Cotton transistors. Free Technical Library News

NEWS OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY, NOVELTY IN ELECTRONICS
Free technical library / timeline

Cotton transistors

25.05.2012

An international team of researchers from France, Italy and the United States has created transistors based on cotton fiber.

To do this, a fiber consisting of a dielectric - cellulose, was covered with a conductive layer of gold nanoparticles and a thin layer of a semiconductive polymer. Ethylene glycol was applied on top to protect against moisture. The cotton fiber has become a little thicker, but has not lost its flexibility. In addition to conventional transistors, field effect transistors have also been obtained.

Cotton transistors are slower than conventional transistors, but they can be woven into fabric or even completely weaved from transistor filaments. It will turn out, for example, a T-shirt with a pulse rate or skin temperature monitor (and for the army - a tunic that signals a wounded soldier), a carpet that measures the temperature and humidity in a room or counts how many people have walked on it. In the future, a wearable computer is also possible, but it is not known whether it will be possible to wash it.

<< Back: The brain of the bee will be copied 25.05.2012

>> Forward: Windmills warm the earth at night 24.05.2012

Latest news of science and technology, new electronics:

The existence of an entropy rule for quantum entanglement has been proven 09.05.2024

Quantum mechanics continues to amaze us with its mysterious phenomena and unexpected discoveries. Recently, Bartosz Regula from the RIKEN Center for Quantum Computing and Ludovico Lamy from the University of Amsterdam presented a new discovery that concerns quantum entanglement and its relation to entropy. Quantum entanglement plays an important role in modern quantum information science and technology. However, the complexity of its structure makes understanding and managing it challenging. Regulus and Lamy's discovery shows that quantum entanglement follows an entropy rule similar to that for classical systems. This discovery opens new perspectives in the field of quantum information science and technology, deepening our understanding of quantum entanglement and its connection to thermodynamics. The results of the study indicate the possibility of reversibility of entanglement transformations, which could greatly simplify their use in various quantum technologies. Opening a new rule ... >>

Mini air conditioner Sony Reon Pocket 5 09.05.2024

Summer is a time for relaxation and travel, but often the heat can turn this time into an unbearable torment. Meet a new product from Sony - the Reon Pocket 5 mini-air conditioner, which promises to make summer more comfortable for its users. Sony has introduced a unique device - the Reon Pocket 5 mini-conditioner, which provides body cooling on hot days. With it, users can enjoy coolness anytime, anywhere by simply wearing it around their neck. This mini air conditioner is equipped with automatic adjustment of operating modes, as well as temperature and humidity sensors. Thanks to innovative technologies, Reon Pocket 5 adjusts its operation depending on the user's activity and environmental conditions. Users can easily adjust the temperature using a dedicated mobile app connected via Bluetooth. Additionally, specially designed T-shirts and shorts are available for convenience, to which a mini air conditioner can be attached. The device can oh ... >>

Energy from space for Starship 08.05.2024

Producing solar energy in space is becoming more feasible with the advent of new technologies and the development of space programs. The head of the startup Virtus Solis shared his vision of using SpaceX's Starship to create orbital power plants capable of powering the Earth. Startup Virtus Solis has unveiled an ambitious project to create orbital power plants using SpaceX's Starship. This idea could significantly change the field of solar energy production, making it more accessible and cheaper. The core of the startup's plan is to reduce the cost of launching satellites into space using Starship. This technological breakthrough is expected to make solar energy production in space more competitive with traditional energy sources. Virtual Solis plans to build large photovoltaic panels in orbit, using Starship to deliver the necessary equipment. However, one of the key challenges ... >>

New method for creating powerful batteries 08.05.2024

With the development of technology and the expanding use of electronics, the issue of creating efficient and safe energy sources is becoming increasingly urgent. Researchers at the University of Queensland have unveiled a new approach to creating high-power zinc-based batteries that could change the landscape of the energy industry. One of the main problems with traditional water-based rechargeable batteries was their low voltage, which limited their use in modern devices. But thanks to a new method developed by scientists, this drawback has been successfully overcome. As part of their research, scientists turned to a special organic compound - catechol. It turned out to be an important component that can improve battery stability and increase its efficiency. This approach has led to a significant increase in the voltage of zinc-ion batteries, making them more competitive. According to scientists, such batteries have several advantages. They have b ... >>

Alcohol content of warm beer 07.05.2024

Beer, as one of the most common alcoholic drinks, has its own unique taste, which can change depending on the temperature of consumption. A new study by an international team of scientists has found that beer temperature has a significant impact on the perception of alcoholic taste. The study, led by materials scientist Lei Jiang, found that at different temperatures, ethanol and water molecules form different types of clusters, which affects the perception of alcoholic taste. At low temperatures, more pyramid-like clusters form, which reduces the pungency of the "ethanol" taste and makes the drink taste less alcoholic. On the contrary, as the temperature increases, the clusters become more chain-like, resulting in a more pronounced alcoholic taste. This explains why the taste of some alcoholic drinks, such as baijiu, can change depending on temperature. The data obtained opens up new prospects for beverage manufacturers, ... >>

Random news from the Archive

Cooling material based on camel fur 15.11.2020

The researchers took inspiration from camel fur and developed a material that can lower its temperature without consuming electricity.

Materials cool when water evaporates from their surface. But as soon as all the water evaporates, the cooling effect disappears. Camels, like no other, are adapted to life in the desert. Although at first glance it seems that a "bald" camel will cool more efficiently than a fur-covered one, in fact this is not the case. Fur protects the animal's skin from heat and at the same time allows sweat to evaporate more slowly. As a result, cooling lasts longer, which allows the camel to save water by cooling the skin.

A new material created by researchers at MIT works in a similar way. It consists of two layers: a hydrogel is located on the bottom, and a porous silica-based airgel is located on top. The hydrogel is 97% water, which evaporates when heated. Due to this, the temperature of the material decreases when heat is applied. Airgel has very low thermal conductivity and absorbs very little heat from the environment. This allows you to keep the bottom layer of the hydrogel cold.

During the experiments, a "naked" hydrogel layer 5 millimeters thick lost all its water within 40 hours at an ambient temperature of 30 °C. However, after coating the hydrogel with a 5 mm layer of airgel, the drying time of the material at the same temperature increased to 200 hours. During cooling, the temperature of the material dropped by 7 °C. The cooling effect is "renewable": after the material has completely dried, it is enough to add water to it, and it will again cool the external environment.

Creating an airgel is still a rather difficult and expensive task, so researchers are looking for new materials that could replace it. Scientists hope that their technology will help people in hot regions. It can reduce the cost of shipping and storing food and medicine.

See full Archive of science and technology news, new electronics

All languages of this page

Home page | Library | Articles | Website map | Site Reviews