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Archive for September 2008
Vishay Intertechnology, Inc. released two new high-voltage, single- and dual-supply single-pole double-throw (SPDT) analog switches. The DG469 and DG470 devices are identical, except the DG470 provides an enable pin, which puts all of the switches in a high-impedance state, maintaining a “safe state” at power up and preventing accidental signal or power shorts.
Continue reading ‘Vishay Announces High-Voltage SPDT Analog Switches’ »
In a revolutionary leap that could transform solar power from a marginal, boutique alternative into a mainstream energy source, MIT researchers have overcome a major barrier to large-scale solar power: storing energy for use when the sun doesn’t shine.
Until now, solar power has been a daytime-only energy source, because storing extra solar energy for later use is prohibitively expensive and grossly inefficient. With this announcement, MIT researchers have hit upon a simple, inexpensive, highly efficient process for storing solar energy.
Continue reading ‘Major Discovery - From MIT Primed To Unleash Solar Revolution’ »
Test engineers in industries ranging from aerospace and defense to consumer electronics are facing the challenge of testing increasingly complicated designs with shrinking timelines and budgets. To address these issues, engineers and scientists are incorporating new test and measurement technologies that are capable of meeting complex design requirements without raising costs. National Instruments (NI) has identified five trends it anticipates will significantly influence the test and measurement industry over the next three years.”Companies are turning to the latest technologies including PXI, FPGAs and multicore processors to develop high-performance test systems that can meet consumer demand for higher-quality products,” said Eric Starkloff, National Instruments director of test product marketing.
“Fortunately, more technology vendors are developing industry-standard tools capable of solving problems that previously depended on expensive, dedicated test systems.”
Continue reading ‘Test And Measurement Industry Trends Toward Software-Defined Instrumentation’ »
Energy now lost as heat during the production of electricity could be harnessed through the use of silicon nanowires synthesized via a technique developed by researchers with the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) and the University of California (UC) at Berkeley.
Continue reading ‘Researchers Make Thermoelectric Breakthrough In Silicon Nanowires’ »
Graphene enhanced plastics
Comparison of xGnP (graphene additive) to other nanocomposite additives.
Michigan state University is using the recent discovery that graphene is the strongest material ever and using graphene additives to make stiffer, stronger and lighter plastics.
The material – xGnP Exfoliated Graphite NanoPlatelets - can an either be used as an additive to plastics or by itself it can make a transformational change in the performance of many advanced electronic and energy devices,” Drzal said. “It can do so because it’s a nanoparticle with a unique shape made from environmentally benign carbon, and it can be made at a very reasonable cost.”
