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Technology Research News April 21, 2004

Researchers from Northwestern University, ProChimia Poland in Poland, and Harvard University have devised a way to automatically configure tiny, rotor-based machines.

The researchers made tiny rotors using photolithography, an etching process that involves light and chemicals, to construct rubber molds. The researchers filled the molds with a magnetically doped polymer, hardened the polymer using heat, then floated the pieces on a liquid.

Electromagnets beneath the surface of the liquid set the rotors spinning, causing currents that automatically arranged the rotors. By adjusting the electromagnetic field, the researchers were able to coax the rotors into different arrangements that carried out different jobs.

The researchers were able to form machines that performed simple operations like mixing, sorting particles floating on the surface of the liquid, and filling small containers with liquid.

The rotors can be switched in real-time, and are nearly free of friction, according to the researchers.

The researchers' prototype rotors were made up of magnetic cones three-quarters of millimeter in diameter and non-magnetic rings 3.6 millimeters across and two-tenths of millimeter thick. The method can be used with rotors as small as tens of microns across, according to the researchers. A micron is one thousandth of a millimeter.

The work appeared in the March 8, 2004 issue of Applied Physics Letters.

Article from :www.technologyreview.com

NEC Develops Fastest Rechargeable Battery

April 2, 2004 (TOKYO) -- NEC Corp has developed a battery that can be recharged only in 30 seconds, company sources said. Called an organic radical battery, it can be recharged to the same level of power as that stored in nickel-hydrogen cells, which are widely used in digital cameras, portable MD players and other electronic devices.

It takes only about 30 seconds to recharge the battery enough to allow 80 hours of continuous operation of an MD player, compared with around an hour needed by conventional rechargeables, the company claims.

Because of its ability to recharge faster, the new battery, which stores power in a special resin, is expected to make radio-controlled toy cars, shavers and other products much more convenient to use.

The battery can also discharge power in a short time, making it useful in applications requiring a large amount of power.

NEC believes the battery can be used as an emergency power source for computers in case of blackouts as well as in hybrid cars driven by a gasoline engine and electric motor.

The company plans to convert existing production facilities into ones able to manufacture the new product. The company expects the price of the new battery to be about the same as nickel-hydrogen cells when mass production starts, since it does not contain any expensive materials.

NEC is also developing a recharger for the battery that can be used at home as well as working on a way to prevent excessive discharge of power from the cell.

The company will initially try to commercialize the technology for using the battery as an emergency power source for computers, according to sources at NEC.

(The Nihon Keizai Shimbun)

Article from: http://neasia.nikkeibp.com