Novel smart fabric first to change color, shape with heat and electricity

UK researchers have created the first smart fabric that can change shape and color in response to two different stimuli: heat and electricity. The development opens up new possibilities in various fields, including virtual reality and robotics.Continue… Continue reading Novel smart fabric first to change color, shape with heat and electricity

Solar dish reactor produces hydrogen and captures waste products

Engineers at EPFL have built and tested a solar reactor that can generate hydrogen gas from sunlight and water. The system is not only highly efficient at producing hydrogen, it also captures the “waste” products of oxygen and heat to put them to use t… Continue reading Solar dish reactor produces hydrogen and captures waste products

Solar dish reactor produces hydrogen and captures waste products

Engineers at EPFL have built and tested a solar reactor that can generate hydrogen gas from sunlight and water. The system is not only highly efficient at producing hydrogen, it also captures the “waste” products of oxygen and heat to put them to use t… Continue reading Solar dish reactor produces hydrogen and captures waste products

Underwater turbulence revealed as a key factor in climate change

When someone mentions waves, we are most likely to think of the beach and surfers riding breaks to shore, not the waves deep beneath the ocean’s surface. Now, new research has shed light on the important role underwater waves play in climate change.Con… Continue reading Underwater turbulence revealed as a key factor in climate change

Simple process converts fruit waste into water-purifying material

Solar stills provide a clever and simple means of purifying dirty or salty water, but they work at a rather slow rate. A new material has been shown to boost their performance, and it’s made from fruit waste which would otherwise be discarded.Continue … Continue reading Simple process converts fruit waste into water-purifying material

Researchers predict, then prove strange solid-state heat switches

The discovery was founded on the useful, but confusing idea of quasiparticles, which act as if they exist, but really don’t. There are only three types of particle in a solid: protons, neutrons and electrons. When packed together in a solid, these indi… Continue reading Researchers predict, then prove strange solid-state heat switches

Heat-loving lightweight superalloy promises higher turbine efficiency

One factor limiting the output of today’s power stations is the metals used in the blades, bearings and seals of their steam turbines, which tend to soften and elongate well before their melting point. Solve these problems, and you could conceivably ra… Continue reading Heat-loving lightweight superalloy promises higher turbine efficiency