Gizmorama - October 28, 2013
Good Morning, If you think flat-screen televisions, cell phones, and laptops are too slim, well, prepare for things to get a whole lot slimmer.
U.S. scientists say that new materials only atoms thick could bring the next generation of electronics. This is big news!
Learn about this and other interesting stories from the scientific community in today's issue.
Until Next Time,
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Visit and Enjoy: EVTV1.com****-- Atomically thin device could bring new class of electronics --*EVANSTON, Ill. - New materials only atoms thick could bring the next generation of computing, U.S. scientists say, if some engineering challenges are overcome. Integrating the virtually two-dimensional materials to create necessary circuits has until now proved difficult, materials scientists at Northwestern University said. However, new research has moved a significant step toward fabricating complex nanoscale electronics, they said. The researchers report success in integrating two atomically thin materials -- molybdenum disulfide and carbon nanotubes -- to create what is known as a p-n heterojunction diode, an interface between two types of semiconducting materials. "The p-n junction diode is among the most ubiquitous components of modern electronics," Mark Hersam, director of the university's Materials Research Center said. Among the most widely used electronic structures, the p-n junction diode forms the basis of a number of technologies, including solar cells, light-emitting diodes, photodetectors, computers, and lasers. "By creating this device using atomically thin materials, we not only realize the benefits of conventional diodes but also achieve the ability to electronically tune and customize the device characteristics," Hersam said. "We anticipate that this work will enable new types of electronic functionality and could be applied to the growing number of emerging two-dimensional materials."
*-- Count of discovered exoplanets passes the 1,000 mark --*BRUSSELS - The count of exoplanets circling distant stars has passed a benchmark figure, astronomers said, as the 1,000th was added to a European database Tuesday. For the last few weeks, astronomers have been waiting as the confirmed exoplanet count -- recorded by the Extrasolar Planets Encyclopedia website -- approached the 1,000 mark. With the help of the Super Wide Angle Search for Planets (SuperWASP) collaboration, the number jumped from 999 to 1,010 overnight, Discovery.com reported. All 11 of the newly confirmed exoplanets orbit stars with periods of between 8 days to less than 2 days, making them all "hot-Jupiters" and not remotely inhabitable, astronomers said. Counting exoplanets isn't an exact process, they said, and the numbers can change with further research. For example, some of the 1,000 exoplanets on the list -- particularly very massive ones -- are being looked at closely as they seem to exhibit stellar rather than planetary characteristics. After further study, the astronomers said, some may be reclassified as brown dwarfs, or "failed stars," which would take them off the exoplanet count list.
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