DailyDirt: Watched Pots Do Boil

from the urls-we-dig-up dept

People often joke about how bad they are at cooking that they can't even boil water, but the process of boiling water is actually so ubiquitous and important that figuring out how to do it more efficiently is a significant challenge. We've mentioned some materials and designs that can help speed up the boiling process before, so here are a couple more cool ways to vaporize liquids.

• More efficient fractional distillation can separate alcohol from water using nanoparticles. Dissolved nanoparticles of gold-silica can absorb light and heat up just the surface of a liquid, allowing the more volatile alcohol to vaporize (and avoiding an azeotropic mixture). [url]
• Taking advantage of the Leidenfrost effect, steel balls coated with a super-hydrophobic coating can be heated to 400°C and plunged into room temperature water without producing violent boiling bubbles. This discovery could help improve various heat-transfer techniques and make some large industrial processes much safer. [url]
• Producing steam using solar energy can be done very quickly using nanoparticles, too. Heating up water to its boiling point is useful for a lot of applications (eg. producing electricity, purifying water, etc), so any tricks to make the process more efficient could have a significant impact on energy usage. [url]

After you've finished checking out those links, take a look at our Daily Deals for cool gadgets and other awesome stuff.

Filed Under: azeotrope, boiling, distillation, energy, heat transfer, leidenfrost effect, nanotech, nanotechnology, purification, solar energy, water

DailyDirt: Getting Unwanted Carbon Dioxide Out Of The Atmosphere

from the urls-we-dig-up dept

People can debate whether or not governments need to do something to curb carbon dioxide emissions, but while the debate continues, technology could help give us more attractive options for dealing with unwanted carbon dioxide in our atmosphere. Several methods of carbon sequestration have been proposed over the years, but none have really turned out to be financially viable so far. Sure, we could plant a trillion trees, but even that might have its own detrimental impact on the environment.

• Carbon dioxide from the air can be sequestered into carbon nanofibers with electricity (preferably from renewable sources or some kind of nuclear). This development could help spur carbon nano-materials AND reduce carbon dioxide levels in our atmosphere. Win-win! (But it'll take a LOT of energy to make a dent in the existing amount of CO2 in the air.) [url]
• Removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere might not be sufficient to reverse some of the damage already done to oceans and the ecosystem. Carbon dioxide levels have surpassed 400 ppm in the atmosphere, and some scientists have estimated that levels beyond 420 ppm would be detrimental to global ecosystems, as well as changing the climate around the world. [url]
• The Center for Carbon Removal wants to remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere to clean up our environment. Carbon dioxide levels were at about 280 ppm before the Industrial Revolution, and they could continue to rise if no one changes our current energy infrastructure. [url]
• Turning carbon dioxide into useful materials isn't a new idea, but doing so in an economical way that actually produces materials that people can use has been tricky. Chemists are looking into catalysts that might fit the bill, but it's a pretty hefty bill. [url]

After you've finished checking out those links, take a look at our Daily Deals for cool gadgets and other awesome stuff.

Filed Under: carbon dioxide, carbon fixation, carbon nanotubes, carbon sequestration, center for carbon removal, climate change, nanotechnology

DailyDirt: Molecular Electronics Isn't Quite Science Fiction

from the urls-we-dig-up dept

There's going to be a point where Moore's law stops -- because the things we build can only get so small before quantum physics starts to really mess with how circuits behave. Still, researchers keep pushing technology to make smaller and smaller devices. Molecular electronics aren't practical just yet, but the development of nanoscale components isn't completely ridiculous. Here are just a few examples.

• Origami and kirigami (aka origami that allows for cutting) could be useful in designing electronics from sheets of conductive materials like graphene. Flexible and bendable gadgets could be good for wearable or implantable devices, but it might take a while before graphene is ready for consumer electronics. [url]
• A single molecule diode made from a single symmetric molecule, an ionic solution and two gold electrodes has set a performance record, beating previous molecule-sized diodes by a factor of 50. Clearly, no one is going to be using this diode outside of a lab, but it could help design better fundamental devices with extremely small dimensions. [url]
• A team of scientists has created a field-effect transistor (FET) from a single molecule -- but it requires a scanning-tunneling microscope (STM) to function. This isn't the first single molecule transistor, and it probably won't be the last. However, it's still going to be tricky to find a way to make these nanoscale components useful for practical purposes. [url]

After you've finished checking out those links, take a look at our Daily Deals for cool gadgets and other awesome stuff.

Filed Under: diode, graphene, kirigami, materials, molecular electronics, moore's law, nanotech, nanotechnology, origami, predictions, stm, transistor

DailyDirt: Boiling Water More Efficiently

from the urls-we-dig-up dept

Boiling water might sound like a common and easy thing to do, but precisely because it's such a ubiquitous activity, if we can make it more efficient, we can save a sizable amount of energy. Maybe you've tried not watching a kettle to see if it boils faster, but far more serious efforts are making progress on more efficient boiling. Cookware isn't the only application that could benefit from more efficient thermal transfer. Check out these examples of making hot water using less energy.

• The "Flare Pan" is a pot design that claims to heat up faster and use 40% less energy than conventional cookware. The bottom of this pot has fins to help distribute heat, making it heat up more quickly and efficiently -- and only being slightly more difficult to clean. [url]
• A copper surface covered in copper nanorods can increase the energy efficiency of bringing water to a boil by an order of magnitude. The nanoscale and microscale textures encourage nanobubbles and jump-start the boiling process. [url]
• Nanostructures made from metal-coated viruses create the right textures on a surface to boil water three times faster. This kind of surface probably won't be sold in cookware, but it could make power plants more efficient in the future. [url]

After you've finished checking out those links, take a look at our Daily Deals for cool gadgets and other awesome stuff.

Filed Under: boiling, cookware, energy, flare pan, heat transfer, nanorods, nanotech, nanotechnology, phase change, water

DailyDirt: The Promises Of Graphene

from the urls-we-dig-up dept

Materials made of carbon are amazingly useful. We've pointed out various cool things that graphene can do before, but the list really seems to go on and on (even though there are less than a handful of products on the market that actually incorporate graphene). Still, graphene could improve a lot of things, and material science often takes decades to really establish a market for a specific material. Check out these links... and maybe in 30 years or so, we'll finally get to see some of these things.

• Graphene, like many other "miracle materials" before it, was predicted to create amazing advances in a wide range of products due to its unique chemical and physical properties. The material was discovered in 2004 from super thin layers of graphite, and now there are thousands of graphene-related patents. However, it may still be a while before widespread commercial applications are a reality. stuck to adhesive tape. [url]
• If only graphene could be produced in large-scale amounts, we'd have all kinds of crazy strong stuff -- like really lightweight bulletproof vests. Lab experiments show that graphene is better than Kevlar, but the catch is that no one has been able to make cheap graphene in large quantities. /sad trombone [url]
• Carbon nanotubes have exhibited an interesting ability to generate electricity via a thermopower wave phenonmenon. Igniting a combustible substance at one end of a carbon nanotube thread with a laser can push electrons around, and graphene could be another material that this phenomenon works with that's even more efficient. [url]

After you've finished checking out those links, take a look at our Daily Deals for cool gadgets and other awesome stuff.

Filed Under: carbon nanotubes, graphene, kevlar, materials, nanotechnology, science, stronger than steel, thermopower wave

DailyDirt: Keeping Information For A Really, Really, Really Long Time

from the urls-we-dig-up dept

The problem of storing digital data usually involves transferring data from an older format to a newer one -- with the hopes that the newer one won't be replaced as quickly as the older format it just replaced. Maybe some archivists out there like to go through this periodic technology shift and verify that the data we've stored is still readable, but wouldn't it be nice if there was a "store it and forget it" format?

• A single gram of DNA can store up to 455 exabytes of data, and roughly four grams of DNA could store all of the world's collected information. It's not cheap to store arbitrary data on DNA yet, but the costs are coming down. [url]
• Stored data on DNA encased in glass at freezing temperatures could survive for a couple million years. The DNA of a woolly mammoth in Siberia was preserved for 40,000 in a tundra, so it's not unthinkable that we might want to keep a few backups of our data on ice. [url]
• Making large DNA crystals with precisely-controlled structures is something that can be done with a "DNA-brick self-assembly" method. Being able to do this could help fabricate all kinds of nanoscale designs and create a manufacturing process for complex, artificial DNA structures. [url]

If you'd like to read more awesome and interesting stuff, check out this unrelated (but not entirely random!) Techdirt post via StumbleUpon.

Filed Under: archive, backup, data, dna, nanotechnology, self-assembly, storage

DailyDirt: Nifty Nanotechnology

from the urls-we-dig-up dept

Materials with nanoscale structures promise to make a lot of things vastly better. The obvious application for smaller and faster computer processors will likely extend Moore's Law for a few more years, so maybe people won't really notice the improvements because everyone is already accustomed to computers getting faster at an insane rate. The noticeable nanotechnology might show up in things that never really existed before. Here are just a few examples of materials that could lead to nanotech cloaking devices or some other cool stuff (if nanotech can actually be produced economically someday).

• Surrey NanoSystems has developed a material made of carbon nanotubes that is "super black" and absorbs nearly all the visible light that hits it. They named it Vantablack, and it reflects a record low 0.035% of incident light. (They don't say how durable the coating is, but they do say it's "very expensive" to make right now, so don't expect to see this stuff outside of laboratories and super sensitive telescopes.) [url]
• A nanostructured material made up of tiny cones can cover a surface and hide underlying objects from your sense of touch. Most cloaking devices shield things from being seen or heard, but a thin layer of this stuff prevents anyone from feeling what is underneath it (better than any typical foam or padding). [url]
• A spray-on window coating can selectively block heat OR light, according to how much voltage you apply to the film. This material can block about 50% of incoming heat and 70% of visible light, but researchers are still working on improvements to make it better and cheaper for commercial applications. [url]

If you'd like to read more awesome and interesting stuff, check out this unrelated (but not entirely random!) Techdirt post via StumbleUpon.

Filed Under: carbon nanotubes, cloaking devices, coating, haptics, materials, metamaterials, nanotechnology, vantablack

DailyDirt: It's The Little Things That Matter...

from the urls-we-dig-up dept

Adding a little bit of something can make a huge difference. For example, some carbon and a few other trace metals added to iron can make a steel stronger and stainless. Nanotechnology promises to improve a bunch of things with very small changes to the surfaces of common materials. But these small changes could also cause some big problems. Here are just a few links on some small ingredients that might not be so great for the environment.

• In case you hadn't heard, Minnesota has passed a law against antibacterial soaps containing triclosan. The law won't go into effect until 2017, so the big soap makers have some time to try to fight the ban or figure out how to sell regular old soap now that they've flooded the market with soaps that tell consumers that old soap formulas are more germy. [url]
• Illinois has banned microbeads in soaps and body washes. This law also won't go into effect for a few years, but the tiny plastic beads are already turning up in the Great Lakes and in various waterways. [url]
• If you don't like the idea of nano-sized particles of titanium dioxide in food, you should look at your dairy products a bit more closely. The FDA is looking into regulating nano-sized particles, but some commercial products may already contain them. [url]

If you'd like to read more awesome and interesting stuff, check out this unrelated (but not entirely random!) Techdirt post via StumbleUpon.

Filed Under: antibacterial, environment, fda, microbeads, nanotechnology, soap, titanium dioxide, triclosan

Awesome Stuff: Updating Classic Clothing

from the got-something-to-wear? dept

For this week's awesome stuff post of interesting crowdfunding projects, we're going to take a look at some clothing projects.

• First up, is Sweat Tailor, an attempt to make sweat pants... that are actually decent pants you can wear out and about. Generally speaking, sweat pants tend to be crappy quality stuff that doesn't really fit, that you wear around at home. However, these guys are trying to make sweat pants that are made more like regular pants (including sizing), so that people can have the comfort of sweat pants, but still be more comfortable wearing them when they go out. Just from the description, these sound like the kind of things hipsters would flip out over, and hipsters often seem to flock to Kickstarter, so no surprise that it's already passed its $35,000 goal. A pair of these will set you back $79, though, which probably makes them the most expensive sweat pants you'll ever buy.
• Okay, how about some swim shorts that don't get wet. Fabrics that don't get wet have been around for quite some time (in fact, our head of research, Michael Ho, worked at a company making such fabrics many years ago). They're frequently referred to (somewhat inaccurately) as naontech fabrics and clothing, and that description has stuck. In this case, they've applied it to swim shorts (again, not a totally new concept), but it still gets some attention. The video for this project cheats a bit, because they just squirt a little bit of water on the shorts, rather than show what happens when someone actually wears them in a pool or ocean. In fact, they never even show anyone wearing them which seems a little sketchy. Also, they never really specific what technology is really in the fabric, but most of the options out there to date aren't really all that comfortable, and don't really breath that well. That might not be too pleasant for swim trunks. The project only kicked off a few days ago and is already about a third of a way to being funded, meaning it's likely to hit its goal of $10,000. Each pair will run you $47 (Canadian). So, if you buy swim trunks not to get them wet (wait, who does that?), you can jump in -- but seems like the kind of thing that you might want to wait for actual reviews on before plunging in.
• And, finally, we've got the Quarter Century Belt. While the first two projects were about trying to update some classic forms of clothing, this one is more about looking back. Recognizing that we rarely build wardrobe pieces that last any more, these guys are building a belt that comes with a 25 year guarantee. There's not much more to it than that, other than that they're insisting that it's high quality, but not for designer belt prices. This one is already well past its $10,000 target with more than a month and a half to go. If you can sneak in under the early bird pricing, you can get it for $37, or else the price goes up to $45. You can find cheaper belts out there on the market today, but they're generally not great quality ones.

That's it for this week -- go enjoy the holiday weekend.

Filed Under: awesome stuff, belts, clothing, nanotechnology, sweatpants, water proof

DailyDirt: Useful Diamonds

from the urls-we-dig-up dept

Diamonds are a fascinating and unique material. So far, though, manufacturing large diamonds on a large scale isn't very economical, but there actually are a few processes that do make small, commercial synthetic diamonds. If cheap diamonds could be made to arbitrary dimensions, then all sorts of "Diamond Age" technologies could make things more durable or significantly better. (eg. Diamonds could replace silicon as a semiconducting substrate in electronics, and diamond touchscreens would be pretty scratch resistant.) Here are a few uses of diamonds that could provide a bit more value than gemstones.

• Silk-coated nanodiamonds could be injected into living cells and used for medical imaging. The nanodiamonds fluoresce after being illuminated with particular wavelengths of light, and the silk coating makes the nanodiamonds capable of floating freely inside a cell without getting stuck to the cell membrane. [url]
• A diamond anvil cell can compress samples to extreme pressures -- such as those found in the interior of the earth or on distant gas giant planets. Diamonds can take the pressure and are transparent, which allows researchers to watch what's going on in these tiny diamond pressure chambers. [url]
• Diamond nanocrystals (with small defects) could be useful for molecular imaging -- combining NMR/MRI techniques to detect the structures of single proteins. Diamond nanocrystals could also be placed on a scanning microscope for imaging techniques. [url]

If you'd like to read more awesome and interesting stuff, check out this unrelated (but not entirely random!) Techdirt post via StumbleUpon.

Filed Under: biotech, diamond age, diamond anvil cell, diamonds, medical imaging, microscopy, nanocrystals, nanodiamonds, nanotechnology