Northwestern University Researchers Announce Breakthrough in the Production of Double-Walled Carbon Nanotubes

Visualization of the structure of carbon nano tubes, courtesy of Mark Hersam, Northwestern University


There are a number of exciting, possible applications for double-walled carbon nanotubes, particularly in the field of renewable energy. These transparent, microscopic tubes (just two carbon atoms thick) can easily conduct electricity making them an ideal material for solar panels and a number of other high tech applications.
Prior to the recently announced breakthrough, the greatest challenge with double-walled nanotubes has been the production of a usable amount of nearly identical tubes. The production process of double-walled carbon nanotubes also creates many of the single- and multi-walled variety of nanotubes. As a result of their miniscule size, sorting the desired double-walled tubes from the other types has required a tremendous effort.

In their paper published December 14, in the online edition of the journal Nature Nanotechnology, two researchers from Northwestern University outline a new process for efficiently gathering up these coveted double-walled carbon nanotubes. For more information on the team's work, go to http://www.northwestern.edu/newscenter/stories/2008/12/nanotube.html

Study Probes Spread of Happiness

Dr. Nicholas Christakis (physician and social scientist at Harvard Medical School) and James Fowler (associate professor of political science at U. Cal. San Diego) coauthored an article to be published today in the BMJ (a British Journal) regarding the spread and impact of happiness. The duo analyzed information regarding the happiness of 4,739 people and their connections with several thousand other people to whom they were connected including, spouses, neighbors, co-workers and close friends for a 20 year period through 2003. Their findings revealed a collective emotional existence wherein the happiness of other people one is connected to has a tremendous impact on one's personal happiness. Their research found that "if your friend's friend's friend becomes happy, that has a bigger impact on you being happy than an extra $5,000 in your pocket."

The study, financed by the National Institute on Aging has sparked some critical comments and is still subject to peer review and replication, but it certainly is cause for positive reflection on the interdependency of our own happiness and that of those around us.

Energy Producing Tower set for Construction

The innovative Dynamic Architecture building is set to begin construction in Dubai and will feature several dramatic elements including the capacity to produce more electricity than will be consumed by the building and its residents. The 80 floor luxury high rise will consist of independently rotating apartments (one per floor) each with the ability to change their orientation at the touch of a button. Between each floor is a wind turbine for the production of electricity (48 in all) in addition to solar panels on the roof. It is estimated that the building may produce 10 times the energy required by the building.

The wind turbines have the peak ability to produce approximately 0.2 megawatt hours of electricity. Dubai has an average of 4000 hours of usable wind annually with an average speed of 16 km/h, so each turbine could produce about 1.2 million kilowatt-hours of energy per year.

The individual apartments will be built in a factory, customized to the owner's specifications and placed by crane onto the concrete core, or spine of the tower.

A second tower is planned for construction in Moscow following the completion of the Dubai tower. [see You Tube videos at bottom of blog]

Smaller, Faster, Cooler Computers Coming?

Researchers at the University of Manchester (England) recently built the world's smallest transistor (10 atoms wide by 1 atom thick) of graphene, a lattice of carbon atoms just a single atom deep. Graphene sheets can be carved into tiny electronic circuits containing individual transistors not much larger than a molecule. Perhaps the greatest advantage of this revolutionary material is its ability to conduct electrons nearly unimpeded for long distances while resisting heat build up. The efficiency of graphene may be up to 100 times that of silicon allowing for super fast electronic devices to be constructed. Researchers are now working to develop graphene wires that can transport electrons across a chip much more quickly than current technology permits. Read more at:http://www.manchester.ac.uk/aboutus/news/display/?id=3529

Microbial Biofuels Development

San Francisco tech start-up. LS9, announced that they have genetically modified the E.Coli bacteria so that it consumes and metabolizes a mixture of sugarcan and water and excretes fatty acids with the same hydrocarbon configuration as bio diesel fuel. It is created in a fermentation vat and accumulates on the surface as an easy to extract liquid. The fuel can run through existing pipelines and engine fuel systems. The new fuel does produce the same amount of greenhouse gasses when burned in an internal combustion engine, but the company says that it should ultimately have a smaller impact as they do not have to drill for the raw material feedstocks. They estimate that fuel from sugarcane fed bacteria might cost about $50 per barrel and that costs might be further reduced by adding wood chips and bio waste to the fermenting vats. A large scale plant is expected to be up and running by 2011. Read more about this development in the November 2008 issue of Popular Scence or at http://cleantechnica.com/2008/06/11/ls9s-designer-biofuel-renewable-petroleum/

Bioactive Sensors

Scientists at the Tufts University School of Engineering developed sophisticated nanoscale optical sensors from the fibers produced by silkworms. These "living" sensors could be developed as an implantable device to monitor blood chemistry over a period of time and then dissolve harmlessly or could be packaged in food products to provide real time consumer information about harmful bacteria levels. Read more about this breakthrough in bioactive optics on the Tufts University website: http://engineering.tufts.edu/1181647322330/Engineering-Page-eng2ws_1214298003099.html