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CARMA groundbreaking set for March 27
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Astronomers from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign will be major participants in the construction and operation of a new millimeter-wave telescope array to be located in the high desert of California. Groundbreaking for the facility – called the Combined Array for Research in Millimeter-Wave Astronomy – is set for 2 p.m. […]
New polyelectrolyte inks create fine-scale structures through direct writing
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Like spiders spinning webs, researchers at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign are creating complex, three-dimensional structures with micron-size features using a robotic deposition process called direct-write assembly. As reported in the March 25 issue of the journal Nature, Jennifer Lewis and her research team have developed novel inks that readily flow […]
High-performance, single-crystal plastic transistors reveal hidden behavior
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Printing circuits on sheets of plastic may offer a low-cost technique for manufacturing thin-film transistors for flexible displays, but maximizing the performance of such devices will require a detailed, fundamental understanding of how charge flows through organic semiconductors. Now, an unusual way of fabricating single-crystal organic transistors has allowed scientists to probe […]
Hidden order found in cuprates may help explain superconductivity
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Like the delicate form of an icicle defying gravity during a spring thaw, patterns emerge in nature when forces compete. Scientists at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign have found a hidden pattern in cuprate (copper-containing) superconductors that may help explain high-temperature superconductivity. Superconductivity, the complete loss of electrical resistance in some […]
Controlling material structure at nanoscale makes better thermal insulator
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Heat may be essential for life, but in some cases – such as protecting the space shuttle or improving the efficiency of a jet engine – materials with low thermal conductivities are needed to prevent passage of too much heat. As reported in the Feb. 13 issue of the journal Science, researchers […]
Etching holes in vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers creates better beam
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Researchers at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign have found a way to significantly improve the performance of vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers by drilling holes in their surfaces. Faster and cheaper long-haul optical communication systems, as well as photonic integrated circuits, could be the result. Low-cost VCSELs are currently used in data communication […]
Engineering Open House highlights ingenuity
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Wild and wacky Rube Goldberg machines, robots fighting for possession of wooden blocks, and more than 120 fun-filled exhibits are among the attractions awaiting visitors to the 84th annual Engineering Open House at the University of Illinois. The event, organized by students in the Engineering Council at Illinois, will take place from […]
Puzzling height of polar clouds linked to solar radiation
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Scientists have discovered why polar mesospheric clouds over the South Pole are nearly two miles higher than those over the North Pole. A variation in solar radiation – a result of Earth’s elliptical orbit – is responsible, they say. In the Jan. 29 online version of the journal Geophysical Research Letters, scientists […]
New algorithm speeds simulations of complex fluids
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Computer simulations play an essential role in the study of complex fluids – liquids that contain particles of different sizes. Such liquids have numerous applications, which depend on a fundamental understanding of their behavior. But the two main techniques for the atomistic simulation of liquids – the molecular dynamics technique and the […]
New light-emitting transistor could revolutionize electronics industry
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Put the inventor of the light-emitting diode and the maker of the world’s fastest transistor together in a research laboratory and what kinds of bright ideas might surface? One answer is a light-emitting transistor that could revolutionize the electronics industry. Professors Nick Holonyak Jr. and Milton Feng at the University of Illinois […]
Five Illinois professors elected as 2003 AAAS Fellows
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Five University of Illinois researchers – Ilesanmi Adesida, Craig M. Bethke, Keh-Yung (Norman) Cheng, Jeffrey S. Moore and Robert J. Novak – are among 348 scientists elected as 2003 fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. The new fellows will be formally recognized Feb. 14 for their contributions that […]
Distinguished NASA scientist to present public talk
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – David Morrison, a senior scientist at the NASA Astrobiology Institute, will present the sixth talk in the department of astronomy’s Icko Iben Jr. Distinguished Lectureship at 4 p.m. Nov. 5 in Foellinger Auditorium, 709 S. Mathews Ave., Urbana. The talk, “Cosmic Collisions: How Astronomers are Saving the World,” is free and open […]