Technology has always been developing: computer efficiency gets better every year, electronics are upgraded to become…better. All old news, all boring. So what IS new? Well, the research being conducted in Fudan University, China, will blow your mind!
The magical world of “Harry Potter” seems to have started merging with our own. Ji-Ping Huang and his team have been experimenting with the capabilities of nanotechnology and claim that manufacturing an invisibility cloak is, in fact, possible. As silver-plated nanoparticles are submerged in water, a flexible metamaterial is produced, described as the “active ingredient” for invisibility.
These plated nanoparticles, covered with 5 nanometers of silver, contain “magnetite balls” which are 10 nm wide. When exposed to a magnetic field in water, they self assemble into vertical chains; the type of geometry needed to facilitate the bending of light around them, making it seem as if the object’s presence is a myth.
The team has conducting tests with three wavelengths altogether in the visible and infrared spectra. In the visible spectrum, the color red was used, as it has the longest wavelength. They were able to conclude that creating such invisible objects is possible; however, going further into the visible spectrum would be quite a challenge. As the wavelengths become shorter, the nanoparticles would also have to reduce in size to diffract the wavelengths. The difficulty arises in finding the right materials to build those nanoparticles, as well as being able to reduce the particles to the correct size. Years of work. Well, at least we have something to look forward to in the next few years: our own invisibility cloaks, and possibly a rise in pranksters too!
What else is new? Ever ran out of battery on your laptop or a hand-held device when you needed it the most? This will be your solution in the next couple of years! The School of Material Science and Engineering at The Georgia Institute of Technology is conducting research to create power by naturally occurring minute events. The generation of power will soon be possible by events which include beating of the heart, breathing, blood flow, or even the movement of your hand. By using zinc oxide nanowires, a piezoelectric substance, electricity can be produced by forcing mechanical stress onto these objects. Due to the size of these wires, the effort placed into creating power would be minimal to none.
Named “nanogenerator” by researcher Zhong Lin Wang it is said to be able to grow on clothing, metals, ceramics and even polymers. Ever heard of those medical nanobots that may flow through your blood stream in the near future? This is the perfect thing to power them!
The theories on the capabilities of Nanotechnology seem to be changing to reality already! Although Nanotechnology is still mainly in its research phase, it promises a highly technologically advanced future with endless applications. Since Nanotechnology includes all other fields from electronics to even biology, all fields of engineering and the sciences are bound to have more knowledge added to their databases.
Now that’s development!
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