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New Record for Amorphous Silicon Solar Cells Set

Oerlikon Solar, the world's leading supplier of thin film silicon photovoltaic (PV) production equipment, today announced that it has achieved a new stabilized record efficiency level for amorphous silicon (a-Si) sin...

23 Sep 2009

Fabrics with Embedded Nanoparticles can Detect Explosives and Dangerous Chemicals

Two Cornell researchers have launched iFyber LLC, which markets fabrics with embedded nanoparticles to detect explosives and dangerous chemicals or to serve as antibacterials for hospitals.

23 Sep 2009

Microscale Boiling May Lead to Better Cooling for Electronics and Hybrid Vehicles

Understanding precisely how fluid boils in tiny "microchannels" has led to formulas and models that will help engineers design systems to cool high-power electronics in electric and hybrid cars, aircraft, computers and other devices.

23 Sep 2009

Graphene and DNA have Biomedical Potential

Biomedical researchers suspect graphene, a novel nanomaterial made of sheets of single carbon atoms, would be useful in a variety of applications. But no one had studied the interaction between graphene and DNA, the buil...

23 Sep 2009

Graphene and Titanium Dioxide Result in High Performance Lithium Ion Batteries

Researchers would like to develop lithium-ion batteries using titanium dioxide, an inexpensive material. But titanium dioxide on its own doesn't perform well enough to replace the expensive, rare-earth metals or fire...

23 Sep 2009

Diamonds Are A Patients Best Friend

Diamonds, it has long been said, are a girl's best friend. But a research team including a physicist from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has recently found that the gems might turn out to be a patient's best friend as well.

23 Sep 2009

New Ruler for the Nano World Accurate to Better than a Femtometer

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has issued a new ruler, and even for an organization that routinely deals in superlatives, it sets some records. Designed to be the most accurate commercially ava...

23 Sep 2009

Sugar Coated Nanoparticles Could be Used to Treat Cancer

A research team at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) studying sugar-coated nanoparticles for use as a possible cancer therapy has uncovered a delicate balancing act that makes the particles more effective than conventional thinking says they should be.

23 Sep 2009

New Tool Creates Chemical Reactions between Single Molecules

Inventing a useful new tool for creating chemical reactions between single molecules, scientists at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have employed microfluidics-the manipulation of fluids at the microscopic scale-to make microdroplets that contain single molecules of interest.

23 Sep 2009

Automated High Accuracy Physical Testing of Plastics

More than ever, traceable testing and measuring are an essential part of high-precision production and process optimization. A new Zwick test system for highly accurate, fully automatic physical plastics testing has the important addition of a spectrophotometer for reflected and transmitted light measurement of plastics.

From ZwickRoell GmbH Co. KG 23 Sep 2009

Updated Optical Long Travel Extensometer from Zwick

Zwick has launched an updated version of its popular optical long travel extensometer. Now branded as lightXtens this extensometer is ideal for providing reliable, accurate measurements in tensile tests on highly ductile, highly elastic and touch-sensitive materials such as elastomers and latex plus all types of foil.

From ZwickRoell GmbH Co. KG 23 Sep 2009

New Micro Hardness Tester from Zwick

Indentec, the hardness specialist of the Zwick Roell Group has introduced the new ZHu MkII micro hardness tester. The instrument is supplied as standard with a motorized turret which can simultaneously support up to 4 objective lenses and 2 indenters.

From ZwickRoell GmbH Co. KG 23 Sep 2009

Multiple Wavelength UV Thermal Treatment Improves Hardness of Thin Films

Novellus Systems (NASDAQ: NVLS) announced today that it has developed a multiple wavelength UV Thermal Processing (UVTP) treatment on the company's SOLA® platform that results in a 25 percent improvement in film hardness compared to a single wavelength treatment of the same k-value dielectric.

22 Sep 2009

LyondellBasell Supply Polypropylene Materials for Opel's 2009 European Car of the Year

Hostacom compounded polypropylene (PP) resins produced by LyondellBasell Industries are being used to manufacture the interior components of Opel’s new Insignia model, which received the 2009 European Car of the Year award.

22 Sep 2009

Siemens Introduce More Powerful Photovoltaic Inverter Range

Siemens is set to substantially extend its share in the PV (photovoltaics) inverter market. A current IMS Research study has shown that the PV plant market is expected to grow by at least 30 per cent annually until 2013, with the expectation that the growth rate will be disproportionately high in the commercial and power plant segment.

22 Sep 2009