Scientists have produced the first quantitative picture of the structure of ionic liquid absorbed inside disordered microporous carbon electrodes in supercapacitors -- the low-cost, lightweight energy storage devices used in many electronics, transportation and other applications. Supercapacitors have the capability of storing and delivering more power than batteries; moreover, they can... Read More

Article One Partners raises $7M to check patent validity | VentureBeat Article One Partners (AOP), a patent research firm that works with the U.S. patent office, announced today it has closed its second round of funding for $7 million.

Detecting trace amounts of hazardous gases present within air is a critical safety and health consideration in many different situations, from industrial manufacturing and chemical processing to bomb detection and environmental monitoring. Fazel Yavari, a doctoral student at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, has developed a new sensor, made from a 3-D... Read More

Xinwei Wang, an associate professor of mechanical engineering  at Iowa State, has found that spider silks -- particularly the draglines that anchor webs in place -- conduct heat better than most materials, including very good conductors such as silicon, aluminum and pure iron. With a heat conduction rate of 416... Read More

Scientists from Duke University and Boston College believe they can greatly enhance the forces of electromagnetism (EM), one of the four fundamental forces of nature, without harming living beings or damaging electrical equipment. EM works by alternating between current sources to generate both electric and magnetic fields, and increasing one... Read More