Monthly Archives: February 2015

Nano-Architecture | MIT Technology Review

Posted on February 24, 2015 by wbaltzley

To visit the lab of Caltech materials ­scientist Julia Greer is to enter a realm where the ordinary rules of physical stuff don’t seem to apply. Greer designs and builds nanomaterials that behave in ways surprising to those of us … Continue reading →

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Megascale Desalination | MIT Technology Review

Posted on February 24, 2015 by wbaltzley

On a Mediterranean beach 10 miles south of Tel Aviv, Israel, a vast new industrial facility hums around the clock. It is the world’s largest modern seawater desalination plant, providing 20 percent of the water consumed by the country’s households. … Continue reading →

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Experiments Start on a Molten Salt Nuclear Reactor | MIT Technology Review

Posted on February 24, 2015 by wbaltzley

Transatomic Power a startup that’s developing a novel type of nuclear reactor, has begun a series of experiments that will either verify its design or send it back to the drawing board. The experiments were made possible by $2.5 million … Continue reading →

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How Tesla Boosted Its Roadster’s Range by 50 Percent | MIT Technology Review

Posted on February 24, 2015 by wbaltzley

Tesla stopped making the $100,000-plus Roadster in 2011, but this spring those who already own one can upgrade it to travel 400 miles on a charge, a 50 percent increase. The new range is competitive with conventional cars, which typically … Continue reading →

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NIMH Batteries Get an Energy Boost | MIT Technology Review

Posted on February 24, 2015 by wbaltzley

Almost every automaker interested in producing electric cars is betting on improvements to lithium-ion batteries to make the cars cheaper and extend their driving range. But scientists at BASF are exploring the possibilities of an older type of battery, nickel-metal … Continue reading →

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3-D Transistors Made with Molecular Self-Assembly | MIT Technology Review

Posted on February 24, 2015 by wbaltzley

A new way of building computer chips is taking shape that involves synthesizing molecules so that they automatically assemble into complex structures—which then serve as templates for etching nanoscale circuitry into silicon. The approach could let the computer industry continue … Continue reading →

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Nano-Manufacturing Makes Steel 10 Times Stronger | MIT Technology Review

Posted on February 24, 2015 by wbaltzley

An inexpensive new process can increase the strength of metals such as steel by as much as 10 times, and make them much more resistant to corrosion. If the modified metals pass field testing, the new process could go on … Continue reading →

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VW Said to Buy Battery Startup Stake for Tesla Challenge | Bloomberg Business

Posted on February 24, 2015 by wbaltzley

Dec. 5 (Bloomberg) — Volkswagen AG bought a stake in battery startup QuantumScape Corp. with the aim of developing technology that can more than triple the range of its electric cars, according to people familiar with the matter. VW is … Continue reading →

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New Possibilities In Solar Power With New Multilayered Waveguide Taper Array | Cleantechnica

Posted on February 1, 2015 by wbaltzley

New possibilities in the field of solar energy — as well as in thermal energy recycling — have been opened up as the result of the development of a new way of improving the ability of nanoscale microchip components to … Continue reading →

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