文章资讯
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- 2015-05-26 Study shows readers absorb less information when reading on a Kindle
- Researchers at Stavanger University in Norway have found that people tend to absorb less information when reading on a Kindle versus printed paper. After being asked to read a short story written by Elizabeth George, people using a Kindle performed significantly worse on a test that measured plot reconstruction than did those that read the same story from a printed paperback book. The team has not published their results yet but did present what they've found to a group at a conference in Italy recently.
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- 2015-05-25 An interesting glimpse into how future state-of-the-art electronics might work
- Using the Canadian Light Source (CLS) synchrotron, scientists have developed a new, cutting-edge technique enabling them to visualize the inner-workings of electronics.
This research is opening the door for a wide-range of opportunities for advanced nanoelectronics and devices. It could prove essential for the development of novel sensors for detecting light, magnetic fields and chemicals – which could be useful for medical analysis and treatments. New solar power harvesting capabilities might now be a step closer. - See Details
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- 2015-05-25 Australia follows EU, US in allowing mobile devices in-flight
- Passengers on Qantas and Virgin Australia from Tuesday will be allowed to use mobile electronic devices in-flight with limited restrictions after a relaxation of the rules by the country's aviation authority.
The Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) move, which followed similar decisions by the US and European Union last year, allows passengers to have their devices on "flight mode" during taxiing, take-off and landing. - See Details
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- 2015-05-25 Improving printed electronics process and device characterization
- Advantech US, Inc. is a Pittsburgh-based technology company that uses a green additive manufacturing shadow mask process to build electronics and fine-line conductors by deposition of vaporized bulk materials – such as metals – onto various rigid and flexible substrates. By building up components layer by layer, Advantech is able to create complex devices with features in the size range of 3–50 micrometers, filling an important size gap between nanoscale lithography and printed circuit board manufacturing, with significant cost benefits, broad design flexibility, simpler processing steps, and reduced material use. Their products include active matrix display backplanes for ePaper and OLED displays.
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- 2015-05-25 NIST helps develop new standard for microsensor technology
- The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has contributed to the development of a new standard for defining the performance of micromechanical sensors—a field that is expected to expand rapidly in coming decades as these versatile sensors increasingly become part of electronic networks.
The IEEE 2700-2014 Standard for Sensor Performance Parameter Definitions, now available from the IEEE Standards Association, provides a common methodology for specifying the performance of microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) in the consumer electronics industry. The standard includes specifications for a wide range of devices, including accelerometers, gyroscopes, barometers and proximity sensors. - See Details
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- 2015-05-25 Team uses nanotechnology to help cool electrons with no external sources
- A team of researchers has discovered a way to cool electrons to −228 °C without external means and at room temperature, an advancement that could enable electronic devices to function with very little energy.
The process involves passing electrons through a quantum well to cool them and keep them from heating. - See Details
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- 2015-05-25 'Smart material' chin strap harvests energy from chewing
- A chin strap that can harvest energy from jaw movements has been created by a group of researchers in Canada.
It is hoped that the device can generate electricity from eating, chewing and talking, and power a number of small-scale implantable or wearable electronic devices, such as hearing aids, cochlear implants, electronic hearing protectors and communication devices. - See Details
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- 2015-05-25 Nuclear spins control current in plastic LED: Step toward quantum computing, spintronic memory, better displays
- University of Utah physicists read the subatomic "spins" in the centers or nuclei of hydrogen isotopes, and used the data to control current that powered light in a cheap, plastic LED – at room temperature and without strong magnetic fields.
The study – published in Friday's issue of the journal Science – brings physics a step closer to practical machines that work "spintronically" as well as electronically: superfast quantum computers, more compact data storage devices and plastic or organic light-emitting diodes, or OLEDs, more efficient than those used today in display screens for cell phones, computers and televisions. - See Details
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- 2015-05-25 'Pixel' engineered electronics have growth potential
- A little change in temperature makes a big difference for growing a new generation of hybrid atomic-layer structures, according to scientists at Rice University, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Vanderbilt University and Pennsylvania State University.
Rice scientists led the first single-step growth of self-assembled hybrid layers made of two elements that can either be side by side and one-atom thick or stacked atop each other. The structure's final form can be tuned by changing the growth temperature. - See Details
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- 2015-05-25 Layering rough surfaces with nanometer-thin optical interference coatings opens new array of possible applications
- Applying a well-known optical phenomenon called thin-film interference, a group of researchers at Harvard University has demonstrated the ability to "paint" ultra-thin coatings onto a rough surface—work that holds promise for making future, flexible electronic devices, creating advanced solar cells and detailing the sides of next-gen rocket ships and spacecraft with extremely lightweight decorative logos.
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- 2015-05-25 New privacy battle looms after moves by Apple, Google
- A new battle is brewing over privacy for mobile devices, after moves by Google and Apple to toughen the encryption of their mobile devices sparked complaints from law enforcement.
The issue is part of a long-running debate over whether tech gadgets should have privacy-protecting encryption which makes it difficult for law enforcement to access in time-sensitive investigations. - See Details
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- 2015-05-23 Crumpled graphene could provide an unconventional energy storage
- When someone crumples a sheet of paper, that usually means it's about to be thrown away. But researchers have now found that crumpling a piece of graphene "paper"—a material formed by bonding together layers of the two-dimensional form of carbon—can actually yield new properties that could be useful for creating extremely stretchable supercapacitors to store energy for flexible electronic devices.
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- 2015-05-23 Stanford scientists create a 'smart' lithium-ion battery that warns of fire hazard
- Stanford University scientists have developed a "smart" lithium-ion battery that gives ample warning before it overheats and bursts into flames.
The new technology is designed for conventional lithium-ion batteries now used in billions of cellphones, laptops and other electronic devices, as well as a growing number of cars and airplanes. - See Details
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- 2015-05-23 Samsung achieves Wi-Fi data travel feats for 60GHZ band
- Samsung Electronics has announced advances in Wi-Fi technology. Samsung said it found a way to make Wi-Fi data travel faster than it does currently. Specifically, Samsung said the new technology enables data transmission speeds of up to 4.6Gbps, or 575MB per second, a fivefold increase from 866Mbps, or 108MB per second, which the company said was the maximum speed possible with existing consumer electronics devices. Eventually, consumers will see the results of these efforts within various connected devices.
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- 2015-05-23 Giant spin-splitting on the surface of strontium titanate
- The need for ever faster and more efficient electronic devices is growing rapidly, and thus the demand for new materials with new properties. Oxides, especially ones based on strontium titanate (SrTiO3), play an important role here. Researchers recently discovered that SrTiO3, although actually an insulator, can form a metallic layer on its surface, in which electric current can flow.
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- 2015-05-23 Digital native fallacy: Teachers still know better when it comes to using technology
- Members of today's younger Net Generation aren't more tech savvy than their teachers just because they were born into a world full of computers. In fact, if it weren't for the coaxing and support of their educators, many students would never use their electronic devices for more than playing games or listening to music. So says Shiang-Kwei Wang of the New York Institute of Technology in the US, who led a study on how middle school science teachers and their students use technology inside and outside the classroom. The findings appear in the journal Educational Technology Research & Development.
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- 2015-05-23 Special microscope captures defects in nanotubes
- University of Oregon chemists have devised a way to see the internal structures of electronic waves trapped in carbon nanotubes by external electrostatic charges.
Carbon nanotubes have been touted as exceptional materials with unique properties that allow for extremely efficient charge and energy transport, with the potential to open the way for new, more efficient types of electronic and photovoltaic devices. However, these traps, or defects, in ultra-thin nanotubes can compromise their effectiveness. - See Details
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- 2015-05-23 Researchers developing new thermal interface materials
- In the microelectronics world, the military and private sectors alike need solutions to technologic challenges. Dr. Mustafa Akbulut, assistant professor of chemical engineering, and two students lead a project funded by DARPA to create thermal interface materials (TIMs) that have a superior ability to transfer heat and a strong capacity to keep cool.
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- 2015-05-23 'Nanomotor lithography' answers call for affordable, simpler device manufacturing
- What does it take to fabricate electronic and medical devices tinier than a fraction of a human hair? Nanoengineers at the University of California, San Diego recently invented a new method of lithography in which nanoscale robots swim over the surface of light-sensitive material to create complex surface patterns that form the sensors and electronics components on nanoscale devices. Their research, published recently in the journal Nature Communications, offers a simpler and more affordable alternative to the high cost and complexity of current state-of-the-art nanofabrication methods such as electron beam writing.
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- 2015-05-23 How to make mobile batteries last longer by controlling energy flows at nano-level
- Electronic devices waste a lot of energy by producing useless heat. This is one of the main reasons our mobiles use up battery power so quickly. Researchers at University of Luxembourg have made a leap forward in understanding how this happens and how this waste could be reduced by controlling energy flows at a molecular level. This would make our technology cheaper to run and more durable.
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- 2015-05-23 Review: Amazon Fire tablets can compete with iPads, but that may not matter
- Amazon has garnered far less success than it deserves in consumer electronics, and its latest line of tablets may well continue that trend despite comparing favorably with Apple's latest iPad.
The e-commerce giant recently updated its tablet lineup. Like previous versions, the new Fire devices - Amazon has removed the "Kindle" from their name - are well built, generally well-priced and have some innovative features. They also will likely be hard-pressed to make a dent in the tablet market. - See Details
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- 2015-05-22 Scientists light the way for future electronic devices
- Researchers from the Optoelectronics Research Centre (ORC) at the University of Southampton have demonstrated how glass can be manipulated to create electronic devices that will be smaller, faster and consume less power.
The research, published in the journal Nature Communications, has the potential to allow faster, more efficient electronic devices; further shrinking the size of our phones, tablets and computers and reducing their energy consumption by turning waste heat into power. - See Details
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- 2015-05-22 Organic crystal film grown on new substrate breaks performance record
- Many future electronic devices may be based not on standard conductors and semiconductors but rather on small organic (carbon-based) molecules and polymers. These organic electronics will have several advantages over conventional electronics, including being cheaper to fabricate, physically bendable and flexible, and, in some cases, can be created using printing methods – perhaps even in your own home.
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- 2015-05-22 Flat, diamond-shaped plates of lithium iron phosphate improve discharge voltages
- Hollow, crystalline particles of lithium iron phosphate can enhance the performance of lithium-ion batteries by enabling an easier flow of lithium ions, A*STAR researchers have found.
Lithium-ion batteries are ubiquitous in cell phones, laptops and other portable electronic devices, and are increasingly used in electric cars. During charging,lithium ions inside the battery leave the positive cathode, travel through a liquid electrolyte and enter the negative anode (often made of carbon). This flow of ions reverses during discharging. - See Details
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- 2015-05-22 Improving flash memory: New molecular storage devices could bridge memory gap
- New molecules could be the key to solving a looming problem with flash memory storage, researchers say in a new report published in the journal Nature today.
Flash memory is a popular form of electronic data storage commonly used in devices such as smartphones, cameras and memory sticks. However, there is a physical limit to the minimum size of the current design of data cells, which currently use metal-oxide-semiconductor (MOS) components. These are difficult to manufacture at a scale below 10 nanometers, effectively setting an upper limit on the amount of storage it is physically possible to fit onto conventional silicon chips - See Details
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- 2015-05-22 New 2-D quantum materials for nanoelectronics
- Researchers at MIT say they have carried out a theoretical analysis showing that a family of two-dimensional materials exhibits exotic quantum properties that may enable a new type of nanoscale electronics.
These materials are predicted to show a phenomenon called the quantum spin Hall (QSH) effect, and belong to a class of materials known as transition metal dichalcogenides, with layers a few atoms thick. The findings are detailed in a paper appearing this week in the journal Science, co-authored by MIT postdocs Xiaofeng Qian and Junwei Liu; assistant professor of physics Liang Fu; and Ju Li, a professor of nuclear science and engineering and materials science and engineering. - See Details
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- 2015-05-22 Multiphysics invisibility cloak manipulates both electric current and heat
- Invisibility cloaks can make objects invisible not just to light in the visible part of the spectrum, but to many other physical excitations. These include acoustic waves, matter waves, heat flux, and infrared or ultraviolet electromagnetic (EM) waves. But so far, any single invisibility cloak can manipulate only one of these types of excitations.
Now in a new study, scientists have provided the first experimental demonstration of an invisibility cloak that can simultaneously manipulate two physical excitations: electric current and heat flux. The cloak is made of silicon and other materials, which opens up a range of new applications such as on-chip devices that involve both current and heat, as well as high-performance solar cells. - See Details
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- 2015-05-22 Breakthrough in flexible electronics enabled by inorganic-based laser lift-off
- Flexible electronics have been touted as the next generation in electronics in various areas, ranging from consumer electronics to bio-integrated medical devices. In spite of their merits, insufficient performance of organic materials arising from inherent material properties and processing limitations in scalability have posed big challenges to developing all-in-one flexible electronics systems in which display, processor, memory, and energy devices are integrated.
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- 2015-05-22 Extreme materials and ubiquitous electronics
- Nearly everyone seems to carry a cell phone or tablet. But if Tomás Palacios' vision of the future of electronics comes to bear, it will be increasingly difficult to separate electronics from all the other structures and materials surrounding us. An electrical engineer by training, Palacios, an associate professor of electrical engineering and computer science at MIT, develops new materials to bring electronic devices to the next level and beyond.
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- 2015-05-22 Researchers looking to 4-D printing to create biosensors from edible gels
- A team of researchers working at the University of Wollongong in Australia has received the go-ahead for a seven year study with the goal of looking at the possibility of using additive manufacturing techniques to develop biosensors made from edible gels. Team lead Marc in het Panhuis along with colleague Alex Keller recently gave a presentation to attendees at a Materials Research Society, Symposium, entitled "Printed Organic Electronic Device Components from Edible Materials." Their aim is to learn if it might be possible to use ordinary edible gels to create biosensors that when consumed, could provide physicians with data regarding the internal state of a patient.
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