|
This story is from the category Computing Power
Date posted: 19/03/2010 University of Florida engineering researchers have found they can ignite certain nanoparticles using a low-power laser, a development they say opens the door to a wave of new technologies in health care, computing and automotive design. Vijay Krishna, Nathanael Stevens, Ben Koopman and Brij Moudgil say they used lasers not much more intense than those found in laser pointers to light up, heat or ignite manufactured carbon molecules, known as fullerenes, whose soccer-ball-like shapes had been distorted in certain ways. They said the discovery suggests a score of important new applications for these so-called "functionalized fullerenes" molecules already being developed for a broad range of industries and commercial and medical products. "The beauty of this is that it only requires a very low intensity laser," said Moudgil, professor of materials science and engineering and director of the engineering college's Particle Engineering Research Center, where the research was conducted. The researchers used lasers with power in the range of 500 milliwatts. Though weak by laser standards, the researchers believe the lasers have enough energy to initiate the uncoiling or unraveling of the modified or functionalized fullerenes. That process, they believe, rapidly releases the energy stored when the molecules are formed into their unusual shapes, causing light, heat or burning under different conditions. See the full Story via external site: www.sciencedaily.com Most recent stories in this category (Computing Power): 22/05/2013: Stacking 2-D materials produces surprising results |
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
