Researchers develop a technology that shunts away heat generated by solar cells, cooling them and improving efficiency. The transparent overlay allows sunlight to hit the cells while radiating heat into space.
Researchers confirm coronal heating mechanism using observations from NASA's IRIS and Japan's Hinode solar observatory. Resonant absorption process converts magnetic waves into heat energy, explaining why the sun's corona is hotter than its surface.
A research team combined high-resolution observations from Hinode and IRIS with numerical simulations to detect resonant absorption in a solar prominence. This process heats the prominence through turbulent flow, providing a solution to the long-standing coronal heating problem.
Researchers Elena Belova and her team proposed a mechanism explaining why plasma fails to reach required temperatures in tokamaks. The new understanding could lead to improved control of temperature in future fusion devices, including ITER.
Researchers discovered that graphene electrons share heat when exposed to ultrafast electrical currents, behaving like a hot gas. This thermodynamic approach allows for better understanding and improvement of graphene-based nano-electronic devices.
Graphene transistors and photodetectors will benefit from this simpler thermodynamic approach, allowing for improved performance. Researchers have discovered that the energy of ultrafast electrical currents is efficiently converted into electron heat, enabling faster operation speeds.
Researchers found that mosquitoes primarily use smell to detect CO2 plumes from 10-50 meters away, then switch to visual cues as they get closer. Visual and thermal sensory information are combined to create a spatial map of the host's location, allowing mosquitoes to pinpoint their target.
A Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology (EMPA) study found that fuel cells for cars are only ecologically sound if they run on hydrogen from renewable energy sources. Electric cars powered by EU electricity also produce more environmental pollution than gasoline-powered cars.
Researchers developed a graphene-based film that efficiently cools electronics by increasing thermal conductivity to four times that of copper. The film can be attached to silicon components, overcoming previous adhesion issues, and has been tested with an additive creating stronger silane bonds, resulting in improved heat transfer.
Thermal phonons can interfere with their own reflections, suggesting that heat transport occurs through wave-like phenomena. This interference could be used to modify the velocity of phonons and create energy bandgaps, leading to new materials with low thermal conductivity.
Researchers at the University of Houston have developed a new formula to calculate the maximum efficiency of thermoelectric materials, which could lead to breakthroughs in clean energy generation. The formula takes into account temperature-dependent properties and can determine whether devices are efficient enough to be worth pursuing.
A new study from Drexel University found that underground species of army ants are less tolerant of high temperatures than their aboveground relatives. The research highlights the importance of considering microhabitat in predicting animal responses to climate change.
A branching tree-like structure can increase the melting rate of materials for better energy storage. The study's findings could help improve phase change systems, essential for renewable energy sources like wind and sun.
Scientists at the University of Illinois have discovered a way to manipulate magnetic information using heat. They create a separation of electron spins in a magnetic material, generating a spin current that can be used to control nanomagnets.
A study by Carnegie's Xiaochun Zhang and Ken Caldeira found that the carbon dioxide-caused warming exceeds the amount of heat released by a lump of coal in just 34 days. Continuous power plant burning also triggers similar effects, with CO2 accumulation surpassing combustion emissions within three months.
A new experiment by MIT engineers provides a more nuanced picture of heat production in microelectronics. The researchers devised an experiment to measure the mean free path distribution of phonons, which reveals that classical diffusion theory underestimates temperature rise at extremely small length scales.
Scientists have made a significant discovery in thermoelectric effects, which are crucial for nanoscale energy harvesting. Using quantum dots, researchers found that the actual performance of systems is less optimistic than predicted calculations, highlighting the importance of optimizing structures at the nanoscale.
A UCL-led team used high-energy synchrotron X-rays and thermal imaging to track lithium-ion battery damage in real-time. The study found that internal structural damage can spread to neighboring batteries, causing severe failure.
Researchers present strong evidence for the coronal heating theory, suggesting that tiny explosive bursts of heat called nanoflares are responsible for heating the sun's atmosphere. The new findings come from NASA's EUNIS sounding rocket mission and NuSTAR X-ray observations, providing insight into the solar corona.
Scientists discovered that surface oxidation significantly impacts thermal conductivity in silicon nanostructures, allowing for a huge reduction of heat conduction. Removing native oxide improves thermal conductivity, while successive re-oxidation lowers it again.
A team of scientists using NASA's WISE observatory has found no evidence of advanced extraterrestrial life in 100,000 galaxies. The study searched for signs of highly advanced civilizations in mid-infrared wavelengths, a radiation detectable by the satellite.
The Visio.M project creates a subjectively pleasant climate for passengers in the most energy-efficient manner. The system uses Peltier elements to heat or cool seats directly, reducing waste heat and improving comfort.
Heat flow between materials separated by less than a nanometer occurs not via radiation or conduction, but through phonon tunneling. Researchers developed a unified framework to calculate heat transport at finite gaps, explaining how phonons can
A new fiber-optic temperature sensor has been designed to measure small temperature changes in the ocean with increased speed and sensitivity. The sensor uses a silicon pillar attached to fused silica glass, allowing it to register temperature shifts at high rates.
Researchers have discovered elastocaloric materials that can change temperature in response to mechanical stress, enabling more efficient solid-state refrigeration. These materials could lead to environmentally-friendly replacements for traditional cooling technologies, with potential applications in household refrigerators, air condit...
Scientists at the University of Illinois have determined the physical process dominating heat flow between metals and diamond, challenging previous theories. By applying extreme pressure to metal films on diamond, researchers found that phonons can 'feed' a higher frequency diamond phonon, regardless of metal stiffness.
Researchers at the University of Houston have created a new thermoelectric material that generates electric power from waste heat, offering higher efficiency and output power than existing materials. The material has a peak power factor of 55 and a figure of merit of 1.4, making it commercially viable for applications such as car exhau...
Researchers at NCEPU propose a novel solar CPV/CSP hybrid system that combines electricity generation with heat utilization. The system improves overall solar-to-electricity efficiency by increasing the useful peripheral low-concentration radiation, resulting in high-efficiency solar power generation.
Researchers have discovered a family of 'second laws' that govern the behavior of systems at very small scales, leading to counterintuitive phenomena and constraints on disorder. These new laws complement the traditional second law of thermodynamics, which describes the universe's growing state of disorder.
A study by University of Toronto researchers found that global warming will not increase the number of storms, but rather make strong storms stronger and weaker storms weaker. The atmosphere's circulation pattern is like a heat engine that requires fuel to do work.
A novel nanowire coating for clothes generates heat and traps body warmth more effectively than regular clothes. The technology could help reduce our reliance on conventional energy sources and save up to 1,000 kilowatt hours per person every year.
Researchers at Scripps Research Institute and UC San Diego create microfluidic device to rapidly heat and cool biomolecules, allowing for the observation of rapid folding events. This breakthrough enables the study of normal and abnormal biomolecules, including those implicated in human diseases.
A recent study published in the British Medical Journal found that losing 10 kilograms of fat requires 29 kilograms of oxygen to be inhaled, producing 28 kilograms of carbon dioxide and 11 kilograms of water. Most doctors, dieticians, and personal trainers incorrectly believe that the missing mass is converted into energy or heat.
Eight seed grants support promising new research in clean technology and energy efficiency, focusing on photovoltaics, nanoscale heat transmission, power electronics, and sustainable energy systems. The projects aim to improve energy efficiency and reduce waste heat.
Researchers have developed a new type of smart window that can respond to heat cues, blocking unwanted heat from entering buildings while still allowing natural light to pass. The new design uses microscopic soft beads suspended in a liquid and has shown promise in reducing energy consumption on hot days.
Researchers at Penn State have developed a thermally regenerative ammonia-based battery that converts low-grade waste heat into electricity with high efficiency. The battery can produce up to 60 watts per square meter of power, making it six to 10 times more efficient than other liquid-based thermal-electric energy conversion systems.
The new coating material radiates infrared light directly into space while also reflecting sunlight, resulting in cooler buildings that require less air conditioning. The technology has the potential to reduce energy consumption and meet skyrocketing demand for cooling in urban areas.
A team of University of Michigan researchers has created a novel plastic blend that conducts heat exceptionally well, up to 10 times better than traditional plastics. This breakthrough could lead to the development of light, versatile materials for electronics and vehicles.
Researchers discovered a plant protein, KEA3, crucial for adjusting photosynthetic efficiency in fluctuating light conditions. This mechanism enables plants to quickly respond to changes in light intensity and maintain high energy capture.
A team of engineers and scientists has identified a source of electronic noise that could impact the functioning of instruments operating at very low temperatures. At around 20 kelvins, phonon modes become deactivated, allowing high-energy phonons to carry away heat and causing devices to heat up.
The HP Apollo 8000 platform uses warm water to cool its servers, reusing it to heat the building, reducing energy consumption by 74% and saving $1 million annually. The system's liquid cooling approach provides high computational density in a small space, setting a new standard for energy-efficient data centers.
The study provides five key findings on the sun's atmosphere, including heat pockets of 200,000 degrees Fahrenheit and structures resembling mini-tornadoes. These discoveries help researchers better understand the sun's energy transfer and dynamic solar activity that impacts technological infrastructure in space and on Earth.
Researchers from the University of Illinois found that standard thermal models fail for nanoscale heat-transfer problems when dimensions are on the order of one micron or smaller. Heat is transported ballistically, not diffusively, and interfaces add significant thermal resistance.
A new prototype developed by UPV/EHU researchers uses latent heat from paraffin materials to store thermal energy, offering a compact and modular solution for homes. The system can achieve up to 50% less volume and flexible design, making it suitable for spaces with limited availability.
Researchers have discovered a way to create thermoelectric materials with low thermal conductivity by incorporating porous substances. This design allows for more efficient conversion of heat to electricity, making it a promising material for future green tech devices.
A new hypothesis resolves the inconsistency between energy expenditure and maximum entropy production principles, proposing that a system minimizes resistance to its driving process. This refinement unifies the principles under a single framework, with applications in hydrogeology and other fields.
Scientists have developed a new approach to convert low-temperature waste heat into electricity with an efficiency of 5.7 percent, surpassing conventional thermoelectric devices. The new technology utilizes the thermogalvanic effect and requires only low-cost, abundant materials.
Researchers at MIT and Stanford University have developed a new approach to harnessing low-temperature waste heat, leveraging the thermogalvanic effect to produce electricity. The system combines battery charging-discharging cycles with heating and cooling, allowing for efficient energy conversion even with small temperature differences.
Researchers challenge previous predictions suggesting a potential breach of the third law of thermodynamics at extremely low temperatures. They demonstrate that particles confined within finite volumes, even at zero temperature, do not violate the law.
Researchers developed a predictive theoretical model for heat flux in novel nanomaterials using atom-scale calculations. This could help optimize thermal budget of nanoelectronic devices and produce energy through thermoelectric effects.
Researchers have found that graphene's thermal conductivity increases with the number of layers, but still falls short of idealized values. The team is exploring novel ways to support graphene, including three-dimensional interconnected foam structures and hexagonal boron nitride.
Researchers at the University of Houston have discovered a new thermoelectric material that can efficiently convert waste heat into electricity at temperatures ranging from room temperature to 300 degrees Celsius. The discovery could be important for clean energy research and commercialization, potentially increasing efficiency by up t...
Tin selenide is the best thermoelectric material known for converting waste heat to useful electricity. Its simple structure provides exceptional properties, including low thermal conductivity and high electrical conductivity.
Researchers have developed a thermal interface material that can conduct heat 20 times better than traditional polymers, allowing for reliable operation at temperatures of up to 200 degrees Celsius. The new material could improve thermal management in electronic devices, such as servers and mobile devices.
Scientists at the University of Jyväskylä, Finland, have demonstrated that it's possible to change a material's thermal conductance by tuning the wave-like properties of heat flow. By fabricating a nanoscale mesh structure, they were able to reduce phonon thermal conductance by almost an order of magnitude.
Researchers have developed innovative sorbents using metal organic frameworks (MOFs) that can store large amounts of water vapor, offering an energy-efficient cooling method. MOFs are also being used in thermally driven heat pumps and zeolite thermal storage systems to capture waste heat and store it for later use.
Researchers have developed a new technique using nanoscale pillars to radically improve thermoelectric materials, potentially leading to more efficient solar panels and power plants. By slowing down the flow of heat, these pillars can reduce thermal losses and increase electricity generation.
Researchers at Mainz University have built a pilot prototype of a single-ion heat engine with the potential to operate at high efficiency. The nano-heat engine could exceed the Carnot limit, making it theoretically possible to improve efficiency beyond current standards.
Researchers have discovered a way to control heat flow using tiny triangular structures that can 'thermal rectify', allowing for greater flow of heat in one direction. The technology has potential applications in thermal management, electronics, and textiles.
Researchers at Berkeley Lab developed a process-friendly technique to cool microprocessor chips using carbon nanotubes, improving heat transport efficiency by six-fold. The method, suitable for manufacturing computer chips, reduces thermal interface resistance and enhances cooling performance.