Power/Performance Bits: Oct. 11


Finer printed circuits Researchers from the National Institute for Materials Science in Japan, Jiangnan University, Zhengzhou University, Senju Metal Industry Co., and C-INK Co. developed a way to print smaller features for printed electronics. The directed self-assembly method increases the chemical polarity of predetermined areas on a surface, which promoted selective adhesion of metallic na... » read more

Power/Performance Bits: Oct. 9


Topological insulator waveguides Engineers at the University of Pennsylvania and Polytechnic University of Milan applied topological insulators to photonic chips to make reconfigurable waveguides. In topological insulators, charged particles can flow freely on the material's edges but can't pass through the interior. For photonics, topological insulators with edges that could be redefined m... » read more

System Bits: May 21


Washable, wearable energy devices for clothing Researchers at the University of Cambridge collaborated with colleagues at China’s Jiangnan University to develop wearable electronic components that could be woven into fabrics for clothing, suitable for energy conversion, flexible circuits, health-care monitoring, and other applications. Graphene and other materials can be directly incorpor... » read more

Power/Performance Bits: Dec. 5


Solar jet fuel Researchers at ETH Zurich demonstrated the ability to use solar energy to create the precursor to jet fuel from water and carbon dioxide, a process that could lead to carbon-neutral air travel. The scientists performed 295 consecutive cycles in a 4 kW solar reactor, yielding 700 standard liters of hydrogen and carbon monoxide (syngas), the precursor to kerosene and other liqu... » read more