SMAs are made of special metal alloys (nickel-titanium) that remember their original shape. When SMAs comes into contact with a small electric current, the metal heats up and contracts. When you switch the electricity off, the metal cools down and returns to its original shape. These materials are formed into bundles of 0.5mm thick wires, each of which can lift 22 pounds (10 kg) of weight without breaking.
According to the research team, SMAs have the highest energy density among known actuator technologies, delivering powerful movement in petite sizes. The scientists built robotic grippers using bundles of ultra-fine SMA wires that act like artificial muscles. When an electric pulse is applied, the wires contract, creating motion.
The team developed a jaw and vacuum gripper to test the technology. The former is pincer-like, quickly and precisely holding workpieces without continuous power use. The latter consists of flexible fingers with suction cups. It creates vacuum suction by flipping a small disc controlled by SMA muscles, requiring electricity only for a short pulse.
The technology could significantly reduce the cost and environmental impact of industrial manufacturing by drastically cutting energy use and enabling robots to become more versatile, compact, and worker-friendly. It can also unlock previously impossible applications hindered due to traditional robot grippers’ size, weight, and energy requirements.
A class of hybrid sulfide-polymer materials
“There’s a dilemma. Is a hybrid the best of both worlds in terms of higher ionic conductivity from the inorganic and good mechanical properties from the polymer, or is it a combination of their worst properties,” said assistant professor Chibueze Amanchukwu of the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering (UChicago PME).
“When you make lithium metal batteries, the in-situ method outperforms the physical mixing method quite substantially,” added Amanchukwu.
Published in Chemistry of Materials, the study’s researchers develop a class of hybrid sulfide-polymer materials through an innovative one-pot, in situ synthetic paradigm.
Utilizing dichloroethane (DCE) as a test case, researchers showed that both polymer and inorganic form and present a controlled, homogeneous distribution of the inorganic and polymer.
“At certain ratios, we find evidence of a covalent linkage between the inorganic and polymer. At certain ratios, we find evidence of a covalent linkage between the inorganic and polymer,” said researchers.
They also showcased the material in a lithium metal battery where their in situ material has improved mechanical properties and superior ionic conductivity and cycling performance against Li–metal, in comparison to an ex situ polymer + sulfide control.
Technique to change synthetic paradigm for inorganic-polymer electrolytes
The innovation is expected to change the synthetic paradigm for hybrid inorganic-polymer electrolytes and open a pathway for the utilization of these materials in other applications.
Researchers revealed that despite the fact that the study focused on battery electrolytes, the new technique is expected to have an impact on semiconductor research, electronics, industrial coatings, sealants, and any other field that relies on hybrid materials.
“If you can make the two of them in a one-pot approach, you’ve now reduced the labor that you need in order to make the hybrid material,” said first author Priyadarshini Mirmira.
The study focused on lithium batteries because they’re the most common in EVs, grid storage, and other applications. But the technique can also work with sodium batteries, which are advancing as a less expensive, more plentiful alternative to lithium.
Mirmira underlined that scaling the one-pot process up to the levels needed for industrial manufacturing will require “a couple of different knobs to tune.”
However, she stressed that the process needs to be completely air-free, for starters, processed under argon or another inert gas. That’s easier to maintain in the lab than on a factory floor, according to Mirmira.
The system also features rugged MIL-STD 810H maritime cradles for the SDR unit and antenna, ensuring durability in extreme conditions and flexibility for quick redeployments. Lastly, it is equipped with halogen-free RF cables that meet strict maritime standards for safety and reliability.
Safe and effective counter-drone operations at sea
According to Yaniv Benbenisti, President and Chief Product Officer at D-Fend Solutions, naval and maritime counter-drone operations present unique challenges that must be addressed while maintaining safety and advanced communications.
“EnforceAir2 Maritime, developed with insight gained through our deep experience with this sector, achieves this by supporting a scalable and non-disruptive system to detect, locate, and take control of rogue drones in maritime environments, ensuring operational continuity and protection for critical naval and maritime assets,” Benbenisti explained.
At the start of the year, Longi’s chairman, Zhong Baoshen, highlighted the remarkable growth of the photovoltaic industry, noting its exponential expansion and pivotal role in the energy transition. He pointed out that it took 68 years to reach the first terawatt of solar capacity, but the second terawatt was achieved in just two years, underscoring the rapid progress in recent years.
While the International Energy Agency (IEA) projects global solar PV capacity to exceed 4,000 gigawatts (GW) by 2030, Baoshen believes it will surpass 5,000 GW. He noted that the installed capacity of solar PV is expected to grow significantly in the coming years, with its development progressing faster than initially anticipated. According to the Chinese giant, solar PV has become a key driver in the global energy transition and is playing an increasingly important role in reshaping the energy landscape.
In many superconductors, phonons play a crucial role in pairing up electrons (Cooper pairs), enabling superconductivity. The frequency of phonons affects the strength of this pairing and, in turn, determines the highest possible temperature (TC) at which superconductivity can occur.
Since fundamental constants impose an upper limit on phonon frequencies, they also place a theoretical constraint on how high TC can be in superconductors. This means that “the upper limit of superconducting temperature TC is intrinsically linked to the fundamental constants of nature – the electron mass, electron charge, and the Planck constant,” the study authors note.
So what’s the upper limit?
Using the fundamental constants, the study authors determined that superconductivity can exist between a temperature of 100 Kelvin to 1000 Kelvin; this upper limit range for TC includes standard room temperature values that lie between 293 K to 298 K (20 to 25°C).
“The fact that room-temperature superconductivity is theoretically possible, given our Universe’s constants, is encouraging. It’s a call to keep exploring, experimenting, and pushing the boundaries of what’s possible,” the researchers said.
Co-author Brendan Croom explained that the discovery redefines how materials processing is approached. For years, certain processing parameters were considered off-limits due to the risk of poor-quality results. By using AI to explore a broader range of possibilities, the team identified new processing regions that enable faster printing while maintaining or even enhancing material strength and ductility. This development now allows engineers to optimize processing settings based on specific performance needs.
Furthermore, these findings could benefit industries relying on high-performance titanium parts by enabling the production of stronger, lighter components at higher speeds, enhancing efficiency in shipbuilding, aviation, and medical devices, while advancing additive manufacturing for aerospace and defense.
!summarize #drewbrees #nfl #quarterback #neworleans #saints
SMAs are made of special metal alloys (nickel-titanium) that remember their original shape. When SMAs comes into contact with a small electric current, the metal heats up and contracts. When you switch the electricity off, the metal cools down and returns to its original shape. These materials are formed into bundles of 0.5mm thick wires, each of which can lift 22 pounds (10 kg) of weight without breaking.
!summarize #technology #metals
According to the research team, SMAs have the highest energy density among known actuator technologies, delivering powerful movement in petite sizes. The scientists built robotic grippers using bundles of ultra-fine SMA wires that act like artificial muscles. When an electric pulse is applied, the wires contract, creating motion.
The team developed a jaw and vacuum gripper to test the technology. The former is pincer-like, quickly and precisely holding workpieces without continuous power use. The latter consists of flexible fingers with suction cups. It creates vacuum suction by flipping a small disc controlled by SMA muscles, requiring electricity only for a short pulse.
!summarize #germany #debt #infrastructure #military
!summarize #tesla #investing #stocks
The technology could significantly reduce the cost and environmental impact of industrial manufacturing by drastically cutting energy use and enabling robots to become more versatile, compact, and worker-friendly. It can also unlock previously impossible applications hindered due to traditional robot grippers’ size, weight, and energy requirements.
!summarize #london #debt #uk
!summarize #Russia #ukraine #war #mobilization
A class of hybrid sulfide-polymer materials
“There’s a dilemma. Is a hybrid the best of both worlds in terms of higher ionic conductivity from the inorganic and good mechanical properties from the polymer, or is it a combination of their worst properties,” said assistant professor Chibueze Amanchukwu of the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering (UChicago PME).
“When you make lithium metal batteries, the in-situ method outperforms the physical mixing method quite substantially,” added Amanchukwu.
Published in Chemistry of Materials, the study’s researchers develop a class of hybrid sulfide-polymer materials through an innovative one-pot, in situ synthetic paradigm.
Utilizing dichloroethane (DCE) as a test case, researchers showed that both polymer and inorganic form and present a controlled, homogeneous distribution of the inorganic and polymer.
“At certain ratios, we find evidence of a covalent linkage between the inorganic and polymer. At certain ratios, we find evidence of a covalent linkage between the inorganic and polymer,” said researchers.
They also showcased the material in a lithium metal battery where their in situ material has improved mechanical properties and superior ionic conductivity and cycling performance against Li–metal, in comparison to an ex situ polymer + sulfide control.
!summarize #quant #cliffasness #private #investments #money #investing
Technique to change synthetic paradigm for inorganic-polymer electrolytes
The innovation is expected to change the synthetic paradigm for hybrid inorganic-polymer electrolytes and open a pathway for the utilization of these materials in other applications.
Researchers revealed that despite the fact that the study focused on battery electrolytes, the new technique is expected to have an impact on semiconductor research, electronics, industrial coatings, sealants, and any other field that relies on hybrid materials.
“If you can make the two of them in a one-pot approach, you’ve now reduced the labor that you need in order to make the hybrid material,” said first author Priyadarshini Mirmira.
The study focused on lithium batteries because they’re the most common in EVs, grid storage, and other applications. But the technique can also work with sodium batteries, which are advancing as a less expensive, more plentiful alternative to lithium.
Mirmira underlined that scaling the one-pot process up to the levels needed for industrial manufacturing will require “a couple of different knobs to tune.”
However, she stressed that the process needs to be completely air-free, for starters, processed under argon or another inert gas. That’s easier to maintain in the lab than on a factory floor, according to Mirmira.
!summarize #trump #canada #tariffs #trade
!summarize #zelenskyy #peace #war #money #ukraine
The system also features rugged MIL-STD 810H maritime cradles for the SDR unit and antenna, ensuring durability in extreme conditions and flexibility for quick redeployments. Lastly, it is equipped with halogen-free RF cables that meet strict maritime standards for safety and reliability.
Safe and effective counter-drone operations at sea
According to Yaniv Benbenisti, President and Chief Product Officer at D-Fend Solutions, naval and maritime counter-drone operations present unique challenges that must be addressed while maintaining safety and advanced communications.
“EnforceAir2 Maritime, developed with insight gained through our deep experience with this sector, achieves this by supporting a scalable and non-disruptive system to detect, locate, and take control of rogue drones in maritime environments, ensuring operational continuity and protection for critical naval and maritime assets,” Benbenisti explained.
!summarize #tsla #stock #humanoid #robots #investing #cernbasher
!summarize #china #russia #ai #collaboration #technology
!summarize #ukraine #russia #scottritter #war
!summarize #code #life #biology #biotech
!summarize #niallferguson #northkorea #iran #russia #china #economy
!summarize #johnmackay #socialism #history #capitalism
!summarize #putin #russia #war #ukraine
At the start of the year, Longi’s chairman, Zhong Baoshen, highlighted the remarkable growth of the photovoltaic industry, noting its exponential expansion and pivotal role in the energy transition. He pointed out that it took 68 years to reach the first terawatt of solar capacity, but the second terawatt was achieved in just two years, underscoring the rapid progress in recent years.
While the International Energy Agency (IEA) projects global solar PV capacity to exceed 4,000 gigawatts (GW) by 2030, Baoshen believes it will surpass 5,000 GW. He noted that the installed capacity of solar PV is expected to grow significantly in the coming years, with its development progressing faster than initially anticipated. According to the Chinese giant, solar PV has become a key driver in the global energy transition and is playing an increasingly important role in reshaping the energy landscape.
!summarize #society #culture #dating #relationships
!summarize #malibu #california #mansion #realestate #paradisecove
The Bureau of Prisons is said to have strict rules on who can communicate with inmates and how they can do so.
The interview, published on Carlson’s YouTube channel on March 6, has already garnered 730,425 views at the time of publication.
Source:
Tucker Carlson
During the interview with Carlson, Bankman-Fried talked about prison life since his sentencing and his thoughts on crypto regulation in the US.
Bankman-Fried told Carlson he didn’t think he was “a criminal.”
!summarize #dating #relationships #husbands #wife
!summarize #gold #papermarket #investing #commodities
!summarize #michaelshellenberger #intelligence #ai #morality #humanity
In many superconductors, phonons play a crucial role in pairing up electrons (Cooper pairs), enabling superconductivity. The frequency of phonons affects the strength of this pairing and, in turn, determines the highest possible temperature (TC) at which superconductivity can occur.
Since fundamental constants impose an upper limit on phonon frequencies, they also place a theoretical constraint on how high TC can be in superconductors. This means that “the upper limit of superconducting temperature TC is intrinsically linked to the fundamental constants of nature – the electron mass, electron charge, and the Planck constant,” the study authors note.
So what’s the upper limit?
Using the fundamental constants, the study authors determined that superconductivity can exist between a temperature of 100 Kelvin to 1000 Kelvin; this upper limit range for TC includes standard room temperature values that lie between 293 K to 298 K (20 to 25°C).
“The fact that room-temperature superconductivity is theoretically possible, given our Universe’s constants, is encouraging. It’s a call to keep exploring, experimenting, and pushing the boundaries of what’s possible,” the researchers said.
!summarize #abcnews #disney #layoffs
!summarize #disney #zegler #disney #press #hollywood
!summarize #msnbc #djdaniels #politics #ratings
!summarize #trump #tariffs #mistake #politics #trade
Co-author Brendan Croom explained that the discovery redefines how materials processing is approached. For years, certain processing parameters were considered off-limits due to the risk of poor-quality results. By using AI to explore a broader range of possibilities, the team identified new processing regions that enable faster printing while maintaining or even enhancing material strength and ductility. This development now allows engineers to optimize processing settings based on specific performance needs.
Furthermore, these findings could benefit industries relying on high-performance titanium parts by enabling the production of stronger, lighter components at higher speeds, enhancing efficiency in shipbuilding, aviation, and medical devices, while advancing additive manufacturing for aerospace and defense.