The U.S. Office of Naval Research has awarded a $400,000 grant to desalination tech leader NanoH2O, to develop a high efficiency desalination nanomembrane that is more resistant to fouling. The effort, part of the Navy’s Future Naval Capabilities program, is aimed at increasing energy efficiency and portability for shipboard use. … [continued]
Shrink Nanotechnologies is one of several companies that is using bioplastics to find a new way of making devices that will minimize the use of increasingly-scarce rare metals. The company’s OptiSol Solar Concentrator is billed as a nanotechnology-based plastic solar concentrator and solar film. Traditional silicon solar cells absorb only … [continued]
High-tech membranes are catching on as a lower cost, non-chemical and more sustainable water treatment process, but there’s a catch: they can quickly foul with dirt and other particles. Enter NanoBrane, a nanotechnology company with a patent-pending breakthrough in membrane properties that prevents fouling. That makes the treatment process run … [continued]
A new European Union funded research project called “ROD-SOL” aims to improve the efficiency of thin-film solar cells using nanotechnology. The three year project has a budget of EUR 4 million and may yield a breakthrough for solar power.
Nanotechnology seems to be invading all facets of modern life, from the pills you take to the batteries that power your iPod. Pretty soon, carbon nanotubes may even filter your water. Researchers at the Bhabha Atomic Research Center in India are investigating the hollow carbon fibers as a potential water … [continued]
There’s a lot of hype out there about new technologies that will “change everything”. Sometimes it’s nice to sit back and “smell the roses”. In that spirit, here are five plants with surprising super powers – they have provided a boost to technological innovation or invention, often with a green … [continued]
