Garry Golden

. Intel announces ‘Tera Era’ of computing, improved H2 production from electrolysis, micro-storage systems for DoCoMo, non toxic nanoparticles coatings, OLED/silicon integration, OLED encapsulation alternatives, future related projects with magnetism / sensing systems (Houston, Texas), nanopumps, optical mirrors, etc.

Business related…

Intel’s chip demonstration and announcement that they are close to launching the ‘Tera Era’ (– a trillion calculations per second- ) has quietly shaken the computing world. Everyday folk could care less- but the Tera Era is certain to change how we approach computing and living in the world. The applications are endless…
Links all over the web… here… here… Photos of the chip via CNET

Two weeks ago I posted a piece titled ‘Will the Avatar kill the Video star?’. Poorly written – but I was curious about the potential clash or synergy of virtual worlds and video. I believe that virtual worlds will have their day—but that the real big story is video. Over the next decade the biggest entrepreneurial opportunities will be in video. Since posting the piece I have felt it was a juvenile futures idea…. Anyone can say how cool it would be to blend synthetic images with real images in ‘real time’. But would it be possible within a decade? Intel’s plans to build out the multicore systems suggests – yes, it will. (….to my relief…) Within a decade we might have home entertainment systems that allow us to manipulate video as if it were an etch-a-sketch on steroids. Painting over, creating our own characters and environments, etc… By that point virtual and real will be blurred and a host of new issues will emerge in society… And we’ll be able to thank Intel…

Energy related…

Methanol electrolysis method uses 1/3 electricity to produce hydrogen…
(Researchers at Sun Yat-Sen University) -
[… when will skeptics of hydrogen (electron energy) stop doubting our ability to extract hydorgen cleanly and efficiently? When wil they recognize the healthy pace of innovation in materials science…?] Link from Fuelcellsworks.com

Japan Steel Works, Ltd. – Hydrogen metal hydride storage for micro fuel cells –
[More movement towards better ‘micro packets’ of energy for commercial markets. Hydrogen storage is moving towards solid state (not gas or liquid) solutions. I believe hydrides (chemical absorption) are the first step for commercial markets – until we move towards physical adsorption oriented materials- such as MOFs.]
Link from Fuel Cells Works.com

Overview of Magnesium hydride systems - Link from Delft University of Technology
[Fantastic materials science research groups…worth browsing team projects…]

NTT DoCoMo partners with Aquafairy for fuel cell rechargers…
[I believe the real energy revolution is about decentralization and micropower systems. The path to disruption might begin with fuel cell rechargers for phones, laptops, etc… Japan has already begun testing various fuel cell based power systems in stationary environments— this is a bold move by a telecom to seek out more micro-power…. Start the clock now – America will be three to five years behind Asia!!]
Link from TechnologyNewsDaily.com

HydroGen readies is 400 kW PAFC System
[There are several types of fuel cell systems often categorized by temperature/membranes. While I tend to focus on micropower systems (mostly PEM fuel cells) – others such as PAFC and SOFC might indeed have more near term potential for stationary power systems. I will do my best to highlight contract/peformance notes… ]

Bio related…
Plant reveals non toxic coating for nanoparticle based medicine…
[Nice overview of nanoparticles (gold in particular)…]
Link from Nanowerk

—Also saw a note on a Synthetic Biology conference in Boston (March 2007)

OLED related…

OLED / silicon integration -
[Brief article… but fantastic research that will hopefully usher in a day of more industrial applications of OLEDs in the semiconductor industry – and beyond! ]
Research from Fraunhofer IPMS Link from Azom.com

Another OLED advance- alternatives to encapsulation…
”Researchers at Imperial College London were able to make organic LEDs without any encapsulation layer by replacing the unstable metal electrode with nanostructured titanium dioxide, a highly porous material that is a common ingredient in whitewash and toothpaste. Although titanium dioxide has proven its mettle for years in solar cells, this is the first time it has been employed in LEDs. The resulting spongy surface provides 1000-times more area for the light-emitting molecules than does a traditional flat electrode.” Link from Sciencenow

Materials related… (…good days for Houston, TX !!!)

30 Tesla magnet…
“A holy grail of the scientific community, as set out recently by the National Research Council, is to build a superconducting magnet of 30 Tesla,” said Halperin. “In MR imaging, the higher the magnetic field, the higher the resolution, which provides scientists with more detail for analysis. A 30 Tesla magnet could drive significant advances in chemistry, biology and medicine… “ Link from EurekaAlert

University of Houston receives DOE grant to build powerful magnetic field sensor
”…The sensors have applications in both the military and medical fields, such as helping soldiers navigate a minefield or aid a doctor in examining a tumor using magnetic resonance imaging. …. to create a new type of magnetic field sensor that, if successful, will be hundreds — perhaps thousands — of times more sensitive than anything currently available.

The team’s sensors will be based upon the phenomenon known as “ballistic magnetoresistance,” which is the effect of a magnetic field on the ability of electrons to flow between magnetic electrodes through a nanocontact — a tiny wire measuring billionths of a meter that forms naturally between magnetic electrodes. The heart of Brankovic’s system will consist of two magnetic electrodes, connected by a very small magnetic nanocontact. When exposed to a magnetic field, the flow of electrons through the nanocontact will change, yielding a measurable result.”
Link from Houston Business Journal

Grant to Rice University (Houston, TX) for quantum level research ….
”The W.M. Keck Foundation has awarded Rice University $1.4 million to probe the world of high-temperature superconductors, quantum magnets and other solid-state materials.
“We believe Rice has all the pieces in place to make breakthroughs in our understanding of effects that have puzzled physicists for more than 20 years.” Given the past decade’s advances in nanoscale fabrication, laser cooling and other technologies, scientists suggest that the stage is set for a major leap in the understanding of exotic materials, such as high-temperature superconductors, in which electrons interact so strongly with one another that their actions cannot be explained by simple theories.”
Link from Houston Business Journal

Nanopumping with carbon nanotubes (CNTs)
[…nanotubes might be the structural – applications include optics, computing, energy, medicine, etc…] Link from Nanotechnow.com

Bundling carbon nanotubes for high frequency electrical properties – Link

Advance in optics engineering
U.S. engineers have created a high-performance mirror that could dramatically improve laser optics efficiency in various products, such as computer circuits. The new mirror provides the same 99.9 percent reflective punch as current high-grade mirrors but does so in a package that’s at least 20 times thinner, functional in a considerably wider spectrum of light frequencies and easier to manufacture. Link from Sciencedaily.com