March 2006 |
Chemists Improve Hydrogen Storage | |||
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Chemists at UCLA and the University of Michigan have taken another step toward making cars that can run on hydrogen rather than gasoline by developing a new "crystal sponge" material that stores nearly three times more hydrogen than any known substance. This is the first material with the storage capacity required to make hydrogen fuel practical--a development that could lead to transportable power sources for cars, laptop computers, cellular phones, digital cameras and other electronic devices. Currently, the high-storage densities are possible only at very low temperatures (-321 degrees Fahrenheit), but researchers are optimistic the limitation is temporary. The microscopic structure of crystal sponge resembles a scaffold made of linked rods with a multitude of nanoscale pores. The result is an enormous internal surface area where hydrogen molecules can attach--a pinch of crystal sponge has a surface area roughly equivalent to that of a football field. NSF, the U.S. Department of Energy, and chemical company BASF funded this research. For more on this technology, see "New 'Crystal Sponge' Triples Hydrogen Storage." |
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New Tool Hunts Through Online Catalogs Using Only a Sketch |
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Working with support from NSF's Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program, Imaginestics, a company located in West Lafayette, Ind., has created a software application called 3D-Seek. This new kind of search engine lets users find an item in an online catalog without knowing its names or part number. A freehand sketch is all the user needs, thanks to a major advance in practical pattern recognition. The Purdue Research Park-based company developed 3D-Seek and its associated catalog mainly for manufacturing firms, which are constantly looking for bolts, conveyor belts, motors and a host of other products. With 3D-Seek, users can find in seconds what once may have taken weeks of warehouse searching or a complete part redesign. |
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Eventually, the search engine could prove equally beneficial for ordinary shoppers. Instead of carrying a part to the hardware store, customers could just sketch what they needed to find its replacement. Researchers have been working for several years on software that can compare industry-standard 3-D image files to each other. This new method is faster than most and permits search "terms" that are far outside the norm. Read NSF's "Doodle Search" for more on this software. |
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Lightweight, Corrosion-Resistant Composite Provides Bridge with a New Kind of Face-Lift | |||
Using new fiberglass-polymer materials, contractors in Springfield, Mo. performed a quick and dramatic makeover of a badly worn 70-year-old bridge deck. The workers used pre-fabricated plates and cages developed by an NSF-supported university-industry partnership to finish the job in a mere five days. The NSF's Repair of Buildings and Bridges with Composites Industry-University Cooperative Research Center is based at the University of Missouri at Rolla and North Carolina State University. The Missouri researchers joined with colleagues at the University of Wisconsin and industry partners to develop the new construction solution. The fiberglass-polymer composites are strong enough to endure several decades of traffic, salt and other corrosive de-icers. Moreover, workers can put the lightweight, prefabricated structures in place quickly-- saving time and preventing commuter headaches. |
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For more on this lightweight, corrosion-resistant composite, see NSF's "Easy Up, Not-So-Easy Down." | |||
Arctic Life Affected by Climate Change | |||
Using data from long-term observations of physical properties and biological communities, a team of U.S. and Canadian researchers supported in part by NSF has concluded that previously documented physical changes in the Arctic are profoundly affecting Arctic life. As a result of the changing environment, animal inhabitants that subsist on these bottom-dwelling creatures can be expected to follow their food source northward--leaving behind the small, isolated Native communities of people on the Bering Sea coast who subsist on them. |
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To learn more about the physical changes in the Arctic, see NSF's press release, "Bering Sea Ecosystem Responding to Changes in Arctic Climate." |
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A Growing Need for Hybrid Mechanics--Detroit Free Press (03/23/06) Cornell's Leopold Sews Seeds of Breakthrough--Ithaca Journal (03/22/06) State Keeps Eyes on Dams--Honolulu Star-Bulletin (03/19/06) |
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The National Science Foundation (NSF) is an independent federal agency that supports fundamental research and education across all fields of science with an annual budget of nearly $5.58 billion. NSF funding reaches all 50 states through grants to roughly 1,700 universities and institutions. Each year, NSF receives about 40,000 competitive requests for funding and makes about 10,000 new funding awards. The NSF also awards over $400 million in professional and service contracts yearly. Contact NSF's Office of Legislative and Public Affairs for more information, to unsubscribe, or for permission to reuse newsletter images. |
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