National Science Foundation
National Science Foundation
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The National Science Foundation is an independent U.S. federal agency established by Congress in the NSF Act of 1950 "to promote progress of science," and "advance national health, prosperity, and welfare," and "to secure the national defense." NSF provides financial support for fundamental research and education across all fields of science and engineering. The majority of the funds are provided to support basic research performed in U.S. academic institutions.
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2013
27 Sep 2013
A stretchable, foldable transparent electronic display
magine an electronic display nearly as clear as a window, or a curtain that illuminates a room, or a smartphone screen that doubles in size, stretching like rubber. Now imagine all of these being made from the same material.25 Sep 2013
Shattering records: thinnest glass in Guinness book
At just a molecule thick, it's a new record: The world's thinnest sheet of glass, a serendipitous discovery is recorded for posterity in the Guinness Book of World Records.20 Sep 2013
Graphene Frontiers awarded grant for roll-to-roll graphene production
Graphene Frontiers, a company developed through the University of Pennsylvania's Center for Technology Transfer, has been awarded a $744,600 grant from the National Science Foundation to develop roll-to-roll production of graphene, the "miracle material" at the heart of the 2010 Nobel Prize in Physics.17 Sep 2013
Physicists develop polymer with tunable colours
y inserting platinum atoms into an organic semiconductor physicists were able to "tune" the plastic-like polymer to emit light of different colors - a step toward more efficient, less expensive and truly white organic LEDs for light bulbs of the future.12 Sep 2013
New method for harvesting energy from light
Researchers have demonstrated a new mechanism for extracting energy from light, a finding that could improve technologies for generating electricity from solar energy and lead to more efficient optoelectronic devices used in communications.23 Aug 2013
Like water for batteries
Wettability could have an impact on how much energy can be stored within such devices that use lithium-ion batteries or super capacitors.16 Aug 2013
Researchers build 3D structures out of liquid metal
Researchers from North Carolina State University have developed three-dimensional (3D) printing technology and techniques to create free-standing structures made of liquid metal at room temperature.15 Aug 2013
Battery-free mobile devices draw power from thin air
Engineers have created a new wireless communication system that allows devices to interact with each other without relying on batteries or wires for power.14 Aug 2013
Imperfect graphene renders 'electrical highways'
Just an atom thick, 200 times stronger than steel and a near-perfect conductor, graphene's future in electronics is all but certain.13 Aug 2013
Self-healing solar cells channel natural processes
Creating solar cell devices with channels that mimic organic vascular systems can effectively reinvigorate solar cells whose performance deteriorates due to degradation by the sun's ultraviolet rays.8 Aug 2013
Altering organic molecules' interaction with light
Researchers have discovered a new platform that provides simple means to manipulate organic molecules' emission, and may have important implications to organic light emitting devices and molecular biosensors.24 Jul 2013
Moving heat sideways with transverse thermoelectrics
The materials also have potential for refrigerating to cryogenic temperatures and converting a few degrees of temperature difference around room temperature into hundreds of volts of electrical potential — all with a single piece of appropriately shaped material.23 Jul 2013
Energy harvesting from tethered undersea kites
In a TUSK system, a tethered, rigid-winged hydro-kite is submerged in an ocean or tidal current and controlled to move in high-speed cross-current motions.19 Jul 2013
Antifreeze, cheap materials may lead to low-cost solar energy
A process combining some comparatively cheap materials and the same antifreeze that keeps an automobile radiator from freezing in cold weather may be the key to making solar cells that cost less and avoid toxic compounds, while further expanding the use of solar energy.27 Jun 2013
Promising material for lithium-ion batteries
Laptops could work longer and electric cars could drive farther if it were possible to further increase the capacity of their lithium-ion batteries. The electrode material has a decisive influence on a battery's capacity.27 Jun 2013
Wood fibers help nano-scale batteries keep their structure
A sliver of wood coated with tin could make a tiny, long-lasting, efficient and environmentally friendly battery.3 Jun 2013
World's first concrete-composite floating platform wind turbine
The us Energy Department recognized the nation's first grid-connected offshore floating wind turbine prototype off the coast of Castine, Maine. Led by the University of Maine, this project represents the first concrete-composite floating platform wind turbine to be deployed in the world.23 May 2013
Engineers monitor heart health using paper-thin flexible 'skin'
Zhenan Bao, a professor of chemical engineering at Stanford, has developed a heart monitor thinner than a dollar bill and no wider than a postage stamp.16 May 2013
Team observes real-time charging of a lithium-air battery
Researchers at MIT and Sandia National Laboratories have used transmission electron microscope (TEM) imaging to observe, at a molecular level, what goes on during a reaction called oxygen evolution as lithium-air batteries charge; this reaction is thought to be a bottleneck limiting further improvements to these batteries.3 May 2013
Nanowires grown on graphene have surprising structure
When a team of University of Illinois engineers set out to grow nanowires of a compound semiconductor on top of a sheet of graphene, they did not expect to discover a new paradigm of epitaxy.