Nanotechnology

Aircrafts are usually made of advanced composite materials that are very light and relatively durable. Even though the durability is fine, researchers are trying to develop materials that are even better. Nanotubes can solve that.

Ordinary solar cells convert only a small portion of light wavelengths into electricity. That causes the problem of small efficiency. New solar panels should be able to convert much broader spectrum of light and be more effective.

Lithium-oxygen batteries seem to be an interesting replacement of Li-Ion batteries but they have many drawbacks too. Now, a huge improvement was presented. We can expect much better stability and other properties.

The scientists from Oxford University figured out that small bacteria that usually move randomly can move in an organised way under some conditions. The organizes motion can be used to generate electrical power.

Storage requirements are growing exponentially but the classic technology cannot keep pace. Therefore, Microsoft and University of Washington are trying a new storage medium, synthetic DNA strands. And they were quite successful.

Even though there are many attempts how to invent a new type of batteries, Swiss researchers rather tried to improve already existing Li-ion technology using metal nanoparticles. The three-fold increase was achieved in the first tests.

The smell of some insects is very well developed sense and it can be used to create living biorobots. The mixture of nanotechnology and locusts can make powerful olfactory sensor that can be remotely controlled.

Heat Assisted Magnetic Recording (HAMR) provides high data density but it also has its own issues like the need for very high temperatures and lower stability. New dysprosium-cobalt nanostructures will help to improve both density and stability.

Black phosphorus has some interesting metal properties and it seems that it could replace silicon in electronics. Moreover, phosphorus nanoribbons using the special structure can improve heat dissipation and keep electronics cooler.

Australian researchers were able to combine glass with nanoparticles that enable it to obtain very interesting properties. What about a glass material that is able to shine or detect radiation levels?