The new revamped Ford Escape receives not only an amazing facelift, but also brand new turbos for the kicks. Details after the break.


The redesigned Ford Escape is due unveiling next month at the Los Angeles Auto Show will be ditching the initially planned hybrid and V-6 power for the addition of the new four-cylinder turbo engines. Even so, Ford announced there will still be options for hybrids such as the Focus C-Max hybrid providing 25% higher in fuel efficiency than the Escape's hybrid.

The next generation Ford Escape packs three four-cylinder engines will include 1.6L turbo to the US market, along with siblings of 2.0L and 2.5L - without the turbo. Ford claims the 1.6L direct-injection EcoBoost engine will provide higher mpg ratings even surpassing the current tests on the Ford Escape's hybrid. The same engine is already being used in the European Focus and C-max.

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New Terran Unit for Starcraft 2 Heart of the Swarm Teased - Could it be a Terran Transforming Hellion?

No release date updates yet but a new Starcraft 2 Terran unit was teased and it will be available in Starcraft 2's expanded multiplayer mode. Details and picture after the break.

Image credits - IGN

This makes completely no sense to me, more like a super SCV with lasers and bazookas. Perhaps SCV gets a mech upgrade? Marines gets a prototype manned robot? The right arm certainly looks like a shield, but what's the thing protruding off the top? Fortunately, TheStarcraft2dude on Youtube has posted a video giving a probable illustration to the silhouette of the above figure. Watch the video to know more.



BlizzCon 2011 is expected to reveal what on Mar Sara this unit is, as well as further teases for any new upcoming units. If you had not realized, to play Heart of the Swarm you will need a copy of Wings of Liberty to begin with. Hopes are high on the expectations of 2012 release, but Blizzard still keep their mouths sealed.

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Urine is now the next generation fuel - for rockets

Image credit: NASA

For a typical space shuttle, each of the two solid rocket boosters on the space shuttle carries more than one million pounds of solid propellant, while the large external tank is loaded with more than 500,000 gallons of super-cold liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen - burned to form the fuel for three rocket engines. To remain in space, it has to achieve speeds about 28,000 kilometers/hour to remain in orbit. -source

Scientists are rediscovering methods to substitute the resources used in rocket engines - with urine. More information after the break.


Thought impossible? It is impossible as long as our urine is an alternate form of ammonia. Scientists have begun working on manipulating how bacteria which lived in absence of oxygen converts ammonium into hydrazine - a type of rocket fuel. This concept was first conceptualized in the 1990s when scientists discovered anammox, a type of microbe, for anaerobic ammonium oxidation. But the idea was eventually scrapped due to the insignificant results obtained.

Now what scientists are aiming is to achieve a much improved catalyst by understanding how hydrazine is made. Based on the same technology, millions of tons of ammonium has been produced from wastewater every year - enough to manufacture rocket fuel. The microbes are currently used in waterwaste treatment facilities. However, hydrazine is highly toxic and dangerously unstable unless handled in solution. Hydrazine is used in various rocket fuels and to prepare gas precursors used in air bags, on top of being used within both nuclear and conventional electrical power plant steam cycles to control concentrations of dissolved oxygen in an effort to reduce corrosion.

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Something Big Is Coming - Samsung Unpacked, San Diego 2011

Samsung released a teaser video into what's coming up in San Diego next week. Speculations and rumours aside, this event features the handsome collaboration between Samsung and Google - could it very well be the Nexus Prime and the release of Ice Cream Sandwich? Find out within a week but before that, hop over the break for a short video released by Samsung.




A curved screen is all I can guess - the Nexus Prime. Something big is coming this October 11, so stay tuned for the "Google Episode" release. Judging by the fact that this is "Google's Episode", I believe Ice Cream Sandwich cannot be missed, but still no one's able to confirm this as of now. If you hadn't read the rumoured information of the Nexus Prime you can read it here and here. I will be trying to provide live updates as the event proceeds next Monday. Keeping fingers crossed!

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