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The fluorescent future of solar cells

By Guest PostMay 13, 2013Scienceabsorb light, andre d taylor, cell layer, electrical power, fluorescent future, fluorescent organic dye, fret, higher efficiency photovoltaics, jing shun huang, matthew y sfeir, mechanical flexibility, nilay hazari, polymer solar cells, power conversion efficiency, scientists at yale, solar cells, tenghooi goh, xiaokai li

For some solar cells, the future may be fluorescent.

Scientists at Yale have improved the ability of a promising type of solar cell to absorb light and convert it into electrical power by adding a fluorescent organic dye to the cell layer. This squaraine dye boosts light absorption and recycles electrons, improving the conversion of light into energy. The results suggest a new route for the development of lower-cost, higher-efficiency photovoltaics, the scientists said.

“People can apply our approach in designing advanced solar cells with higher efficiencies,” said André D. Taylor, the assistant professor of chemical and environmental engineering at Yale who led the research, published May 5 online in the journal Nature Photonics. (more…)

New dark matter detector begins search for invisible particles

By Guest PostMay 12, 2013Sciencecanada, cf3i, chicagoland observatory, coupp, coupp 60, dark matter detector, dark matter experiment, dark matter particles, earth from space, fermilab, fire extinguishers, galaxies, hugh lippincott, ingredient, invisible particles, juan collar, massive particles, neutrons, ontario, purified water, rotational velocities, snolab, telescopes, underground particle physics, universe, university of chicago

Scientists heard their first pops last week in an experiment that searches for signs of dark matter in the form of tiny bubbles.

They will need to analyze them further in order to discern whether dark matter caused any of the COUPP-60 experiment’s first bubbles at the SNOLAB underground science laboratory in Ontario, Canada. Dark matter accounts for nearly 90 percent of all matter in the universe, yet it is invisible to telescopes.

“Our goal is to make the most sensitive detector to see signals of particles that we don’t understand,” said Hugh Lippincott, a postdoctoral scientist with Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory. Lippincott has spent much of the past several months leading the installation of the one-of-a-kind detector at SNOLAB, 1.5 miles underground. (more…)

Sturgeon search

By Guest PostMay 11, 2013Scienceatlantic sturgeon, chlorophyll levels, danielle haulsee, delaware bay, delaware river, delaware state university, Europe, maracoos, matt breece, matthew oliver, megan cimino, mid atlantic coast, ocean currents, ocean temperature, oceanographic, otis, otis glider, overfishing, satellite data, shark locations, sturgeon near chincoteague, telemetry identification sensor, tiger sharks, torpedo shaped robot, university of delaware

Scientists use satellites, underwater robot to study Atlantic sturgeon migrations

More than a century ago, an estimated 180,000 female Atlantic sturgeon arrived from the coast in the spring to spawn in the Delaware River and fishermen sought their caviar as a lucrative export to Europe. Overfishing contributed to steep population declines, however, and today numbers have dwindled to fewer than 300 adults.

Researchers at the University of Delaware and Delaware State University are using satellites, acoustic transmitters, an underwater robot and historical records to pinpoint the ocean conditions that the fish prefer during migrations — and potentially help fishermen avoid spots where they might unintentionally catch this endangered species. (more…)

New analysis suggests wind, not water, formed mound on Mars

By Guest PostMay 9, 2013Sciencekatabatic winds, martian mound, mound on mars, sedimentary mounds, sedimentary records, topographic slopes

A roughly 3.5-mile high Martian mound that scientists suspect preserves evidence of a massive lake might actually have formed as a result of the Red Planet’s famously dusty atmosphere, an analysis of the mound’s features suggests. If correct, the research could dilute expectations that the mound holds evidence of a large body of water, which would have important implications for understanding Mars’ past habitability. (more…)

Science Xplained: Ice cream chemistry

By Guest PostMay 8, 2013Scienceainissa ramirez, avalanches, how ice freezes, ice cream, ice cream chemistry, knowledge, liquid nitrogen, mechanical engineering, science xplained, surface of neptune

Ainissa Ramirez, associate professor of mechanical engineering, describes the science behind a tasty bit of chemistry — ice cream. She shows how to make ice cream using liquid nitrogen, which is as cold as the surface of Neptune, and describes why these cold temperatures makes ice cream, creamier. She demonstrates how our knowledge of how […]

Pride, prejudice and strategic thinking: Jane Austen wrote the book on game theory

By Guest PostMay 8, 2013Sciencegame theorist, game theory, jane austen, strategic maneuvering, strategic thinking, strategically adept characters, theory of games, zero sum game

Quiz: This beautiful mind was promoting game theory long before Cold War think tanks used mathematics to understand strategic maneuvering. Plotting, as a result, has never been the same. (more…)

Redesigned Material Could Lead to Lighter, Faster Electronics

By Guest PostMay 7, 2013Scienceelectron mobility, future electronics, germanane, germanium crystals, mobility materials, multilayered crystals, sheet of germanium

Thin Layer of Germanium May Replace Silicon in Semiconductors

COLUMBUS, Ohio—The same material that formed the first primitive transistors more than 60 years ago can be modified in a new way to advance future electronics, according to a new study. (more…)

Method makes it easier to separate useful stem cells from ‘problem’ ones for therapies

By Guest PostMay 6, 2013Sciencedangerous cells, pluripotent stem cells, programmed cell suicide, treatment strategies, useful stem cells

UCLA study IDs small molecule that destroys potentially dangerous cells

Pluripotent stem cells can turn, or differentiate, into any cell type in the body, such as nerve, muscle or bone, but inevitably some of these stem cells fail to differentiate and end up mixed in with their newly differentiated daughter cells. (more…)

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