New Material May Lead To Gen-Next Data Storage Devices

Geneva: Scientists have developed a new material - the first ever magnetic photoconductor - that may lead to next generation of memory-storage systems, featuring higher capacities with low energy demands.  Scientists at Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne in Switzerland have now developed ferromagnetic photovoltaic material whose magnetic order can be rapidly changed without disrupting it due to heating.

Perovskite photovoltaics are gradually becoming a cheaper alternative to current silicon systems, drawing much interest from energy scientists. However, this particular material, which is a modified version of perovskite, exhibits some unique properties that make it particularly interesting as a material to build next-generation digital storage systems.

This new crystal structure combines the advantages of both ferromagnets, whose magnetic moments are aligned in a well-defined order, and photoconductors, where light illumination generates high density free conduction electrons. In the new perovskite material, a simple red LED - much weaker than a laser pointer - is enough to disrupt, or "melt" the material's magnetic order and generate a high density of travelling electrons, which can be freely and continuously tuned by changing the light's intensity. The timescale for shifting the magnetic in this material is also very fast, virtually needing only quadrillionths of a second. The study was published in the journal Nature Communications. 

New Drug Limits, Repairs Brain Damage In Stroke

London: Researchers have discovered a potential new drug that reduces the number of brain cells destroyed by stroke and then helps to repair the damage. A reduction in blood flow to the brain caused by stroke is a major cause of death and disability and there are few effective treatments, researchers said. Scientists at University of Manchester in the UK have now found that a potential new stroke drug not only works in rodents by limiting the death of existing brain cells but also by promoting the birth of new neurones (so-called neurogenesis). This finding provides further support for the development of this anti-inflammatory drug, interleukin-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1Ra), as a new treatment for stroke.

The drug is already licensed for use in humans for some conditions, including rheumatoid arthritis. The researchers found that in rodents with a stroke there is not only reduced brain damage early on after the stroke, but several days later increased numbers of new neurones, when treated with the anti-inflammatory drug IL-1Ra. The research was published in the journal Brain, Behaviour and Immunity. 

Einstein's Theory May Soon Be Tested

London: A theory which predicts that the speed of light is variable, not constant as suggested by Albert Einstein, may soon be tested and could change our understanding of the early universe if proven to be true. Einstein observed that the speed of light remains the same in any situation, and this meant that space and time could be different in different situations. The assumption that the speed of light is constant, and always has been, underpins many theories in physics, such as Einstein's theory of general relativity. In particular, it plays a role in models of what happened in the very early universe, seconds after the Big Bang.

However, some researchers have suggested that the speed of light could have been much higher in this early universe. Now, one of this theory's originators, Joao Magueijo from Imperial College London, working with Niayesh Afshordi at the Perimeter Institute in Canada, has made a prediction that could be used to test the theory's validity. Structures in the universe, for example galaxies, all formed from fluctuations in the early universe - tiny differences in density from one region to another. A record of these early fluctuations is imprinted on the cosmic microwave background - a map of the oldest light in the universe - in the form of a 'spectral index'.

Cosmologists are currently getting ever more precise readings of this figure, so that prediction could soon be tested - either confirming or ruling out the team's model of the early universe. The figure is 0.96478. This is close to the current estimate of readings of the cosmic microwave background, which puts it around 0.968, with some margin of error. The research was published in the journal Physical Review D. 

This Thin Foam Keeps Vehicles, Buildings Cooler, Quieter

Singapore: Indian-origin researchers from Singapore have developed a new material that will make vehicles and buildings cooler and quieter as compared to the current insulation materials in the market. Known as aerogel composites, this new foam insulates against heat 2.6 times better than a conventional insulation foam. The product, which is expected to hit the market by early 2017, was compared to traditional materials used in soundproofing. It was found that it can block out 80 per cent of outside noise -- 30 per cent more than the usual ones. The foam is made from silica aerogels with a few other additives. The details of the new material were published in peer-reviewed Scientific Journals. A patent has been filed for by Nanyang Technological University's (NTU) innovation and enterprise arm NTUitive. Apart from being a good thermal and acoustic insulator, the new material is also non-flammable -- a crucial factor for materials used in high heat environments common in the oil and gas industries. It is also resilient and can withstand high compression or heavy loads. 

Graphene Ink May Enable 'Smart' Clothes

London: Scientists have developed conductive cotton fabrics using graphene-based inks that could lead to smart textiles and interactive clothes with applications ranging from healthcare to the Internet of Things. Wearable textiles-based electronics present new possibilities for flexible circuits, healthcare and environment monitoring, energy conversion and many others. Cotton fabric is among the most widespread for use in clothing and textiles, as it is breathable and comfortable to wear, as well as being durable to washing. These properties also make it an excellent choice for textile electronics. Researchers at the University of Cambridge in the UK and Jiangnan University in China, have devised low-cost, sustainable and environmentally-friendly method for making conductive cotton textiles by impregnating them with a graphene-based ink.

The work demonstrates a wearable motion sensor based on the conductive cotton. The team created inks of chemically modified graphene flakes that are more adhesive to cotton fibres than unmodified graphene. Heat treatment after depositing the ink on the fabric improves the conductivity of the modified graphene. The adhesion of the modified graphene to the cotton fibre is similar to the way cotton holds coloured dyes and allows the fabric to remain conductive after several washes. Graphene is changing the science and technology landscape with attractive physical properties for electronics. Graphene's atomic thickness and excellent electrical and mechanical properties give excellent advantages, allowing deposition of extremely thin, flexible and conductive films on surfaces and - with this new method - also on textiles. This combined with the environmental compatibility of graphene and its strong adhesion to cotton make the graphene-cotton strain sensor ideal for wearable applications. The study was published in the journal Carbon. 

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