Ferroelectrics could pave way for ultra-low power computing

Minimum capacityEngineers at the University of California, Berkeley, have shown that it is possible to reduce the minimum voltage necessary to store charge in a capacitor, an achievement that could reduce the power draw and heat generation of today’s electronics. “Just like a Formula One car, the faster you run your computer, the hotter it gets. So the key to having a fast microprocessor is to make its building block, the transistor, more energy efficient,” said Asif Khan, UC Berkeley graduate...

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Better lithium-ion batteries are on the way

A revolutionary conducting polymer enables the use of low-cost, high-energy silicon for the next generation of lithium-ion battery anodes Lithium-ion batteries are everywhere, in smart phones, laptops, an array of other consumer electronics, and the newest electric cars. Good as they are, they could be much better, especially when it comes to lowering the cost and extending the range of electric cars. To do that, batteries need to store a lot more energy. The anode is a critical component...

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Proton-based transistor

Protonic parallel to electronic circuitryHuman devices, from light bulbs to iPods, send information using electrons. Human bodies and all other living things, on the other hand, send signals and perform work using ions or protons. Materials scientists at the University of Washington have built a novel transistor that uses protons, creating a key piece for devices that can communicate directly with living things. The study is published online this week in the interdisciplinary journalNature...

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NEWS FROM THE WORLD OF MATERIALS

Materials in FocusHigh piezoelectric properties discovered in non-polar block copolymer systemOak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). See also the press release by Ron Walli of ORNL. Image credit: ORNL. Click image to enlarge. Image caption: Schematic of the piezoelectric effect in a non-polar block copolymer system. The discovery of piezoelectric...

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