A DTU research team report in the May 11 2006 issue of the scientific journal Nature on strained silicon as a new electro-optic material.

DTU reseachers report that a significant linear electro-optic effect can be induced in silicon by breaking the crystal symmetry. The symmetry is broken by depositing a straining layer on top of a silicon waveguide that induces a non-linear coefficient. This makes it possible to change the phase of light by applying an electric field across the

Grain orientation and thermal conductivity in tape cast β-Si3N4

â-Si3N4 ceramics with highly oriented grains, show high thermal conductivity along the tape-casting direction. In order to clearly understand the relationship between microstructure and thermal conductivity in ceramics, it is important to understand degrees of orientation for each grain and the grain boundary.

In this study Japanese researchers, Hiromi Nakano, Hiroshi Nakano and Koji Watari, from Ryuk

By stacking layers of ceramic cloth with interlocking nanotubes in between, a team of researchers has created new composites with significantly improved properties compared to traditional materials. The “nanotube sandwiches,” which are described in the May 7 online edition of the journal Nature Materials, could find use in a wide array of structural applications.

“Nanotubes are a very versatile material with absolutely fascinating physical properties, all the way from ballistic conduc

Proposed alloy could ’open the door’ in the search for promising electric superconductors

After an exhaustive data search for new compounds, researchers at Duke University’s Pratt School of Engineering have discovered a theoretical “metal sandwich” that is expected to be a good superconductor. Superconductive materials have no resistance to the flow of electric current.

The new lithium monoboride (LiB) compound is a “binary alloy” consisting of two laye

Safe distribution of electricity has been set as objective

Multifarious intentional and unintentional situations – ranging from short circuits and human errors to hackers and terrorists exploiting security vulnerabilities in control systems – can paralyse Large Critical Complex Infrastructures (LCCIs). VTT is playing a key role in an EU project aimed at protecting the critical infrastructure of European society. The project focuses on, e.g. preventing information security threa

Engineers at the UCLA Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science are announcing a critical new breakthrough in semiconductor spin-wave research.

UCLA Engineering adjunct professor Mary Mehrnoosh Eshaghian-Wilner, researcher Alexander Khitun and professor Kang Wang have created three novel nanoscale computational architectures using a technology they pioneered called “spin-wave buses” as the mechanism for interconnection. The three nanoscale architectures are not only power

Engineers have created carpets made of tiny cylinders called carbon nanotubes to enhance the flow of heat at a critical point where computer chips connect to cooling devices called heat sinks, promising to help keep future chips from overheating.

Researchers are trying to develop new types of “thermal interface materials” that conduct heat more efficiently than conventional materials, improving overall performance and helping to meet cooling needs of future chips that will produce m

C-reactive protein might be a plausible mediator of the association

Researchers found that pregnant women with periodontitis had 65 percent higher C-reactive protein (CRP) levels compared to periodontally healthy women. This study appears in the May issue of the Journal of Periodontology (JOP).

CRP levels are a marker of systemic inflammation and are associated with periodontal disease, a chronic bacterial infection found in the gums of the mouth. CRP has also been asso

A unique 3-dimensional microscope that works in a new way is giving unprecedented insight into microscopic internal structure and chemical composition. It is revealing how materials are affected, over time, by changes in temperature, humidity, weight load and other conditions.

The device could lead to advances in a range of areas, such as healthcare (in furthering, for instance, the understanding of conditions such as osteoporosis), the development of better construction materi

Partners to strengthen co-operation

VTT and Finland Post Corporation have strengthened their co-operation in research and development. The new co-operation agreement allows Finland Post Corporation to utilise VTT’s versatile knowledge of intelligent logistics in technology projects. The first joint projects relate to RFID (Radio frequency identification) and automation technologies.

Finland Post Corporation is a service company that specialises in intelligent l

One of the largest and most anticipated U.S. science construction projects of the past several decades has passed its most significant performance test. The Department of Energy’s Spallation Neutron Source, located at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, has generated its first neutrons.

Research conducted at the SNS will lay the groundwork for the next generation of materials research. Scientists believe that the greatly improved ability to understand the structure of materials

Three-dimensional imaging devices are becoming important measuring tools in the manufacturing, construction and transportation sectors. Numerous models of the imaging devices, capable of digitally capturing the existing conditions of objects from as small as pipe fittings to as large as an entire bridge, are on the market. A lack of standard tests to verify manufacturers’ performance specifications is inhibiting wider market acceptance of these devices.

In response, researchers a

Supports earlier controversial finding, may help explain superconducting mechanism

An international collaboration including two physicists from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Brookhaven National Laboratory has published additional evidence to support the existence of “stripes” in high-temperature (Tc) superconductors. The report in the April 27, 2006, issue of Nature strengthens earlier claims that such stripes — a particular spatial arrangement of electrical charges — mig

Manufacturing road map

Using a combination of experimental data and simulations, researchers have identified key parameters that predict the outcome of nanoimprint lithography, a fabrication technique that offers an alternative to traditional lithography in patterning integrated circuits and other small-scale structures into polymers.

Results of the three-year study, conducted by researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology and Sandia National Laboratories, provid

The prototype of a revolutionary new type of vehicle only one metre wide specially designed for cities has been developed by a team of European scientists. The vehicle combines the safety of a micro-car and the manoeuvrability of a motorbike, while being more fuel-efficient and less polluting than other vehicles.

The CLEVER (Compact Low Emission Vehicle for Urban Transport) vehicle is a £1.5 million collaborative project which has involved nine European partners from industry and research,

The School of Engineering at Bayonne (ESTIA) is working on a research project on control optimisation for the latest-generation wind generators using intelligent microsensors.

The latest-generation wind generators work at variable speed and with pitch regulation based on the pitch angle of the rotor blades. These degrees of freedom (the rotation speed and the pitch angle of each blade) enable an increase in energy yield, a decrease in fatigue due to mechanical loads and an enhanc