News

Miniscule Generators Convert Motion Into Nanoscale Electricity Source

In a breakthrough that could free nanomachines from the bulk of batteries, researchers have developed a novel nanogenerator–an array of tiny filaments that converts the smallest motions into electrical current. Read the rest of this entry »

A new accelerator technique doubles the energy of a particle in just 1 meter

Imagine a car that accelerates from zero to 60 in 250 feet, and then rockets to 120 miles per hour in just one more inch. The achievement demonstrates a technology that may drive future of accelerators and further ‘rich tradition of discovery’. Read the rest of this entry »

Crystal clues to better batteries

February 19th, 2007

Crystal clues to better batteries

Longer-lasting laptop and mobile phone batteries could be a step closer thanks to research by scientists at the University of Oxford. Researchers from Oxford’s Department of Physics are part of an international team investigating sodium cobaltate: a material similar in structure to the lithium cobaltate used in rechargeable batteries for many electronic devices. Read the rest of this entry »

Researchers convert heat to electricity using organic molecules, could lead to new energy source

Researchers at the University of California, Berkeley, have successfully generated electricity from heat by trapping organic molecules between metal nanoparticles, an achievement that could pave the way toward the development of a new source for energy. Read the rest of this entry »

From Farm Waste to Fuel Tanks

February 17th, 2007

From Farm Waste to Fuel Tanks

Using corncob waste as a starting material, researchers have created carbon briquettes with complex nanopores capable of storing natural gas at an unprecedented density of 180 times their own volume and at one seventh the pressure of conventional natural gas tanks. Read the rest of this entry »

Hydrogen-Powered Lawnmowers?

January 24th, 2007

Hydrogen-Powered Lawnmowers?

In a breakthrough that could make fuel cells practical for such small machines as lawnmowers and chainsaws, researchers have developed a new mechanism to efficiently control hydrogen fuel cell power. Read the rest of this entry »

Diamond spheres for tomorrow’s energy

A small sphere can make a big bang. Fraunhofer researchers are producing tiny high-precision hollow capsules of synthetic diamond. These midgets could play a central part in future energy production by means of nuclear fusion. Read the rest of this entry »

Rice as a source of electricity

December 11th, 2006

Rice as a source of electricity

Rice is Asia’s staple food. Every grain processed generates biowaste: A quarter of the weight consists of husks that have to be separated. Yet these can be used, for example, to supply Vietnam with power. Read the rest of this entry »

Engineered yeast improves ethanol production

MIT scientists have engineered yeast that can improve the speed and efficiency of ethanol production, a key component to making biofuels a significant part of the U.S. energy supply. Read the rest of this entry »

China claims progress in fusion, says experimental reactor this year

Chinese scientists have completed construction of an experimental superconducting fusion reactor that will replicate the same energy generation process that fuels the sun, with tests to begin as early as July, state media reported Friday. Read the rest of this entry »

Research highlights how bacteria produce energy

The world’s smallest life forms could be the answer to one of today’s biggest problems: providing sustainable, renewable energy for the future. Using a variety of natural food sources, bacteria can be used to create electricity, produce alternative fuels like ethanol and even boost the output of existing oil wells, according to research being presented this week at the 106th General Meeting of the (ASM) American Society for Microbiology in Orlando, Florida. Read the rest of this entry »

Scientists say they have cleared technical hurdle in fusion research

Physicists working in the United States believe they have cracked an important problem facing man-made nuclear fusion, touted as the cheap, safe, clean and almost limitless energy source of the future. Read the rest of this entry »

Want to see a real sugar high? Launch a model rocket with Oreo cookies

Food contains an amazing amount of energy. If you don’t believe it, feed candy to some kids and watch them bounce off the walls. Of course, tot-baiting is only one way to turn food energy into noise and destruction. Read the rest of this entry »

Power Up With Magnetic Bacteria

A 16-year-old high school student has invented a new way of producing electricity by harnessing the brawny power of bacteria. Read the rest of this entry »

Hydrogen from algae - fuel of the future?

The green energy of the future: A German-Australian research team has succeeded in breeding algae, which produce hydrogen in previously unheard-of quantities. Read the rest of this entry »