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Scientists have further boosted the energy conversion efficiency of flexible solar cells made of copper indium gallium (di)selenide (also known as CIGS) to a new world record of 18.7% - a significant improvement overt he previous record of 17.6% achieved by the same team in June 2010.

Expert discovers simple method of dealing with harmful radioactive iodine A novel way to immobilise radioactive forms of iodine using a microwave, has been discovered by an expert at the University of Sheffield. Iodine radioisotopes are produced by fission of uranium fuel in a nuclear reactor. Radioactive iodine is of concern because it is highly mobile in the environment and selective uptake by the thyroid gland can pose a significant cancer risk following long term exposure.

University of Manchester scientists have found a way to make wonder material graphene magnetic, opening up a new range of opportunities for the world's thinnest material in the area of spintronics. A team led by Professor Andre Geim, a recipient of the 2010 Nobel Prize for graphene, can now show that electric current - a flow of electrons - can magnetise graphene.

Scientists including an MIT physics professor have found a way to make wonder material graphene magnetic, opening up a new range of opportunities for the world's thinnest material in the area of spintronics. The collaboration, led by the University of Manchester, showed that electric current - a flow of electrons - can magnetize graphene.

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. With the first observation of thermoelectric effects at graphene contacts, University of Illinois researchers found that graphene transistors have a nanoscale cooling effect that reduces their temperature. Led by mechanical science and engineering professor William King and electrical and computer engineering professor Eric Pop, the team will publish its findings in the April 3 advance online edition of.

Links: UCL Ear Institute Research paper in Current Biology The antennal ears of different fruit fly species are actively tuned to high-frequency components of their respective mating songs, according to new research led by UCL scientists. During courtship, male fruit flies serenade females with a 'love song' produced by quiet, close-range wing vibrations.

Smaller and more energy-efficient electronic chips could be made using molybdenite. A recent study shows that this material has distinct advantages over traditional silicon or graphene for use in electronics applications.

Researchers have shown that a magnetically polarised current can be manipulated by electric fields. This important discovery opens up the prospect of simultaneously processing and storing data on electrons held in the molecular structure of computer chips - combining computer memory and processing power on the same chip.

'Space-time cloak' to conceal events revealed in new study Cloak allows objects to move undetected, according to a paper in the Journal of Optics - News release Scientists have developed a recipe for manipulating the speed of light as it passes over an object, making it theoretically possible to 'cloak' the object's movement so that an observer doesn't notice, according to a paper in the Journal of Optics .

Quantum computers a step closer to reality thanks to new finding Quantum computers may be much easier to build than previously thought, suggests a new study in Physical Review Letters Quantum computers should be much easier to build than previously thought, because they can still work with a large number of faulty or even missing components, according to a study published today in Physical Review Letters .

A new material with a split personality - part superconductor, part metal - has been observed by a Princeton University-led research team. The discovery may have implications for the development of next-generation electronics that could transform the way information is stored and processed. The new material - a crystal called a topological superconductor - has two electronic identities at once.

The construction of the biggest Solar Park in Switzerland is taking shape as the first photovoltaic panels come on stream.

The oxide compound europium titanate is pretty boring on its own. But sliced nanometers thin and physically stretched on a specially designed template, it takes on properties that could revolutionize the electronics industry, according to Cornell-led research. The research team, publishing Aug. 19, reports that thin films of europium titanate become both ferroelectric - electrically polarized - and ferromagnetic - exhibiting a permanent magnetic field - when laid and stretched across a substrate of dysprosium scandate, another type of oxide.

Today's trend in winter sports draws more and more people away from the designated slopes. Free riding and ski tours experience a massive boost in popularity.

The remarkable breakthrough helps validate theory behind the observed increase in specific heat of the material. Researchers unravel 25-year-old physics mystery LOS ALAMOS, New Mexico, June 3, 2010—Unconventional use of a well-known scientific instrument has helped scientists from Los Alamos National Laboratory, Brookhaven National Laboratory, and other institutions unravel a 25-year-old physics mystery and reveal a "hidden order” of the electronic structure inside an unusual superconducting material.

Mobile versions of websites are very popular - but are rarely offered. This is the result of a study by the St. Pölten University of Applied Sciences, which shows that Austria's mobile Internet surfers clearly prefer websites that are specially optimized for cell phones.

Time-consuming manual vote-counts and ballot boxes could soon be consigned to the history books, thanks to innovative new secure voting technology. The system is being developed by computer scientists at the Universities of Surrey and Birmingham, with funding from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), and in collaboration with the University of Luxembourg.

On March 30, physicists in Geneva successfully smashed together two proton beams energized with seven trillion electron volts, breaking the previous world record by 350 percent and setting the stage for new insights into the forces of nature and full dimensions of space. The breakthrough marks an important step forward for Columbia physicists, who have played a significant role in carrying out the experiment.

Although silicon has dominated solid-state electronics for more than four decades, a variety of other materials are used in photonic devices to expand the wavelength range of operation and improve performance. Electrical engineer Thomas Müller from the Institute of Photonics at the Vienna University of Technology has published the research results in cooperation with the IBM Thomas J. Watson Research Center, Yorktown Heights, New York 10598, USA.

A single unit of the new desalination device, fabricated on a layer of silicone. In the Y-shaped channel (in red), seawater enters from the right, and fresh water leaves through the lower channel at left, while concentrated brine leaves through the upper channel. CAMBRIDGE, Mass. A new approach to desalination being developed by researchers at MIT and in Korea could lead to small, portable desalination units that could be powered by solar cells or batteries and could deliver enough fresh water to supply the needs of a family or small village.