Advancing Understanding of Energy Storage Mechanisms

I have gone through the sciencedaily.com...

 An international team of materials researchers including Drexel University's Dr. Yury Gogotsi has given the engineering world a better look at the inner functions of the electrodes of supercapacitors -- the low-cost, lightweight energy storage devices used in many electronics, transportation and many other applications. In a piece published in the March 4 edition of Nature Materials, Gogotsi, and his collaborators from universities in France and England, take another step toward finding a solution to the world's demand for sustainable energy sources.

Gogotsi, a professor in Drexel's College of Engineering and director of the A.J. Drexel Nanotechnology Institute, teamed with Mathieu Salanne, Céline Merlet and Benjamin Rotenberg from the Université Paris 06, Paul A. Madden from Oxford University and Patrice Simon and Pierre-Louis Taberna of Université Paul Sabatier. What the group has produced is the first quantitative picture of the structure of ionic liquid absorbed inside disordered microporous carbon electrodes in supercapacitors. Supercapacitors have the capability of storing and delivering more power than batteries; moreover, they can last for up to a million of charge-discharge cycles. These characteristics are significant because of the intermittent nature of renewable energy production.

The figure above (Molecular Dynamics simulations by the group of Mathieu Salanne): shows ionic liquid surrounded by two porous carbon electrodes. It explains how the positive (red) and negative (green) ions interact with the carbon surface. The charging mechanism involves the exchange of ions between the bulk and the electrode. This simulation yields much higher capacitance values than in models using simplified regular electrode geometries. (Credit: Image courtesy of Drexel University

According to the researchers, the excellent performance of supercapacitors is due to ion adsorption in porous carbon electrodes. The molecular mechanism of ion behavior in pores smaller than one nanometer-one billionth of a meter- remains poorly understood. The mechanism proposed in this research opens the door for the design of materials with improved energy storage capabilities.

The authors suggest that in order to build higher-performance materials, researchers should know whether the increase in energy storage is due to only a large surface area or if the pore size and geometry also play a role. The results of this study provide guidance for development of better electrical energy storage devices that will ultimately enable wide utilization of renewable energy sources.

"This breakthrough in understanding of energy storage mechanisms became possible due to collaboration between research groups from four universities in three countries," Gogotsi said. "Moreover, the team used carbon structure models developed by our colleagues Dr. Jeremy Palmer and Dr. Keith Gubbins from the North Carolina State University. This is a clear demonstration of the importance of collaboration between scientists working in different disciplines and even in different countries."

IPHONE TRACKING BLOOD PARAMETERS

      Using the tattoo which is modified iphone can track your water level and sodium and oxygen levels.It can usefull to prevent the dehydration for cyclist and anemic patience.

      The tattoo which contains nano particles which is injected on the skin,which reacts with the glucose and sodium and it will be glowing according to the level of the florescence in the tatoo,the modified iphone which found the variations in the florescence rate so it can tell that how much glucose present in your blood.

      Heather Clark, a professor in the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences at Northeastern University, is leading a team working to make this possible.

The tattoo developed by Clark's team contains 120-nanometer-wide polymer nanodroplets consisting of a fluorescent dye, specialized sensor molecules designed to bind to specific chemicals, and a charge-neutralizing molecule.

                                            

 

Phone sensor: This modified iPhone case can be used to detect sodium levels via a nanosensor “tattoo.”

Credit: Heather Clark and Matt Dubach

Indian astronaut to walk on Moon in 2025: Kalam

Bangalore: Former president A.P.J. Abdul Kalam Wednesday hoped an Indian astronaut would walk on the Moon in 2025 and on Mars by 2035.

"I believe an Indian astronaut will walk on the Moon in 2025 and on Mars by 2035. The Indian space agency should attempt to put an Indian on Moon and Mars between 2025 and 2035," Kalam said at a function here.

Releasing a book titled "All About Rockets", authored by advisor to the state-run Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) S.K. Das, Kalam said Indian space scientists should innovate cutting-edge technologies to reduce the cost of access to space to $2,000 per kg from the current $20,000 per kg.

"Low cost access to space is the way forward. The challenge for the Indian space scientists is to reduce the launch cost to $2,000 per kg from $20,000 per kg currently by using nanotechnology and reusable single-engine stage launches," Kalam told ISRO chairman K. Radhakrishnan and directors of the space agency's various space centres who were present on the occasion.

Recalling his long association with the space agency and his involvement in the failures and successful launches of the first satellite launch vehicle (SLV) and the subsequent polar satellite launch vehicles (PSLVs), Kalam said space was another destination for man's quest for renewable energy.

"One of the spin-offs I foresee from space technology is to innovate a low-cost energy solution. We are already using solar energy to power satellites to orbit around the Earth and run its various payloads (instruments). We need to innovate a solution to transfer the solar-generated energy to earth and store it in the form of power cells or batteries that can be used as renewable energy," Kalam pointed out.

Regretting that India has been a laggard in achieving breakthroughs in rocket launches, building satellites or supercomputers, Kalam said the country should overcome the status of being a "fourth or fifth nation syndrome" to becoming the first country in cracking space technology and ICT (information and communication technology) through innovation and research.

"After every successful launch of a rocket or satellite, India is ranked as the fourth or fifth nation in the world to have achieved success or breakthrough in space technology. It is time for us to overcome the fourth or fifth nation syndrome and be the first among equals if we have to become a superpower. We can do it," Kalam added.

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Tiny Technologies Promise Powerful Protection

The U.S. Army’s Soldier 2030 concept includes this futuristic look for the infantry soldier. Research being done at the Institute for Soldier Nanotechnologies supports the vision for a lightweight uniform offering a wide array of soldier protection capabilities.

Today’s dismounted infantry soldier often packs more than 140 pounds and still has incomplete ballistic protection, insufficient defense against chemical and biological weapons, and too many pieces of equipment that do not work well together, according to officials at the U.S. Army Research Office’s Institute for Soldier Nanotechnologies. Reducing the cumbersome weight that soldiers lug around on the battlefield is a major priority for the Army, which is intent on transforming itself into a lighter, more flexible 21st century force. Research being conducted at the institute one day could help transform current combat fatigues and bulky equipment into a do-it-all battle uniform that not only is lightweight but also provides many other benefits.

Basic research conducted at the Institute for Soldier Nanotechnologies (ISN), which is housed within the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), is designed to develop and exploit nanotechnology to improve soldier survivability dramatically. The ultimate goal is to help the Army create a 21st century battlesuit that combines high-technology capabilities with light weight and comfort. Army officials envision a thin, bullet-resistant uniform that monitors health, eases injuries, communicates automatically, and reacts instantly to chemical and biological agents. The multipurpose battle uniform is a long-range vision for how fundamental nanoscience might make soldiers less vulnerable to an array of threats, whether from the enemy or the environment.

The institute conducts fundamental research, and when that work proves especially promising, ISN usually passes it along to the Army Research Laboratory or other research centers for further development. The institute is less than an hour from the Army’s Natick Soldier Systems Center, Natick, Massachusetts, and over the years has developed a close working relationship with Natick scientists. “The reason the Army is interested in studying these materials is to provide the basis for any kind of technologies that ultimately could provide protection for our soldiers,” says Bob Kokoska, the Army’s ISN program manager. “In the end, it’s to provide a whole suite of lightweight materials and functionalities that will reduce the load on the soldier while providing unique tools and capabilities for soldier survivability.”

Recent advances include research into multifunctional fibers that has resulted in a prototype device for sensing explosives. The development could lead to a soldier battlesuit with a built-in acoustic sensor for sensing and locating explosions or sniper fire. Additionally, ISN’s research on coatings for materials has been transitioned to the Army Research Laboratory and the Natick Soldier Systems Center for development of a prototypical product to protect eyes from lasers. Other capabilities that have transitioned to the Army Research Laboratory include nanoscale coatings that provide both a water-repellent and microbial repellent function to keep soldiers dry and kill harmful bacteria at the same time.

ISN also has made strides in nanotube technology. One ISN scientist has developed a “drawing technique” that Kokoska compares to stretching candy. “One technology allows you to take, say, a plastic tube maybe a centimeter across that contains within it some materials that have optical properties so they react to different frequencies of light, or maybe they are able to sense an explosion. Envision this tube being drawn out, like a taffy pull, to the diameter of a human hair. This scientist has been able to draw this out and make meters and meters of this material in a way that maintains the optical or acoustic detection properties embedded there,” Kokoska explains. “This is a tremendous technology that has really gone a long way to miniaturizing different types of these sensing capabilities within fabrics and can have quite an impact on the capabilities that can be embedded in a soldier’s uniform.”

It is the nature of fundamental research that scientists sometimes discover unintended uses for the developed technologies. ISN’s nanotube research, for example, contributed to a surgical laser now being used at military and civilian hospitals. “Picture the interior of a narrow tube containing this metallic material that can act as a perfect mirror. The advantage is that you can pump CO₂ laser light through it in a very flexible manner.”

That laser surgery technology has been commercialized by a company called OmniGuide and has been used in more than 25,000 procedures. “There was a surgeon who was trying to remove a brain tumor from a young patient, and he was very frustrated. Serendipitously, he found out about this technology while surfing the Web one night, and within a matter of days he saved his patient’s life with it,” Kokoska says. “The ISN was not tasked to develop surgical tools. What the ISN was developing were these material systems that could be used, for example, for fiber optic communications; but through the ingenuity on the part of some of the people at MIT, they were able to adapt that system for something completely different. In this case, it has a good payoff for the Army and for the civilian medical community as well.”

Kokoska speculates that nanomaterials potentially could result in a medicinal patch for battlefield use. “We may be able to develop a patch that you put on a wounded soldier that can sequentially release a burst of antibiotics over a period of time to ward off infection, or maybe provide a therapeutic anti-inflammatory agent. That patch could be finely tuned to address wounds,” he explains. He also suggests the possibility of a small device for detecting minuscule traces of harmful materials, such as chemical or biological agents. The device may or may not be integrated into the uniform, but would be easily available, he adds.

Blast and ballistic protection is one of the core areas of research, including the study at the nanoscale level of some sea creatures with hardened shells or beaks. Christine Ortiz, MIT professor of materials science and engineering, studies a wide range of natural materials in support of ISN’s quest for better body armor. Some of her research, for example, has focused on the so-called scaly foot snail, a type of sea mollusk that has a foot covered in plates of iron sulfide minerals. The snail’s tri-layered shell also is covered in a layer of iron sulfide and is more resistant to crushing than the typical snail shell.

The fundamental, multidisciplinary nanoscience research is conducted in collaboration with Army and industrial partners and focuses on five strategic areas: lightweight, multifunctional nanostructured fibers and materials; battlesuit medicine; blast and ballistic protection; chemical and biological sensing; and nanosystems integration.

Much of the research is aligned with the Army’s Future Soldier 2030 concept, which is not a part of Army doctrine. Instead, it is designed to stir imaginations and prompt researchers to find creative solutions for equipping future soldiers. “We are getting away from the creation of potential future soldier physical prototypes and are now supporting the soldier and small-unit research and development community with analysis, insight and concepting related to future technology-enabled capabilities,” explains Lt. Col. David Accetta, USA (Ret.), chief of public affairs and strategic engagement for the Natick Soldier Research, Development and Engineering Center.

Among other capabilities, the Future Soldier 2030 concept calls for a nanofiber-enabled, flexible, form-fitting, lightweight uniform. It may be paired with a vest for ballistic protection of vital organs and could include additional modular armor that can be attached for joints and extremities. Shear-thickening fluids and fabric composites may provide lightweight extremity protection. Limited protection from cuts and fragments could be built into the uniform using chain mail fabricated from carbon nanotubes. Additional protection for the extremities may be provided by an exoskeleton structure.

Founded in 2002 by a $50 million, five-year contract from the Army Research Office, the ISN is an interdepartmental research now approaching the end of its second five-year contract. This year, the institute is undergoing a major comprehensive review to determine whether the Army is receiving a good return on its investment. The ISN will be developing its next five-year plan, which will carry over or tweak current research projects while possibly adding new areas of study. If all goes well with the review, a new contract could be awarded before the current contract expires in summer 2012. “From my own perspective, the ISN has done a tremendous job in developing a strong basic science program and has worked with the Army to transition some of this work as well. We try to listen to what our soldiers’ needs are. That should always have a bearing on the research being done at the ISN,” Kokoska adds.
By George I. Seffers, SIGNAL Magazine
June 2011
WEB RESOURCES
Institute for Soldier Nanotechnologies: http://web.mit.edu/isn/index.html
Ortiz Laboratory at MIT: http://web.mit.edu/cortiz/www/
OmniGuide: www.omni-guide.com/

Assess risk from nano-pollution and antimicrobials in packaging - IFST

The Institute of Food Science and Technology (IFST) has called for greater appraisal of the potential risks from the release into the environment of nanomaterials used in food packaging.

The possibility that wider exposure to anti-microbial agents in food contact materials (FCMs) may contribute to heightened bacterial resistance was highlighted as an area of concern for the UK-based body. It also said the accumulation of nanosilver in the environment should be scrutinised and the development of bespoke recycling procedures considered.

The IFST made its comments in its response to the European Food Safety Authority’s (EFSA) guidelines on the potential risks of nano-applications in food and feed published in January 2011.

The independent group said it was important that the EFSA document suggest the need for full toxicity data on engineered nanomaterials (ENM) used as composites in FCMs even where there is no evidence for migration of these particles into food, or where levels of migration are low, it said.

The body added: “IFST considers that this is important because, although the direct use of these materials may not lead to significant ingestion of the particles, knowledge of the level of toxicity, or lack of toxicity, may be needed in order to assess the acceptable levels of migration.”

Antimicrobial issues

The organisation said it was “concerned” that a number of mineral ENMs were being used, or put forward for use, as anti-microbial agents in food contact materials. It called for more research on the consequences of their release into the environment and declared this should be evaluated when considering their use in food applications.

The IFST said the use of antimicrobial agents was potentially important in the future – particularly in light of the spread of antimicrobial resistant microorganisms.

“If there is to be a use for such antimicrobials in the medical area in dressings, treatment of wounds, or generally in coating of medical implants, surgical instruments or hospital surfaces, then the IFST believes one should avoid widespread low-level exposure, which could lead to bacterial resistance to these materials,” said the body.

This issue should also be taken into account when considering the use of antimicrobials in supplements, or in directly-applied coatings for natural food products to prevent spoilage

Whole life concerns and specialised recycling

Crucially it raised the issue that production and disposal of these materials may eventually lead to increased exposure to the nanoparticles and urged that the possible consequences of this be explored.

Consideration of the ‘whole life’ aspects of encapsulated nanoparticles should be taken into account in their use or regulation, said the IFST.

It noted there was already evidence that the increased commercial use of nanosilver had led to a rise in the level of silver in streams and rivers. But it added that most nanosilver particles were removed during sewage treatment and converted into less reactive and more stable silver sulphite nanoparticles.

The IFST raised the possibility that disposal of food contact materials containing nanoparticles – and their subsequent breakdown - could lead to the release of more reactive forms into the environment.

The body cited evidence that nanoparticles can be transferred up the food chain once released into the environment and suggested the development of specialised recycling procedures be considered as part of the risk assessment

The World´s Smallest Pipettes: Capillary Action in Carbon Nanotubes

Encapsulated metal nanoparticles can be extracted from carbon nanotubes through reverse capillary action.

It helps plants to transport water from their roots to their leaves. It is the reason why a sponge can be used for cleaning. It allows for the separation of different substances by chromatographic techniques like thin layer chromatography. Capillarity is the fundament of many biological and physical processes. However, this phenomenon is relevant not only on the macroscopic scale; with an increasing interest in nanofluidic devices, the effects of capillarity on the nanoscale have become an important topic, too. Possible applications of nanofluidic devices include promising areas like the separation of biomolecules, single-molecule analysis, or drug-delivery systems, and it is crucial to understand if the balance of capillary forces on the nanoscale resembles the one in the bulk material. Kirsten Edgar et al. from Wellington, New Zealand, now demonstrated for the first time that it is possible to withdraw an encapsulated metal particle from a multi-walled carbon nanotube via reverse capillary action, a fact that could make carbon nanotubes suitable for the use as pipettes. 

Carbon nanotubes present an ideal material to study nanoscale capillarity – they are among the smallest capillaries currently known, and they can absorb particles of even non-wetting metals if the Laplace pressure of the free droplet exceeds its meniscus pressure in the nanotube. But then shouldn´t it also be possible to extract an encapsulated particle if, the other way around, its meniscus pressure is higher than its Laplace pressure? The New Zealand research group gave it a try with silver-filled multi-walled carbon nanotubes: They chopped the ends of the nanotubes off using a silver-assisted oxidation method by which, simultaneously, silver nanoparticles were produced. The opened nanotubes then absorbed those silver particles that were small enough while the larger particles remained dispersed in the sample randomly – and larger particles that abutted on the open end of a metal-filled nanotube actually started to extract the internal particle. This process could be observed via electron microscopy: Within two minutes, an encapsulated particle was released completely from the nanotube and absorbed by the large particle, leaving the walls of the nanotube partially collapsed.

Molecular dynamics simulations for a liquid silver particle supported the experimental observations: an encapsulated metal droplet will be released from a carbon nanotube if the external particle has at least twice the radius of the droplet. However, unlike in the experiment, the simulated droplet did not shrink in diameter during extraction and the nanotube walls remained unaffected, indicating that the dynamics of the experimental process might differ from those in the model. Still, the results from the simulations and the experiments confirm that the ratio of a particle´s Laplace pressure and meniscus pressure determine if it will be absorbed or released from a capillary, showing that carbon nanotubes indeed could be applied as nanopipettes one day.

The nanotechnology revolution is New York's 'moon shot' for the 21st century

Its from other source,

By Alain E. Kaloyeros, Contributing writer

This year marks half a century since President John F. Kennedy proclaimed a bold and ambitious dream with a deadline: a U.S. vision to land on the moon by the end of the decade.

Courtesy of CNSEResearcher wear "moon suits" to work in a cleanroom at the College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering in Albany. More than 250 U.S. and global corporate partners - including IBM, SEMATECH, GlobalFoundries, Tokyo Electron, Applied Materials and ASML - are engaged in advanced research and development at the college's NanoTech Complex.

“It will not be one man going to the moon…” Kennedy told a joint session of Congress on May 25, 1961. “...it will be an entire nation. For all of us must work together to put him there.”

Fifty years later, we are in the early stages of the “moon shot” of the 21st century: the nanotechnology revolution. Rather than pursuing a single dream, however, nanotechnology is advancing a host of exciting “dreams with a deadline” by enabling innovators to manage individual atoms and, as a result, catalyzing novel discoveries and exciting products that are transforming the industrial and social landscape.

Early applications are everywhere: breakthroughs that allow ultrafast communications around the corner and the world; game-changing treatments and cures for disease; groundbreaking innovations to enable clean and environmentally friendly energy; and enhanced protection for American citizens at home, and our soldiers abroad.

Alain E. Kaloyeros, Ph.D., is professor, senior vice president and chief executive officer of the College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering at theState University at Albany. 

Just as importantly, the emergence of nanotechnology is creating a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for economic prosperity. Amid projections by Global Industry Analysts Inc. that nanotechnology will be a $2.4 trillion industry by 2015, it is the regions, states and countries that lead in this pioneering field that will reap its financial rewards.

It is in this arena that New York holds a global competitive advantage, by virtue of a groundbreaking and successful nanotechnology paradigm that embodies JFK’s view that “all of us must work together.” Public-private partnerships, combining government, academia and industry, are being deployed across New York to elevate education, accelerate innovation, create high-tech employment, and generate economic growth.

The first fruit of this strategy is the establishment of the College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering, which has generated $7 billion in investment and turned every dollar of public funding into seven dollars of private investment. Employment at CNSE has risen from 72 in 2001 to over 2,500 today, leading the Capital Region’s designation by the Tech America Foundation as the nation’s third fastest-growing high-tech job market, and contributing to creation and retention of 12,500 nanotechnology jobs statewide.

That momentum is now spreading statewide, including in Central New York, through a groundbreaking partnership that unites Lockheed Martin Corp. and CenterState CEO with CNSE. Catalyzed by a New York State Assembly investment of $28 million, this $250 million initiative will bring a long-vacant, former General Electric laboratory at Electronics Park in Salina back to life as a cutting-edge nanotechnology research and development facility. The project will create 250 new jobs, help to retain over 2,000 more at Lockheed Martin, and spur new education and workforce training programs in the North Syracuse and Liverpool School Districts.

This is just the beginning. The strategic vision outlined in Gov. Andrew Cuomo's “New York Works” plan for economic revitalization, together with his resolute and resourceful leadership, represents a 21st century version of JFK’s clarion call for focused and relentless pursuit of global leadership.

So, too, does the visionary economic development blueprint and proactive support of the State Assembly, under the leadership of Speaker Sheldon Silver, through which CNSE was established as a hub for integrated education, innovation and economic outreach.

“Disneyland will never be completed,” Walt Disney once said. “It will continue to grow as long as there is imagination left in the world.” Similarly, there is no end zone for nanotechnology, and unleashing its power will afford New York the opportunity to create economic prosperity for generations to come.