Infrared cameras are the heat-sensing eyes that help drones find their targets even in the dead of night or through heavy fog. Hiding from such detectors could become much easier, thanks to a new cloaking material that renders objects — and people — practically invisible. “What we have shown is an ultrathin stealth ‘sheet.’ Right…
With Computation, Researchers Identify Promising Solid Oxide Fuel Cell Materials
Using advanced computational methods, University of Wisconsin-Madison materials scientists have discovered new materials that could bring widespread commercial use of solid oxide fuel cells closer to reality. A solid oxide fuel cell is essentially an engine that provides an alternative way to burn fossil fuels or hydrogen to generate power. These fuel cells burn their…
Bio-Renewable Process Could Help ‘Green’ Plastic
When John Wesley Hyatt patented the first industrial plastic in 1869, his intention was to create an alternative to the elephant tusk ivory used to make piano keys. But this early plastic also sparked a revolution in the way people thought about manufacturing: What if we weren’t limited to the materials nature had to offer?…
Navy Awards UW-Madison $6.1 Million For Computer Security Research
The University of Wisconsin-Madison has been awarded a $6.1 million grant from the Office of Naval Research, a division of the United States Department of the Navy. The project is related to software security, manageability and performance. The new research project involves what are known as containers. While not a household word for average computer…
With Simple Process, Engineers Fabricate Fastest Flexible Silicon Transistor
One secret to creating the world’s fastest silicon-based flexible transistors: a very, very tiny knife. Working in collaboration with colleagues around the country, University of Wisconsin—Madison engineers have pioneered a unique method that could allow manufacturers to easily and cheaply fabricate high-performance transistors with wireless capabilities on huge rolls of flexible plastic. The researchers —…
Toward a More Resilient and Flexible Power Grid
“The biggest and most complex machine ever built by humankind.” That is how University of Wisconsin–Madison doctoral student of electrical engineering Philip Hart describes the nation’s power grid. Hart and UW–Madison electrical and computer engineering professor Tom Jahns are part of a research team charged with the formidable task of transforming that big and complex…
Study Questions Dates For Cataclysms On Early Moon, Earth
Phenomenally durable crystals called zircons are used to date some of the earliest and most dramatic cataclysms of the solar system. One is the super-duty collision that ejected material from Earth to form the moon roughly 50 million years after Earth formed. Another is the late heavy bombardment, a wave of impacts that may have…