New research expands our understanding of how electrons move in complex fluids

Thomas Edison went through thousands of materials before he finally found the right tungsten filament to create a working lightbulb. This type of trial-and-error research continues today and is responsible for countless inventions that improve our world. Battery systems that help power our lives in many seen (and unseen) ways are one example. However, improving these materials and devices requires more than experimentation. Modern engineers must also form a deeper understanding of the general principles that govern material performance, from which they can design better materials to achieve challenging product requirements. In a paper published Aug. 13 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, University of Delaware, Northwestern University and industry researchers report expanded understanding of how electrons move through the conductive parts of complex fluids called slurries that are found in electrochemical devices such as batteries and other energy storage devices.

How a Computer Works - Part 2 (Logic and Memory)

For those coming in late, I am writing a text-only explainer of how a computer works, starting from the absolute basics of running a current through various electronic components. We covered that much, and the reasons I'm doing this, back in part 1, where we also sort of left off on a glib little cliffhanger about how once you have logic gates, you're there, right? Well the thing of it is, getting to a point where you can easily make all the basic logic gates actually was really huge, historically, because the next big step to making a computer was already handled by weird math nerds hundreds of years before the physical hardware to make a computer was properly available.

As far back as 1705, math nerds were publishing papers on binary math. That was based on nerding out over the I Ching if you really want to trace things back, and the first time anyone really sat down and tried to build purely mechanical computers was back in the 1800s they had this all figured out to the point where I'm looking at a diagram from Ada Lovelace in 1842 that definitely covers more than I'm going to get to here. So, let's start catching up there. First though, as always, I have to remind you this blog is basically my job right now, and I'm dependent on some percentage of the people reading these posts to go throw me some money on patreon to continue to be alive, so I can write stuff like this.

#computers #computer science #logic gates #electronics #education #history #electronic #logic gate

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studyblr-perhaps

10/12/23 || Sunday

4 days till I go home! And have I ever shown my drawings on my wall? It's definitely not fully covered, but I hope I can cover them by next sem.

#art #electronic #studyblr #studyspo #studyinspo #academia #studying #aesthetic #academia aesthetic #study aesthetic #misa tries #misa's undergrad journey #physics #uni #stem #stemblr

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scienceisdope

Scientists Made An Artificial "Cloud" That Pulls Electricity From Air.

The secret is tiny holes.

Taking a hint from the magician’s playbook, scientists have devised a way to pull electricity from thin air. A new study out today suggests a method in which any material can offer a steady supply of electricity from the humidity in the air.

All that’s required? A pair of electrodes and a special material engineered to have teeny tiny holes that are less than 100 nanometers in diameter. That’s less than a thousandth of the width of a human hair.

Here’s how it works: The itty-bitty holes allow water molecules to pass through and generate electricity from the buildup of charge carried by the water molecules, according to a new paper published in the journal Advanced Materials.

The process essentially mimics how clouds make the electricity that they release in lightning bolts.

Because humidity lingers in the air perpetually, this electricity harvester could run at any time of day regardless of weather conditions — unlike somewhat unreliable renewable energy technologies such as wind and solar.

“The technology may lead to truly ‘ubiquitous powering’ to electronics,” senior study author Jun Yao, an electrical engineer at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, tells Inverse.

Source bit.ly/43SmPds

#science #physics #electronic #electricity #cloud