British nanoelectronics company Surrey NanoSystems claims it has invented the world’s darkest material. Made of tightly packed carbon nanotubes, the company’s Vantablack reportedly absorbs 99.96% of the radiation that hits its surface. The result is a material so dark it looks like, well, like nothing.
The image above, which was posted by the Daily Mail courtesy of Surrey NanoSystems, shows how strange Vantablack can get. The aluminum foil is crumpled and bumpy, but you won’t be able to tell that by looking at the area that’s coated with the wonder material. Speaking with The Independent, Surrey NanoSystems Chief Technical Officer Ben Jensen said that if you made a dress out of Vantablack, “You would lose all features of the dress. It would just be something black passing through.”
Vantablack is also a breakthrough in that other carbon nanotube-based “super black” materials can only be applied to objects using high temperatures. Surrey NanoSystem’s relatively low temperature process makes its material applicable to a wider range of items. The company says it has already delivered Vantablack to the space sector, who can use the material to calibrate telescopes and make them detect even more light sources, and to the defense sector, because of reasons.
[via Surrey NanoSystems, Daily Mail & The Independent]
The 2010 Deepwater Horizon may be forgotten to many, but remnants of its destruction still remain in the Gulf of Mexico. Mercifully, it appears that researchers at Texas A&M University "have developed a non-toxic sequestering agent-iron oxide nanoparticles coated in a polymer mesh that can hold up to 10 times their weight in crude oil." In layman's terms, they've engineered a material that can safely soak up oil. As the story goes, the nanoparticles "consist of an iron oxide core surrounded by a shell of polymeric material," with the goal being to soak up leftover oil that isn't captured using conventional mechanical means. The next step? Creating an enhanced version that's biodegradable; as it stands, the existing particles could pose a threat if not collected once they've accomplished their duties.
Source: Materials 360 Online, Inside Science, ACS Nano
Historically, whenever man or beast's been bombarded with massive amounts of radiation the results have either been gruesome or wholly fantastical (see: any superhero origin story). But recent research out of Japan indicates that a barrage of electrons could actually help scientists revolutionize microbiology and, more excitingly, space travel. The experiment, conducted by a team from the Hamamatsu University of Medicine, found that the larvae of fruit flies hit with this electron rush were able to withstand an electron microscope's hostile vacuum unharmed and even grew to be healthy adults. The results weren't so rosy for the untreated group which, understandably, suffered a grislier fate: death by dehydration. The magic, it turns out, is in that subatomic spray, as the group treated with an electron shower benefited from a polymerizing effect or, more plainly, a bonding of molecules just above the skin's surface that yielded a tough, protective nano-layer measuring between 50- to 100-billionths of a meter thick. Finesse that technique some and it's easy to why one NASA scientist thinks this could lead to the creation of a super-thin "space shield... that could protect against dehydration and radiation."
The process is still far from foolproof, however, seeing as how an increase in the microscope's resolution requires an equal boost in radiation -- all of which is fatal to the insects. So, in order to go deeper and get a more close-up view of the larvae's internals, the team's currently exploring new methods of fabricating these "nano-suits" using an array of chemicals. If you're wondering just how far-off we are from practical human application, then consider this: the amount of radiation required to form the bonded layer is akin to "sunbathing naked on the top of Everest under a hole in the ozone." Which is to say, keep dreaming. And get Jeff Goldblum on the phone while you're at it... we have a promising idea for a Return of the Fly sequel.
Via: Wired
Source: ScienceNOW
Chips that have 3D elements to them are very much real. Moving data in 3D hasn't been truly viable until now, however, which makes an experimental chip from the University of Cambridge that much more special. By sandwiching a layer of ruthenium atoms between cobalt and platinum, researchers found that they can move data up and down an otherwise silicon-based design through spintronics; the magnetic field manipulation sends information across the ruthenium to its destination. The layering is precise enough to create a "staircase" that moves data one step at a time. There's no word on if and when the technique might be applied to real-world circuitry, but the advantages in density are almost self-evident: the university suggests higher-capacity storage, while processors could also be stacked vertically instead of consuming an ever larger 2D footprint. As long as the 3D chip technology escapes the lab, computing power could take a big step forward. Or rather, upward.
Filed under: Science
Source: University of Cambridge
Researchers from South Korea's Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology have developed new "shape-conformable" polymer electrolytes that could help craft those flexible display handsets of the future. Thanks to the nano-materials used, these polymers behave like more typical liquefied electrolytes but would create, according to the country's Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, substantially more stable flexible power cells, especially under high temperatures. The polymer electrolytes are spread onto electrodes and then blasted by ultraviolet rays for 30 seconds; a process that's also substantially faster than the standard battery manufacturing process. Unfortunately, there's no visual representation of exactly how flexible the new cell is, but we're hoping it'll be able to match what we've seen so far in flexible OLED displays.
Filed under: Science
Via: The Register
Source: Yonhap News