Applied Physics

Growing concern over increased levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide has prompted new interest in techniques for removing the gas from the smokestacks of such large-scale sources as coal-fired electric power plants. But to minimize their economic impact, the cost of adding such controls must be minimized so they don’t raise the price of electricity significantly. Researchers have developed a new, low-cost material called hyperbranched aluminosilica for capturing carbon dioxide (CO2) from the smokestacks of coal-fired power plants and other generators of the greenhouse gas. Produced with a…

BEIJING and SAN JOSE, California, March 7 /PRNewswire/ -- Atmel(R) Corporation (Nasdaq: ATML) announced today new AVR(R) microcontrollers combining USB controller and high performance analog features. The ATmega16U4 and ATmega32U4 reduce system cost in battery powered devices such as gaming accessories. Battery powered devices can take advantage of being connected to a USB port to recharge. However, modern batteries require sophisticated algorithms to accelerate and optimize charging, while USB brings further constraints on the battery charging since it is limited both in the voltage and the…

LOS ANGELES, March 7 /PRNewswire/ -- - New Detroit-based division to expand Bunkspeed's 3D rendering into local US, Europe, and Asia markets Bunkspeed, Inc., the provider of groundbreaking 3D rendering solutions, announced today it has created an Automotive and Transportation Division to strengthen its customer support presence in US, European, and Asian markets. The new division will base its operations out of Detroit, Michigan. Following Bunkspeed's tried and true principle to forge outstanding customer relationships, dedicated service will go hand-in-hand with every sale. Newly appointed…

Researchers at Swansea University are developing a new, eco-friendly technology that could generate as much electricity as 50 wind farms. Dr Dave Worsley, a Reader in the Materials Research Centre at the University’s School of Engineering, is investigating ways of painting solar cells onto the flexible steel surfaces commonly used for cladding buildings. “We have been collaborating with the steel industry for decades,” explains Dr Worsely, “but have tended to focus our attention on improving the long-term durability and corrosion-resistance of the steel. We haven’t really paid much attention…

In a recent edition of Advanced Materials Magazine, Michael Bockstaller and Krzysztof Matyjaszewski demonstrate that controlling the structure of nanoparticles can “shrink” their visible size by a factor of thousands without affecting a particle’s actual physical dimension. It's invisibility in the optical range, something that cannot be done with current metamaterials “What we are doing is creating a novel technique to control the architecture of nanoparticles that will remedy many of the problems associated with the application of nanomaterials that are so essential to business sectors…

NEW YORK and DUBLIN, Ireland, March 6 /PRNewswire/ -- - Transaction Joins the World's Largest Provider of Visual Localisation Software with Global Leader in Software Localisation Services and Technology Translations.com today announced that the company has merged with Alchemy Software Development. Translations.com, headquartered in New York with 50 offices worldwide, is a global leader in software localisation and Globalisation Management System (GMS) technology solutions. Alchemy, based in Dublin with offices in the US and Germany, is the world's largest provider of visual localisation…

The method to the madness of quasicrystals has been a mystery to scientists. Quasicrystals are solids whose atoms aren't arranged in a repeating pattern, as they are in ordinary crystals. Yet they form intricate patterns that are technologically useful. A computer simulation performed by University of Michigan scientists has given new insights into how this unique class of solids forms. Quasicrystals incorporate clusters of atoms as they are, without rearranging them as regular crystals do, said Sharon Glotzer, a professor in the Department of Chemical Engineering. Crystals form when liquids…

The RoboSwift micro-aircraft has made its first flight. The small, quiet plane is equipped with observation cameras that can be used in the future to study birds or to conduct surveillance of groups of people or vehicles. The RoboSwift is characterised by the continuously variable shape of its wings, known as ‘morphing' wings, which are modelled on the wings of the swift bird. These wings make the aircraft, like its living model, very maneuverable and efficient. As a result, the RoboSwift is the first aircraft in the world to have the wing properties of living birds. Wind tunnel tests have…

What do oil exploration and steroid testing have in common? Quite a bit, say researchers at The University of Nottingham. Their new process — which uses high pressure environments to investigate the chemical structure and make-up of a sample — has been refined and developed at the University to develop highly accurate tests for detecting levels of illicit steroids in urine. The test procedure is already in the process of being commercialised and is expected to be ready for use in the 2012 Olympics. Funding from the Natural Environment Research Council’s Ocean Margins LINK programme saw…

MADRID, Spain, March 5 /PRNewswire/ -- SolFocus today announced the appointment of Roberto de Diego Arozamena as Managing Director of SolFocus Europe, and Pedro Ladron de Guevara de Echavarria as Vice President and General Manager of the company's Tracking Systems Business Division. These appointments are crucial steps following the November election of the SolFocus Europe board of directors which includes business leader, economist, and Repsol Board member Paulina Beato and Germano Fanelli, Chairman of Arrow EMEASA. The announcement was made by company Chairman Gary D. Conley. "Building a…