Nanowires

Ice build-up can pose a problem for roads, aircraft, wind turbines and power lines, among many other things. Now scientists have developed a new structure made of copper nanowires that can passively de-ice surfaces with an efficacy of close to 100%.

Nanowire networks mimic the networked structure of the human brain. But can they learn and remember like a human brain can? New research indicates they can.

Heat is a major hurdle for electronic devices. Scientists have now found that nanowires made of a certain isotope of silicon can conduct heat 150 percent better than regular silicon, potentially leading to drastically cooler computer chips.

Engineers from North Carolina State University have developed a thin, stretchable electronic wearable sleeve that allows the user's skin to breathe, making for more comfortable long-term use as a biomedical sensor or human-machine interface.

We've already heard about so-called "fog harps" that use thin wires to collect airborne water droplets, providing drinking water. Well, an experimental new device also uses wires to capture water vapor, although it proceeds to generate electricity.

Metamaterials that cloak people and objects from radar, visible light or infrared are usually thick and heavy, but now engineers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison have developed an ultrathin, lightweight sheet that absorbs heat signatures and can even present false ones.

​Smartphone screens seem to crack at the slightest breeze, but researchers at the University of Sussex might have a hardier alternative. A new material made of graphene and silver could lead to touchscreens that are tougher, easy to manufacture, more responsive, less power-hungry, and even bend.​

Researchers at Cambridge and the University of Warwick have jumped ahead to the logical endpoint of Moore's Law and shrunk wires down to a string of single atoms. Effectively one dimensional, these “extreme nanowires” are made of tellurium, compressed inside carbon nanotubes to keep them stable.

Researchers at the University of Central Florida have created a supercapcitor that can not only be fully-charged in mere seconds, but can go on to be recharged more than 30,000 times without affecting performance or capacity.

Over the years, the ONR has produced some impressive innovations, from unmanned sub-chasing ships to self-healing paint for armored vehicles. Now, it’s turned its attention towards producing new electrical materials, looking to nature for inspiration.

By designing nanowires with a special protective coating, researchers have created an electrode that withstands hundreds of thousands of cycles, serving as a proof of concept for longer-lasting batteries to power everything from smartphones to spacecraft.

Researchers have developed flexible "nanowhisker" supercapacitors in electric wires, making them both conductors and energy storage devices. Such technology may eventually be woven into fabric as batteries or incorporated throughout devices to replace the batteries altogether.