As components for electronics get smaller and smaller, and researchers are finding promising methods for making nano-sized devices, the question arises, "Where are we getting the wires for these devices?" A team of researchers at the Canadian National Institute for Nanotechnology (NINT) has discovered a method for producing conductive wires for silicon chips with diameters as small as 10 nanometers, and measuring 50,000 nanometers in length (still only the width of one human hair). The production of these nano-wires uses the process of self-assembly, a way in which molecules recognize and bind to each other, forming nano-sized structures. The discovery has huge implications for the practicality of nano-devices, although an important next step will be to find a method for cheap mass-production.

Molecules Line Up to Make the Tiniest of Wires

Labels: Nanotechnology

Gussing, Austria was for years a rusted Cold War relic of a town, never attracting much attention and struggling to survive. However, thanks to the work of a few energy-savvy local leaders and a population that was willing to lead the way for change, Gussing is the first European community to reduce its carbon emissions by 90%. It does so by relying on the sun, sawdust, corn and cooking oil to produce the fuel it needs to sustain itself, with the added bonus of creating new jobs and attracting investors from around the world.

The town was struggling to meet its electricity bill some 15 years ago when local leaders brought in engineers and other energy experts to construct a wood-burning plant that heats homes in addition to technology that manufactures rapeseed to fuel cars. Other breakthroughs came later, when technology to create natural gas from scrap lumber helped run the town's power plant. Solar power technology companies have also taken note of Gussing's innovative platform, and Germany's Solon AG Fuer Solartechnik is expected to finish construction on a solar-fueled power plant in the town soon.

Gussing is an example of what is possible when local and national leaders come together to make realistic goal to reduce carbon emissions while at the same time creating growth economically. Europe has long been a leader in green technology and manufacturing, most likely brought on from their desire to detach themselves from the stronghold of foreign-produced oil and the reality of shrinking natural resources. The model of Gussing's success is something to be studied and duplicated for other small towns with the capability of overhauling their infrastructure, however, larger cities and regions will undoubtedly face more challenges in overcoming legacy systems and weening populations off of oil addiction.

'Dead-End' Austrian Town Fuels Boom With Green Energy

Labels: Advanced Energy

Construction of the United States' Microsystems and Engineering Sciences Applications project, or MESA, has been completed--before schedule and under budget. The new complex will house factories, research laboratories, and design facilities for microtechnology and nanotechnology. Completed 3 years before schedule, the early opening will provide a boom in research and development.

The National Laboratories focus on potential uses for micro and nanotechnology for security and trajectory components for nuclear weapons to ensure the effectiveness and safety of America's nuclear arsenal.

The new facility will also provide opportunities for business and academic partnerships with government projects. Along with extensive classified projects, a section of the facility was sectioned off for collaboration.

Sandia National Laboratories Completes Construction

Labels: Nanotechnology

Canadian energy group Plasco is attracting investors from far and wide with its first nearly operational waste to energy processing plant in Ottawa, Ontario. By using a unique plasma torch process, Plasco is able to use intense heat applied to waste materials in a controlled environment that produces various levels of output. Ranging from synthetic gas for engines to potable water, Plasco's technology creates valuable forms of usable energy and emits zero hazardous byproduct into the atmosphere.

This type of incineration is much more cost effective than older or other forms of disposing waste, including gasificiation. By keeping oxygen minimally involved in the process, they are able to generate about twice as much power, while only leaving 1.3 kilograms of leftover waste material (mostly lead and other metals that must be filtered out). Their current permit with the city of Ottawa allows for 4 MW of power a day, enough to power 3,600 homes in the area.

Plasco's technology is promising for several reasons -- although biofuels are becoming increasingly popular, there is growing concern that the cost needed to produce them is not necessarily outweighing the benefits of a fuel that emits lower levels of carbon dioxide. Room must be made to grow these biofuels, and that means more deforestation (especially in countries like ethanol-hungry Brazil) with devasting land-use effects. However, if energy can be generated from a source that is not only already available, but is something society wants disposed of anyway, then Plasco is sitting on a very promising capability. It's no wonder that governments from Mexico, Spain and the United Kingdom are starting to take notice.

Garbage in, clean energy out

Labels: Advanced Energy

Researchers at the University of Michigan are using pulses of light to accelerate quantum computers, which may allow computers to decipher encryptions at unprecedented rates. The researchers used short bursts of light targeted at quantum dots to create light-matter interactions, and they found they could control the frequency and phase shifts in the optical network, a necessity for developing these optical-driven quantum computers.

The technique could enable computers exponentially faster than traditional computers and could give its users an incontrovertible edge in deciphering encryptions. The research has implications for the intelligence community, and if used exclusively by intelligence workers, could foil security threats posed by hackers. Certainly, the technology also has implications for any field that uses huge computations, and could provide a huge boost to research in mathematics, physics, and other fields.

Computing Breakthrough Could Elevate Computer Security to Unprecedented Levels

Labels: Advanced Computing

The U.S. has for some time been making strides to make its capabilities more efficient and geared towards the needs of the future, and a recent development has pushed that goal a step further. London-based BAE Systems has successfully demonstrated a hybrid-powered combat vechicle with an integrated system of energy storage, power generation, and enhanced braking ability, all adding to the unit's capabilities and flexibility. Additionally, the first system to use the hybrid electric drive will be the Non-Line-of-Sight Cannon, a fully automated howitzer, scheduled to be produced next year.

The test was done in conjunction with BAE's partners in this specific effort, General Dynamics Land Systems and the FCS Lead Systems Integrator team of Boeing, both working in tandum with the Army's needs. Given the growing need for armed forces to become more adaptive not only to changing technologies but to changing environmental demands and pressure, this sort of development will offer promising flexibility and reactivity for transporting troops and weapons systems. Additionally, these vehicles will operate more efficiently by working in a more integrated fashion and conserving energy rather than wasting it.

US Army Going Hybrid

Labels: Advanced Energy

Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania have developed a reliable method for the mass-production of nanogap electrodes, a crucial aspect of nanoscale electronics. The researchers were able to balance as many as 16 nanogaps using thin sheets of gold and feedback controlled electromigration (FCE) techniques oringinally developed at Penn.
Although there has been great progress in the last several years in creating nano-sized gaps for electronics, until now there has been little movement towards the reproducibility necessary for industrialization. The development represents an important bridge between the basic research on nano-sized structures and hopes for mass-production and commercialization in the future.

Researchers at University of Pennsylvania Develop Method for Mass Production of Nanogap Electrodes

Labels: Nanotechnology

Researchers at the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute have developed a nanoengineered storage device. The paper-thin batteries are 90% cellulose infused with carbon nanotubes. This technology has a great number of potential uses. Its incredible size and weight, its power source, and its ability to function in extreme temperatures make it potentially revolutionary in electronics, medical technology, heavy engineering, and more.

The flexible and lightweight energy source has the capability to use human blood or sweat to help power the battery. It can exist and function properly in temperatures ranging from 300 degrees Fahrenheit and down to 100 below zero. This technology could be used to power future nanotechnology, or to reduce the weight of any number of battery-powered technologies.

Although the materials in the battery are inexpensive, there is not yet a means for effective mass-production. The goal is to develop a system similar to the printing of newspaper--a viable option to due similar specifications and base materials between the nanocomposite paper and newspaper.

http://www.physorg.com/news106245164.html

Labels: Advanced Energy, Nanotechnology

Service-Oriented Architecture (SOA) technology is merging with open-source components. SOA, in brief, "expresses a perspective of software architecture that defines the use of loosely coupled software services to support the requirements of the business processes and software users. Resources on a network in an SOA environment are made available as independent services that can be accessed without knowledge of their underlying platform implementation. A service-oriented architecture is not tied to a specific technology."

Federal agencies, including the Internal Revenue Service and the Federal Trade Commission, use SOA technology to more adequately transfer information within their networks. The loosely connected nature of SOA software allows it to be gradually introduced into a system, avoiding a massive overhaul. For any corporation, a singular network overhaul can cause catastrophic delays; but for the government, these delays are simply not an option.

Open Source software refers to programs which permit their source codes to be available to the public, either through licensing or by making it public domain. The availability of source codes allows agents beyond the software developers to make modifications. Open source sanctions collaborative efforts to best enhance existing programs, and to best tailor them to specific needs.

As more companies turn to SOA technology to enhance efficiency and smooth operations, there is a greater need for constant development and adaptation. Rather than depending upon a proprietary standards based upon an individual vendor, open-source software for SOA permits the constant evolution necessary to remain useful. SOA already improves the efficiency of complicated processes, because it requires only superficial understand of the given process. The inclusion of open-source components makes it possible to customize SOA.

Piecemeal SOA
Bringing Open Source to SOA

Labels: Web Technologies