Using water to create nanoscale power cells
April 23, 2009
Nearly every issue of major science journals contains new developments in nanotechnology which may eventually help us develop nanoscale medical implants, sensors, pollution scavengers, and other devices. In designing nanomachines, one has to think about how to power them. Batteries or other external power sources would add to the cost and size of the devices, so it would be preferable if they could be self-powered, having their own power cell or some power-harvesting mechanism.
Several years ago, scientists found that they could create an electric current by pushing water through a single-walled carbon nanotube (SWCNT)—the direction of the electric potential along the tube could even be flipped by changing the course of the water flow. Last year, Chinese scientists led by Lianfeng Sun managed to make hydroelectric power converters based on this phenomenon, which led them to suggest that "SWNTs can be exploited as unique, tunable molecular channels for water and might find potential application in nanoscale energy conversion."
However, before it’s sensible to look into further applications, it’s necessary to figure out how water and SWCNTs generate hydroelectric voltage. Without a basic understanding of the mechanisms involved, it would be difficult to design an efficient power-harvesting technique.
Quanzi Yuan and Ya-Pu Zhao from the Chinese Academy of Sciences investigated how water interacted with SWCNTs at the atomic level, and their work appeared today in an early edition of the Journal of the American Chemical Society. They computationally simulated a system where osmotic pressure was pushing water molecules through a SWCNT that was 12.3 Å long and 8.14 Å in diameter. As a frame of reference, a molecule of water has a diameter of about 2.75 Å. They then varied different parameters to determine the source of the voltage and its properties.
One of the first things Yuan and Zhao noticed was that water moved through the nanotube in a perfect single-file formation. Water molecules normally form ordered hydrogen bonds with one another, and the ability to hydrogen bond was responsible for the formation of this single-file chain.
Each water molecule in that chain has a dipole moment and is polar, as the oxygen atom is more electronegative than the hydrogen atoms. Thus, when hydrogen bonded in a single-file fashion, all the water molecules contribute to give the collective chain a dipole moment as well.
The dipole moment of the chain creates a polarity difference through the SWCNT, resulting in a charge of 0.134 e at one end of the tube and a charge of -0.005 e at the other end. Yuan and Zhao calculated that the voltage difference between the two ends was 17.2 mV, the electric current was 1.72 µA, and the electric field of the tube was 107 V/m.
Based on these results, Yuan and Zhao conclude that "the structure of a water-filled SWCNT" makes it "a promising candidate for a synthetic nanoscale power cell, as well as a practical nanopower harvesting device." While the authors succeeded in figuring out the fundamental reason behind the voltage generation and identified the process as useful for real-world applications, further computational work would be helpful, as it is still unclear how factors like changing the diameter of the nanotube or the velocity of the moving water molecules will influence the voltage generation.
Journal of the American Chemical Society, 2009. DOI: 10.1021/ja8093372
This post has been written by Yun Xie on April 22, 2009 10:18 PM couresy of arstechnica.com.
Quick and classy CD top
April 23, 2009
Sean Ragan made this easy spinning top toy from a CD and a few screw-together lamp parts. He classed it up by customizing the CD with his Lightscribe drive which allows you to etch designs on the surface of CDRs.
This post has been written by Becky Stern on Apr 22, 2009 09:00 PM couresy of makezine.com.
Fallen Earth takes the road tour to Triangle Game Conference
April 23, 2009
If there’s one thing many MMO players are chomping at the bit for, it’s a good, solid crunchy post-apocalyptic MMO to sink their teeth into. That’s why the team behind the upcoming sci-fi game, Fallen Earth, have been touring around the United States showing off their game to hungry onlookers; and it appears the folks in Raleigh, NC are soon to be next! We’ve recieved notice that the team at Fallen Earth LLC will be showing off all the rugged, dangerous fun at the First Annual Triangle Game Conference on April 29th and 30th.
According to the press release, the TCG is "the East Coast forum for networking, career building and sharing of the area’s gaming industry expertise" and will offer a program of lectures by industry experts. They’re also planning to offer attendees a Career Lounge and Game Development University to check out as well. As Raleigh is turning into a gamer hotspot, this should prove to be an interesting event. Those interested in attending and checking out Fallen Earth preview awesomeness should head over to the Triangle Game Conference site – or if you’re a bit too far away to make it, remember that Fallen Earth is still accepting people for their beta!
This post has been written by Krystalle Voecks on Apr 22nd 2009 at 8:15PM couresy of massively.com.
This post has been written by Joseph L. Flatley on Apr 22nd 2009 at 4:27AM couresy of engadget.com.
Google Releases Creative New Image, News Searches
April 22, 2009
When Google came along, it redefined the search experience to the point where its name has become a colloquial verb ("to Google"), meaning to search. Even though it has since diversified greatly, from applications to hardware, it remains committed to continuing to lead the search world.
While competitors like Microsoft hone their sharpest new products, Google is equally hard at work and has just released two fruits of its recent labor: new searches for images and news.
The first is a site called Similar Images, which eschews actual image recognition like Apple’s recent iPhoto (which can recognize faces) in favor of a user refined search, driven by metadata. What does this mean? If searching for a picture related to Apple Inc., a user might type in Apple and see pictures of apples (fruit), Apple computers, Apple corp. headquarters, Apple Corp. (the Beatles record label), etc. By clicking on one of these results and searching for similar images, the search can be refined.
The approach arguably works as good or better than graphical image recognition, while being far less computationally intensive. The downside is that someone has to type in the metadata, which a home user is unlikely to do (so Apple’s software still makes sense), but which an internet author is likely to do (as metadata already drives page searches).
The second new service is called News Timeline. This search engine provides refined time searches for news only (crude time-specific searches are already in Google’s base search engine, but often return inaccurate results for when the page was published). The result is that you can specify a time period of a specific day, week, month, year, or decade, and get news results tagged with specific keywords from that time period.
This search in particular should be a godsend for tired college students looking to get their Sociology or History reports done. To bring the Apple theme full circle, the new search was actually designed by Andy Hertzfeld, a former member of the original Apple Macintosh design team, lured away by Google. He pointed out at a special news conference that the search not only encompasses web articles, but scanned books, print newspapers, and magazines.
Some magazines such as Popular Science have given Google special permission to show old articles; for others it will take you to the publication’s web page and provide you with information on what issue to look in.
Both of the new search engines are part of Google Labs, Google’s research and development efforts. Google Labs recently got a shiny new webpage. Describes R.J. Pittman, director of product management at Google, "We actually gutted it and rebuilt it from the ground up."
This post has been written by Jason Mick on April 21, 2009 8:27 PM couresy of dailytech.com.
Amazon Video on Demand goes high definition
April 22, 2009
Today Amazon announced that its Video On Demand service now has HD movies and TV shows, which had started appearing in late March, available for purchase or rent. The move catches Amazon up with Apple’s iTunes Store, which has offered HD content for rent via AppleTV since January 2008, though it only recently allowed watching HD content on a Mac or PC this March. Likewise, Netflix’s Watch Instantly feature has also offered a selection of HD content for some time.
Currently, Amazon VOD has a selection of over 500 movies and TV shows available in HD. That pales in comparison to its library of over 40,000 titles, but it does include a lot of popular content. Amazon highlighted the HD availability of movies like Frost/Nixon, Twilight, and Yes Man and hit TV series like Californication, The Tudors, Smallville, and Gossip Girl. We also spied Heroes, Battlestar Galactica, and The Office in there as well.
In addition to adding HD content, Amazon is also announcing that select partners’ devices which support Amazon VOD are supporting the upgrade to HD. In addition to the Roku digital video player, TiVo DVRs (Series3, HD, and HD XL), and the Sony Bravia Internet Video Link, Amazon and Panasonic are announcing that Panasonic’s VIERA CAST-enabled HDTVs are now Amazon VOD-compatible.
"Our customers have been asking us for two things: HD and the ability to watch movies and TV shows instantly on their television, said Bill Carr, Amazon vice president Music and Video, in a statement. "Today we are thrilled to begin offering HD and to add the distinctive Panasonic VIERA CAST-enabled HDTV lineup to the growing number of televisions and devices supported by Amazon Video On Demand. We plan to continue making it easier than ever for customers to instantly enjoy their favorite TV shows and movies in HD from the comfort of their living rooms."
With today’s Amazon news, the concept of "tuning in" for TV content at a particular date and time dictated by a broadcast company seems all the more like a quaint anachronism, much the way that dial-up Internet connections and floppy disks seem now.
This post has been written by Chris Foresman on April 21, 2009 10:10 PM couresy of arstechnica.com.
The best of WoW Insider: April 14-21, 2009
April 22, 2009
News
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WoW Insider’s Guide to the Argent Tournament
It’s joustin’ time in the World of Warcraft. Here’s what you need to know. -
WoW Insider’s Patch 3.1 FAQ
Frequently asked questions about last week’s patch, answered just for you. -
Ghostcrawler on the mechanics behind Armor Penetration
One of the game’s devs talks about one of the tougher damage dealing mechanics to figure out. -
First day for Champions on the Argent Tournament
The very first class of Champions arises. -
Curse, WoW Interface band together to block WoWMatrix
A small shakeup in the addon world leaves a few players hanging right around patch day.
Features
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Wrath 101: Emalon the Storm Watcher
There’s a new boss in the Wintergrasp Vault, and here’s a quick guide to taking him down. -
The Queue: Service with a smile
You ask, we answer. That’s how it works. -
How to get the Turtle Mount
Want to get your hands on the brand new aquatic mount? Here’s a few tips. -
How to activate Ulduar’s hard modes
Sure, anybody can raid Ulduar. But can you do it on hard mode? -
Lichborne: Top Death Knight DPS builds and patch 3.1
With dual specs out, everybody wants to know which builds are best. Our Death Knight column breaks down which talent points to look for in patch 3.1.
This post has been written by Mike Schramm on Apr 22nd 2009 at 12:01AM couresy of joystiq.com.
Arduino controlled milk bottle LED lights
April 22, 2009
These recycled milk bottle lights look cool and seem to work really well. You can make a basic version with a simple on/off switch, or you can make a deluxe version that uses an Arduino to add fading and sequencing to the lights. Check out the link for complete build instructions and the source code for these funky recycled LED lights.
LED lighting in milk bottle caps. The PPE makes for good diffusion. They’re controlled by an Arduino Mini hooked up to a potentiometer. The arduino looks at the analogue reading from the pot and then depending on the value carries out instructions on which lights to turn on or off.
More about the Arduino controlled milk bottle LED lights
In the Maker Shed:
Make: Arduino
This post has been written by Marc de Vinck on Apr 22, 2009 02:00 AM couresy of makezine.com.
Killzone 2 ‘Steel & Titanium’ DLC Gets a Price And a Trailer
April 22, 2009
Alongside a cinematic preview of Killzone 2′s first downloadable add-on, Sony has finally issued a price for the upcoming DLC, according to a post on Sony’s PlayStation.Blog.
When it hits the PlayStation Network Store on April 30, Killzone 2 fans will be able to download the add-on for $6. In case you missed our previous coverage, the "Steel & Titanium" pack includes two new multiplayer maps.
Given the history of DLC on consoles, I expected the pack to run at least $10. $6 seems like a pretty reasonable entry fee given the scope and aesthetics of the maps — especially considering that Killzone 2 was sold almost entirely on the strength of its visual appeal.
Killzone 2 DLC price and trailer [PlayStation.Blog]
See Also:
This post has been written by Earnest Cavalli on April 21, 2009 3:48 couresy of blog.wired.com/games.
FusionFall offers spring chicken hunting fun
April 22, 2009
While many of the spring festivities in various MMOs have sprung, Cartoon Network has saved their particular brand of spring silliness in FusionFall for this next week! That’s right – from tomorrow (4/22) to next Wednesday (4/29) Coco’s helpers, who are dressed as Spring Chickens will be hiding in the Alternate Earths of FusionFall, and are just waiting for you to find them. When you do manage to locate them, they’ll transport you to a secret Egg Hunt Zone, just filled with some special Spring holiday eggs – which means lots of goodies for you!
As you zoom through the special Egg zones, the different eggs you’ll collect will not only yield little surprises "to keep things interesting" according to the Cartoon Network devs, but there are two special bubbleheads available to those who are lucky enough to find them. Keep in mind that other players can warp in and out of the Egg Zones, so you’ll need to be quick on your toes to pick up the special holiday eggs – and the related bubbleheads! Free-to-play players in Future World will be able to pick up one of the two, and Unlimited access players – at either $5.95 for one account or $9.95 for up to four accounts – will be able to find the Future World helmet and another bonus bubblehead.
If you still can’t find out where to look for Coco’s helpers, check in on the FusionFall forums for some special riddles that have clues on where to go, or check with the other players in FusionFall and see if you can get a hand. After all, gaming is much more fun if you make some friends along the way!
This post has been written by Krystalle Voecks on Apr 21st 2009 at 8:00PM couresy of massively.com.
