Support the Arctic Sea Ice Forum and Blog

Author Topic: Amazing new science and engineering  (Read 1422 times)

Freegrass

  • Young ice
  • Posts: 4543
  • Autodidacticism is a complicated word
    • View Profile
  • Liked: 1460
  • Likes Given: 1378
Amazing new science and engineering
« on: April 21, 2024, 03:56:06 PM »
I didn't know where to put this video, and I've been coming across a lot of new awesome engineering projects lately, so thought I'd make a separate thread for it.

This video is about a new way of building tunnels with robots. So cool, and they think it could speed up tunnel construction tenfold.

« Last Edit: April 21, 2024, 04:08:35 PM by Freegrass »
When factual science is in conflict with our beliefs or traditions, we cuddle up in our own delusional fantasy where everything starts making sense again.

Sebastian Jones

  • Grease ice
  • Posts: 723
    • View Profile
  • Liked: 218
  • Likes Given: 160
Re: Amazing new science and engineering
« Reply #1 on: April 22, 2024, 07:44:48 AM »
Very cool!
It could perhaps have fitted into the Boring Company thread?

morganism

  • Young ice
  • Posts: 2694
    • View Profile
  • Liked: 281
  • Likes Given: 178
Re: Amazing new science and engineering
« Reply #2 on: June 09, 2024, 01:59:15 AM »
CERN’s $17-billion supercollider in question as top funder criticizes cost
Germany has raised doubts about the affordability of the Large Hadron Collider’s planned successor.

Plans for a 91-kilometre European particle accelerator are facing a serious challenge after the German government said that the project was unaffordable.

CERN, the European particle-physics laboratory outside Geneva, Switzerland, has embarked on a detailed feasibility study for the first stage of its Future Circular Collider (FCC). This stage, known as FCC-ee, would involve a machine to smash electrons together with antielectrons, and could cost some 15 billion Swiss francs (US$17 billion) by the time it is completed in the mid-2040s. The initial phase of that study, focusing on the technical aspects, had a positive outcome, CERN said in February.

But Germany, which already contributes €267 million (US$290 million) annually to CERN — some 20% of the lab’s budget — cannot afford to spend more, said Eckart Lilienthal of the country’s Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) on 23 May, at a workshop for particle physicists in Bonn, Germany.

CERN’s supercollider plan: $17-billion ‘Higgs factory’ would dwarf LHC

The preliminary cost estimates for the FCC-ee “are subject to a large number of uncertainties, the effects of which are still largely unknown”, a BMBF spokesperson told Nature. “The financing plan is extremely vague and requires a high level of commitment from external partners, which is neither assured nor even in prospect at the present time. Given these conditions, Germany cannot support funding of the project at this point.”
(more)

https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-024-01671-8
Kalingrad, the new permanent home of the Olympic Village

Freegrass

  • Young ice
  • Posts: 4543
  • Autodidacticism is a complicated word
    • View Profile
  • Liked: 1460
  • Likes Given: 1378
Re: Amazing new science and engineering
« Reply #3 on: June 09, 2024, 10:25:48 AM »
And then there is this:

How light can vaporize water without the need for heat


It's the most fundamental of processes -- the evaporation of water from the surfaces of oceans and lakes, the burning off of fog in the morning sun, and the drying of briny ponds that leaves solid salt behind. Evaporation is all around us, and humans have been observing it and making use of it for as long as we have existed.

And yet, it turns out, we've been missing a major part of the picture all along.

In a series of painstakingly precise experiments, a team of researchers at MIT has demonstrated that heat isn't alone in causing water to evaporate. Light, striking the water's surface where air and water meet, can break water molecules away and float them into the air, causing evaporation in the absence of any source of heat.

The astonishing new discovery could have a wide range of significant implications. It could help explain mysterious measurements over the years of how sunlight affects clouds, and therefore affect calculations of the effects of climate change on cloud cover and precipitation. It could also lead to new ways of designing industrial processes such as solar-powered desalination or drying of materials.

...

A newfound phenomenon

The new work builds on research reported last year, which described this new "photomolecular effect" but only under very specialized conditions: on the surface of specially prepared hydrogels soaked with water. In the new study, the researchers demonstrate that the hydrogel is not necessary for the process; it occurs at any water surface exposed to light, whether it's a flat surface like a body of water or a curved surface like a droplet of cloud vapor.

Because the effect was so unexpected, the team worked to prove its existence with as many different lines of evidence as possible. In this study, they report 14 different kinds of tests and measurements they carried out to establish that water was indeed evaporating -- that is, molecules of water were being knocked loose from the water's surface and wafted into the air -- due to the light alone, not by heat, which was long assumed to be the only mechanism involved.

One key indicator, which showed up consistently in four different kinds of experiments under different conditions, was that as the water began to evaporate from a test container under visible light, the air temperature measured above the water's surface cooled down and then leveled off, showing that thermal energy was not the driving force behind the effect.

Other key indicators that showed up included the way the evaporation effect varied depending on the angle of the light, the exact color of the light, and its polarization. None of these varying characteristics should happen because at these wavelengths, water hardly absorbs light at all -- and yet the researchers observed them.

The effect is strongest when light hits the water surface at an angle of 45 degrees. It is also strongest with a certain type of polarization, called transverse magnetic tion. And it peaks in green light -- which, oddly, is the color for which water is most transparent and thus interacts the least.

Chen and his co-researchers have proposed a physical mechanism that can explain the angle and polarization dependence of the effect, showing that the photons of light can impart a net force on water molecules at the water surface that is sufficient to knock them loose from the body of water. But they cannot yet account for the color dependence, which they say will require further study.

...

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/04/240424160652.htm
Two Bit Da Vinci just posted a great video about this. Sounds like an important discovery.

When factual science is in conflict with our beliefs or traditions, we cuddle up in our own delusional fantasy where everything starts making sense again.

Freegrass

  • Young ice
  • Posts: 4543
  • Autodidacticism is a complicated word
    • View Profile
  • Liked: 1460
  • Likes Given: 1378
Re: Amazing new science and engineering
« Reply #4 on: June 21, 2024, 02:08:32 AM »
This used to be my job for a few years when I worked at BASF in Antwerp. I really loved working with cranes, as a rigger. So when I saw this video just now, I was blown away. This crane is HUGE!!! OMG. The biggest crane I worked with was 800 ton. That was the biggest mobile crane at the time. This one is 5000.  ???

When factual science is in conflict with our beliefs or traditions, we cuddle up in our own delusional fantasy where everything starts making sense again.

morganism

  • Young ice
  • Posts: 2694
    • View Profile
  • Liked: 281
  • Likes Given: 178
Re: Amazing new science and engineering
« Reply #5 on: July 04, 2024, 09:39:52 PM »
Gravitational wave researchers cast new light on Antikythera mechanism mystery



Techniques developed to analyse the ripples in spacetime detected by one of the 21st century’s most sensitive pieces of scientific equipment have helped cast new light on the function of the oldest known analogue computer.

Techniques developed to analyse the ripples in spacetime detected by one of the 21st century’s most sensitive pieces of scientific equipment have helped cast new light on the function of the oldest known analogue computer.
 
Astronomers from the University of Glasgow have used statistical modelling techniques developed to analyse gravitational waves to establish the likely number of holes in one of the broken rings of the Antikythera mechanism – an ancient artifact which was showcased in the movie Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny.
 
While the movie version enabled the intrepid archaeologist to travel through time, the Glasgow team’s results provide fresh evidence that one of the components of the Antikythera mechanism was most likely used to track the Greek lunar year. They also offer new insight into the remarkable craftsmanship of the ancient Greeks.

Decades of subsequent research and analysis have established that the mechanism dates from the second century BCE and functioned as a kind of hand-operated mechanical computer. Exterior dials connected to the internal gears allowed users to predict eclipses and calculate the astronomical positions of planets on any given date with an accuracy unparalleled by any other known contemporary device.
 
In 2020, new X-ray images of one of the mechanism’s rings, known as the calendar ring, revealed fresh details of regularly spaced holes that sit beneath the ring. Since the ring was broken and incomplete, however, it wasn’t clear how just how many holes were there originally. Initial analysis by Antikythera researcher Chris Budiselic and colleagues suggested it was likely somewhere between 347 and 367.
 
Now, in a new paper published today in the Horological Journal, the Glasgow researchers describe how they used two statistical analysis techniques to reveal new details about the calendar ring. They show that the ring is vastly more likely to have had 354 holes, corresponding to the lunar calendar, than 365 holes, which would have followed the Egyptian calendar. The analysis also shows that 354 holes is hundreds of times more probable than a 360-hole ring, which previous research had suggested as a possible count.
 
Professor Graham Woan, of the University of Glasgow’s School of Physics & Astronomy, is one of the authors of the paper. He said: “Towards the end of last year, a colleague pointed to me to data acquired by YouTuber Chris Budiselic, who was looking to make a replica of the calendar ring and was investigating ways to determine just how many holes it contained.
 
“It struck me as an interesting problem, and one that I thought I might be able to solve in a different way during the Christmas holidays, so I set about using some statistical techniques to answer the question.”
 
Professor Woan used a technique called Bayesian analysis, which uses probability to quantify uncertainty based on incomplete data, to calculate the likely number of holes in the mechanism using the positions of the surviving holes and the placement of the ring’s surviving six fragments. His results showed strong evidence that the mechanism’s calendar ring contained either 354 or 355 holes.
 
At the same time, one of Professor Woan’s colleagues at the University’s Institute for Gravitational Research, Dr Joseph Bayley, had also heard about the problem. He adapted techniques used by their research group to analyse the signals picked up by the LIGO gravitational wave detectors, which measure the tiny ripples in spacetime, caused by massive astronomical events like the collision of black holes, as they pass through the Earth, to scrutinise the calendar ring.
 
The Markov Chain Monte Carlo and nested sampling methods Woan and Bayley used provided a comprehensive probabilistic set of results, again suggested that the ring most likely contained 354 or 355 holes in a circle of radius 77.1mm, with an uncertainty of about 1/3 mm. It also reveals that the holes were precisely positioned with extraordinary accuracy, with an average radial variation of just 0.028mm between each hole.
 
Bayley, a co-author of the paper, is a research associate at the School of Physics & Astronomy. He said: “Previous studies had suggested that the calendar ring was likely to have tracked the lunar calendar, but the dual techniques we’ve applied in this piece of work greatly increase the likelihood that this was the case.
 
“It’s given me a new appreciation for the Antikythera mechanism and the work and care that Greek craftspeople put into making it – the precision of the holes’ positioning would have required highly accurate measurement techniques and an incredibly steady hand to punch them.
 
Professor Woan added: “It’s a neat symmetry that we’ve adapted techniques we use to study the universe today to understand more about a mechanism that helped people keep track of the heavens nearly two millennia ago.
 
“We hope that our findings about the Antikythera mechanism, although less supernaturally spectacular than those made by Indiana Jones, will help deepen our understanding of how this remarkable device was made and used by the Greeks.”
 
The paper, titled ‘An Improved Calendar Ring Hole-Count for the Antikythera Mechanism: A Fresh Analysis’, is published in Horological Journal.

https://www.gla.ac.uk/news/headline_1086643_en.html
Kalingrad, the new permanent home of the Olympic Village

morganism

  • Young ice
  • Posts: 2694
    • View Profile
  • Liked: 281
  • Likes Given: 178
Re: Amazing new science and engineering
« Reply #6 on: July 09, 2024, 09:04:42 PM »
Raising the energy state of an atom’s nucleus using a laser

Nuclear spectroscopy breakthrough could rewrite the fundamental constants of nature.

Recently, Eric Hudson and his team at UCLA successfully embedded a thorium atom within a highly transparent crystal and used lasers to stimulate the thorium nucleus to absorb and emit photons, akin to the behavior of electrons in an atom.

The improved technology allows for measurements of time, gravity, and other fields with significantly higher accuracy than current measurements using atomic electrons. This is because the influence of various environmental factors on atomic electrons affects their absorption and emission of photons, limiting their accuracy. In contrast, neutrons and protons are tightly bound within the nucleus and experience minimal environmental disturbance.

With this new technology, scientists may have the ability to investigate potential variations in fundamental constants, such as the fine-structure constant, which determines the strength of the force holding atoms together.

Astronomical clues indicate that the fine-structure constant may not be constant throughout the universe or across different points in time. The fine-structure constant’s precise measurement using the nuclear clock has the potential to fundamentally redefine some of the most basic laws of nature.

“Nuclear forces are so strong it means the energy in the nucleus is a million times stronger than what you see in the electrons, which means that if the fundamental constants of nature deviate, the resulting changes in the nucleus are much bigger and more noticeable, making measurements orders of magnitude more sensitive,” Hudson said. “Using a nuclear clock for these measurements will provide the most sensitive test of ‘constant variation’ to date, and it is likely no experiment for the next 100 years will rival it.”

Hudson’s team put forth the initial proposal for a set of experiments aimed at exciting thorium-229 nuclei embedded in crystals using a laser. They have dedicated the past 15 years to achieving the recently published findings. The challenge lies in exciting neutrons in the atomic nucleus with laser light due to their interaction with surrounding electrons, which readily respond to light and can diminish the number of photons capable of reaching the nucleus. When a particle elevates its energy level, such as through photon absorption, it is described as being in an “excited” state.

The researchers at UCLA placed thorium-229 atoms inside a transparent crystal that is abundant in fluorine. Fluorine has a strong ability to create bonds with other atoms, trapping the atoms and revealing the nucleus like a fly caught in a spider’s web. The electrons were tightly bound to the fluorine, requiring a high amount of energy to excite them, which allowed low-energy light to reach the nucleus.

The thorium nuclei were able to absorb these photons and emit them back, enabling the detection and measurement of nucleus excitation. By altering the photon energy and observing the frequency of nucleus excitation, the team managed to determine the energy of the excited nuclear state.

“We have never been able to drive nuclear transitions like this with a laser before,” Hudson said. “If you hold the thorium in place with a transparent crystal, you can talk to it with light.”

Hudson expressed that the new technology has potential applications in fields requiring extreme precision in timekeeping, such as sensing, communications, and navigation. Current electron-based atomic clocks are large, requiring vacuum chambers to trap atoms and cooling equipment. In contrast, a thorium-based nuclear clock would be much smaller, more robust, more portable, and more accurate.

In addition to commercial uses, the new nuclear spectroscopy has the potential to unveil some of the universe’s greatest mysteries. Precise measurement of an atom’s nucleus provides a new approach to understanding its properties and interactions with energy and the environment. As a result, scientists will be able to test some of their most fundamental concepts about matter, energy, and the laws of space and time.

The research was funded by the U.S. National Science Foundation.

“For many decades, increasingly precise measurements of fundamental constants have allowed us to better understand the universe at all scales and subsequently develop new technologies that grow our economy and strengthen our national security,” said Denise Caldwell, acting assistant director of NSF’s Mathematical and Physical Sciences Directorate, which provided funding for the research. “This nucleus-based technique could one day allow scientists to measure some fundamental constants so precisely that we might have to stop calling them ‘constant.'”

https://www.techexplorist.com/raising-energy-state-atoms-nucleus-using-laser/85800/

....

(effect only lasts a few seconds, but wonder if this could be a cheap and small grav wave detector too. Dark matter background hum would be very interesting too...)

....

Laser Excitation of the 229Th Nuclear Isomeric Transition in a Solid-State Host.

LiSrAlF6 crystals doped with Th229 are used in a laser-based search for the nuclear isomeric transition. Two spectroscopic features near the nuclear transition energy are observed. The first is a broad excitation feature that produces redshifted fluorescence that decays with a timescale of a few seconds. The second is a narrow, laser-linewidth-limited spectral feature at 148.382 19(4)stat(20)sys  nm [2020 407.3(5)stat(30)sys  GHz] that decays with a lifetime of 568(13)stat(20)sys  s. This feature is assigned to the excitation of the Th229 nuclear isomeric state, whose energy is found to be 8.355 733(2)stat(10)sys  eV in Th229:LiSrAlF6.
Kalingrad, the new permanent home of the Olympic Village

morganism

  • Young ice
  • Posts: 2694
    • View Profile
  • Liked: 281
  • Likes Given: 178
Re: Amazing new science and engineering
« Reply #7 on: July 26, 2024, 11:00:32 PM »
DARPA Brings Next-Gen US Microelectronics Manufacturing Closer to Reality

New agreement to establish domestic 3DHI production capability

The Next-Generation Microelectronics Manufacturing program, known as NGMM, aims to unlock accessible prototyping for the chips of tomorrow with a new agreement to establish the first-ever national center for advancing U.S.-based microelectronics manufacturing.

DARPA will work with the University of Texas at Austin and its existing Texas Institute for Electronics research center to establish a consortium to support 3D heterogeneous integration (3DHI) microsystems research, development, and low-volume production. Building on the program’s Phase 0 foundational research, NGMM’s next two phases focus on a domestic capability that comprehensively addresses key challenges and strengthens U.S. technological leadership and innovation.

“We’re holistically addressing tomorrow’s challenges and solutions. That starts with an onshore, open-access center for 3DHI microsystems prototyping and pilot line manufacturing,” said Dr. Whitney Mason, director of DARPA’s Microsystems Technology Office. “This accessibility to researchers from academia, government, and industry will break down silos and foster an ecosystem that enhances the U.S. competitive advantage.”

The consortium will leverage partnerships spanning organizations – across the defense industrial base, domestic foundries, vendors and startups, designers and manufacturers, members of academia, and other stakeholders – to achieve a shared vision of national and economic security.

DARPA’s work in microelectronics R&D align with, but are separate from, broader government initiatives to secure microchip supply chains. NGMM is funded by the Defense Department budget, rather than the CHIPS and Science Act of 2022 aimed at near-term domestic semiconductor manufacturing. However, cross-collaboration remains integral to building onshore capacity. For DOD, that includes programmatic investment in over-the-horizon technologies for both national security and commercial applications – a key goal for NGMM.

“We can’t overstate need for constant and unwavering forward momentum in microelectronics capabilities. The CHIPS Act’s near-term emphasis can help reinforce NGMM’s work toward realizing the next major wave of microelectronics innovation,” Mason said. “Supply chain resilience and reducing overseas reliance requires working together as a community, with both traditional and non-traditional members. That’s what this program is about.”

https://www.darpa.mil/news-events/2024-07-18
Kalingrad, the new permanent home of the Olympic Village

morganism

  • Young ice
  • Posts: 2694
    • View Profile
  • Liked: 281
  • Likes Given: 178
Re: Amazing new science and engineering
« Reply #8 on: August 14, 2024, 01:15:23 AM »

NIST Releases First 3 Finalized Post-Quantum Encryption Standards       August 13, 2024

    NIST has released a final set of encryption tools designed to withstand the attack of a quantum computer.
    These post-quantum encryption standards secure a wide range of electronic information, from confidential email messages to e-commerce transactions that propel the modern economy.
    NIST is encouraging computer system administrators to begin transitioning to the new standards as soon as possible.

(after releasing a backdoored/flawed algo last go-round, lets see if folks pick this apart again. IBM submissions, i heard...)


https://www.schneier.com/
Kalingrad, the new permanent home of the Olympic Village

morganism

  • Young ice
  • Posts: 2694
    • View Profile
  • Liked: 281
  • Likes Given: 178
Re: Amazing new science and engineering
« Reply #9 on: August 21, 2024, 09:14:18 PM »
 Electrostatic Motors Reach the Macro Scale   (this could be huge in the drone space.)

It turns out that Benjamin Franklin was on to something in 1747

(...)
For decades, however, engineers have been tantalized by the virtues of motors based on an entirely different principle: electrostatics. In some applications, these motors could offer an overall boost in efficiency ranging from 30 percent to close to 100 percent, according to experiment-based analysis. And, perhaps even better, they would use only cheap, plentiful materials, rather than the rare-earth elements, special steel alloys, and copious quantities of copper found in conventional motors.

“Electrification has its sustainability challenges,” notes Daniel Ludois, a professor of electrical engineering at the University of Wisconsin in Madison. But “an electrostatic motor doesn’t need windings, doesn’t need magnets, and it doesn’t need any of the critical materials that a conventional machine needs.”
(more)
Their current prototype is capable of delivering torque as high as 18 newton meters and power at 360 watts (0.5 horsepower)—characteristics they claim are “the highest torque and power measurements for any rotating electrostatic machine.”

The results are reported in a paper, “Synchronous Electrostatic Machines for Direct Drive Industrial Applications,” to be presented at the 2024 IEEE Energy Conversion Congress and Exposition, which will be held from 20 to 24 October in Phoenix, Ariz. In the paper, Ludois and four colleagues describe an electrostatic machine they built, which they describe as the first such machine capable of “driving a load performing industrial work, in this case, a constant-pressure pump system.”
(snio)
“Electrostatic motors are amazing once you get below about the millimeter scale, and they get better and better as they get smaller and smaller,” says Philip Krein, a professor of electrical engineering at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. “There’s a crossover at which they are better than magnetic motors.”

For larger motors, however, the opposite is true. “At macro scale, electromagnetism wins, is the textbook answer,” notes Ludois. “Well, we’ve decided to challenge that wisdom.”

For this quest he and his team found inspiration in a lesser-known accomplishment of one of the United States’ founding fathers. “The fact is that Benjamin Franklin built and demonstrated a macroscopic electrostatic motor in 1747,” says Krein. “He actually used the motor as a rotisserie to grill a turkey on a riverbank in Philadelphia”
(snip)
Let’s unpack that. A conventional electric motor works because a rotating magnetic field, set up in a fixed structure called a stator, engages with the magnetic field of another structure called a rotor, causing that rotor to spin. The force involved is called the Lorentz force. But what makes an electrostatic machine go ‘round is an entirely different force, called the Coulomb force. This is the attractive or repulsive physical force between opposite or like electrical charges.

Overcoming the Air Gap Problem

C-Motive’s motor uses nonconductive rotor and stator disks on which have been deposited many thin, closely spaced conductors radiating outward from the disk’s center, like spokes in a bicycle wheel. Precisely timed electrostatic charges applied to these “spokes” create two waves of voltage, one in the stator and another in the rotor. The phase difference between the rotor and stator waves is timed and controlled to maximize the torque in the rotor caused by this sequence of attraction and repulsion among the spokes. To further wring as much torque as possible, the machine has half a dozen each of rotors and stators, alternating and stacked like compact discs on a spindle.
(snip)
A dielectric with high permittivity concentrates the electric field between oppositely charged electrodes, enabling greater energy to be stored in the space between them. After screening hundreds of candidates over several years, the C-Motive team succeeded in producing an organic liquid dielectric with low viscosity and a relative permittivity in the low 20s. For comparison, the relative permittivity of air is 1.

Another challenge was supplying the 2,000 volts their machine needs to operate. High voltages are necessary to create the intense electric fields between the rotors and stators. To precisely control these fields, C-Motive was able to take advantage of the availability of inexpensive and stupendously capable power electronics, according to Ludois. For their most recent motor, they developed a drive system based on readily available 4.5-kilovolt insulated-gate bipolar transistors, but the rate of advancement in power semiconductors means they have many attractive choices here, and will have even more in the near future.

Ludois reports that C-Motive is now testing a 750-watt (1 hp) motor in applications with potential customers. Their next machines will be in the range of 750 to 3,750 watts (1 to 5 hp), he adds. These will be powerful enough for an expanded range of applications in industrial automation, manufacturing, and heating, ventilating, and air conditioning.
(fin)

https://spectrum.ieee.org/electrostatic-motor
Kalingrad, the new permanent home of the Olympic Village

morganism

  • Young ice
  • Posts: 2694
    • View Profile
  • Liked: 281
  • Likes Given: 178
Re: Amazing new science and engineering
« Reply #10 on: August 25, 2024, 08:32:22 AM »
Japan on edge of EUV lithography chip-making revolution
(...)
To paraphrase OIST, this is how it works: In traditional optical systems such as cameras, telescopes and older lithography tools, the aperture and lenses are symmetric to the central axis – i.e., arranged in a straight line. This configuration enables high optical performance with minimal aberrations, resulting in high-quality images.

However, this is not possible with extremely short-wave EUV light, which is absorbed by most materials and cannot travel through transparent lenses. For this reason, in EUV lithography systems, the light is directed using crescent-shaped mirrors that reflect the rays in an asymmetrical zigzag pattern.

This method “sacrifices important optical properties and reduces the overall performance of the system,” according to OIST.

To eliminate this problem, Professor Shintake aligned two axis-symmetric mirrors in a straight line and used a total of only four mirrors instead of ten.

Because highly absorbent EUV light weakens by 40% with each reflection, only about 1% of the energy from the light source reaches the wafer when bounced off ten mirrors while more than 10% does when only four mirrors are used.

This makes it possible to use a smaller EUV light source with only one-tenth the power.

Over 20 years ago, Phil Ware, an American engineer working for Japan’s Canon, told a technology seminar at the Semicon West industry exhibition in San Francisco that the problem with EUV lithography was that its power consumption was measured in “HDEs – Hoover Dam Equivalents.”

If Professor Shintake’s design works as intended, this problem may finally be solved. “Like the egg of Columbus, [it] may seem impossible at first glance, but once solved, it becomes very simple,” Shintake said about the problem of EUV power consumption.

As for the projector that transfers the circuit pattern on the photomask to the silicon wafer, OIST’s design consists of only two reflective mirrors, like an astronomical telescope.

“This configuration is unimaginably simple,” Shintake says, “given that conventional projectors require at least six reflective mirrors. This was made possible by carefully rethinking the aberration correction theory of optics.”

https://asiatimes.com/2024/08/japan-on-edge-of-euv-lithography-chip-making-revolution/
Kalingrad, the new permanent home of the Olympic Village

morganism

  • Young ice
  • Posts: 2694
    • View Profile
  • Liked: 281
  • Likes Given: 178
Re: Amazing new science and engineering
« Reply #11 on: September 02, 2024, 09:42:47 PM »
Electrified thermochemical reaction systems with high-frequency metamaterial reactors

Context & scale
The chemical industry is challenging to decarbonize because of its need for high-grade heat, which is typically supplied by combusting fossil fuels. Our research introduces metamaterial reactors as a new electrified heating platform for decarbonizing thermochemical processes. With proper co-design of the reactor metamaterial baffle with power electronics, volumetric heating is achieved with near-unity conversion of electricity to internal heat.
Reactor scaling to industrially relevant sizes can be readily achieved by customization of the metamaterial baffle. As reactor size increases, the total system efficiency naturally increases and approaches the efficiency of the power electronics (>90%). Our reactor additionally features enhanced heat transfer properties that can enable operation under process-intensified conditions, yielding significant opportunities to reduce reactor size and capital costs in scaled systems.
Highlights

A metamaterial reactor powered using high-frequency magnetic induction is implemented

Volumetric heating is realized by metamaterial baffle and power electronics co-design

The conversion efficiency of electricity to internal reactor heat is over 85%

Near-equilibrium conversion of the reverse water-gas shift reaction is demonstrated
Summary
We present metamaterial reactors as an innovative class of electrified thermochemical reactors that utilize high-frequency magnetic induction of an open-lattice metamaterial baffle to generate volumetric heat. A central design feature is the modeling of the metamaterial as an effective electrically conducting medium, abstracting its detailed microscopic geometry to a macroscopic susceptor description suitable for reactor-scale electromagnetic characterization. Co-design of the power electronics with the metamaterial provides design rules for efficient and volumetric heating, including the requirement for high induction frequencies. We implement lab-scale reactors with ceramic metamaterial baffles (39 mm in diameter) and megahertz-frequency power amplifiers to perform the reverse water-gas shift reaction, demonstrating reactor operation with near-unity heating efficiencies and radially uniform heating profiles. These clean energy concepts provide a broader context for structured reactors in which volumetric internal heating and complementary reaction engineering properties are collectively tailored to enable ideal operation regimes.
(more, and pdf)

https://www.cell.com/joule/fulltext/S2542-4351(24)00346-5?_returnURL=https%3A%2F%2Flinkinghub.elsevier.com%2Fretrieve%2Fpii%2FS2542435124003465%3Fshowall%3Dtrue
Kalingrad, the new permanent home of the Olympic Village

morganism

  • Young ice
  • Posts: 2694
    • View Profile
  • Liked: 281
  • Likes Given: 178
Re: Amazing new science and engineering
« Reply #12 on: September 06, 2024, 01:14:33 AM »
How Origami-Inspired Phased Arrays are Reshaping the Future of Antennas

Folding antennas into different shapes to create near infinite radiation patterns.
(...)
To freshen things up a bit, I decided to look up latest research from the 2024 International Microwave Symposium, the premier conference in the field of RF and Microwave engineering. What I found was an idea so interesting that I felt compelled to write about it.

As it turns out, there is a new class of RF circuits that draw inspiration from Origami, the Japanese1 art of paper folding. Just like you can make different shapes out of paper, you can physically reconfigure circuits to operate differently.

Hani Al Jamal, a PhD student, and a team of researchers led by Prof. Manos Tentzeris at Georgia Tech, authored a paper titled Beyond Planar: An Additively Manufactured, Origami-Inspired Shape-Changing, and RFIC-Based Phased Array for Near-Limitless Radiation Pattern Reconfigurability in 5G/mm-Wave Applications, which won the Best Paper Award at the 2024 International Microwave Symposium.

This paper describes a phased array antenna from which you can synthesize any radiation pattern. It uses both electronic and physical modifications to achieve this.

Special thanks to Hani for providing additional information, pictures and for reviewing a draft of this post.

In this post, we will get into the details of exactly how this works.

    Need for Adaptive RF Circuits

    Eggbox Phased Array

    Interconnect Systems

    Practical Applications

Need for Adaptive RF Circuits

Fixed RF systems are not optimum for changing RF environments. It is preferable if RF blocks are context aware and adjust to give optimal overall system performance. Previously, reconfigurability meant that components such as antennas were mounted on large servos and moved about to point to the source of the signal. In fact, radio astronomers continue to build big parabolic dishes on train tracks and move them about to make various configurations in order to receive faint signals from space. This is often too slow for modern applications.

Engineers soon realized that they could achieve the same outcomes by steering antennas with phased arrays. Instead of shifting the antennas, they could achieve the same result by adjusting the phase shift between separate antennas. The constructive and destructive interference between the array's antennas helped to steer the radiated beam without physically moving it. Because everything is electronic, steering antennas takes only a few microseconds.

If you need an introduction to antenna and phased arrays, check out my earlier posts.

What if we could combine physical alteration and electronic beam steering? This is an excellent use for foldable phased arrays, as it allows for slow, origami-like physical transformations, followed by quick directional changes via electronic beam steering. Can we create any antenna pattern we desire and then direct the beam?

Eggbox Phased Array

The phased array antenna in the Georgia Tech research paper was inspired by the design of an eggbox made of paper. It's just a grid of upside-down square-base pyramids with an open base for eggs. The research study describes how one of these open-base pyramids might be utilized as a foundation for bigger reconfigurable arrays. When looking at just one of them, the unit cell resembles an origami fortune teller, which my children frequently build.

A 4-element phased array antenna is installed on all four faces of this eggbox-unit/fortune-teller, and the beam is steered in 11.25° increments by a Qorvo AWMF-0108 28 GHz beamformer RFIC.

This unit cell, like an origami design, may be folded across either axis or laid flat, allowing you to physically change the direction of radiation. Because the phased array antenna on each face can steer the beam further, the antenna can be utilized to generate almost any radiation pattern using a combination of physical folding and electronic beam steering.

Here are some ways to shape the radiated beam from this antenna.

    360° azimuth coverage: In its pyramidal arrangement, activate only one phased array and direct the beam to its maximum value before switching to the phased array on the next face. This ensures a continuous handoff between multiple phased arrays on the faces while also providing 360° azimuth beam steering.

    Bending along an axis: Fold the array along any one axis, and as the fold angle reduces the radiation pattern changes from a four-beam to a two-beam configuration, as illustrated in the image.

    Arbitrary shaped beams: Fold the array by an arbitrary angle across either axis, turn on anywhere from a single phased array to all four phased arrays, apply digital weights to the phased array to control both amplitude and phase to antenna elements (even gain tapering to control grating lobes), and you can virtually synthesize any radiation pattern you are looking for.
(more)

https://www.viksnewsletter.com/p/origami-inspired-phased-arrays

....

Beyond Planar: An Additively Manufactured, Origami-Inspired Shape-Changing, and RFIC-Based Phased Array for Near-Limitless Radiation Pattern Reconfigurability in 5G/mm-Wave Applications

https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/abstract/document/10531260

This letter presents an origami-inspired phased array operating at 28 GHz, with on-structure beamformer RFICs and a flexible feeding network that utilizes a foldable hinge interconnect. The mm-wave origami phased array therein operates at a substantially smaller scale compared with prior literature and achieves remarkable integration with on-structure beamforming circuitry. It introduces the first additively manufactured fully foldable hinge interconnect, exhibiting near-constant insertion loss across various folding angles and cycles. Leveraging origami principles, the phased array offers near 360° continuous beam steering in the azimuth plane with reconfigurable multibeam or quasi-isotropic radiation patterns. Additive manufacturing techniques, including 3-D and inkjet printing, are used to fabricate a low-cost and lightweight prototype. Measurements demonstrating near-limitless pattern reconfigurability due to mechanical shape change and electrical beam steering signify a significant leap in overcoming challenges faced by traditional phased arrays.

Published in: IEEE Microwave and Wireless Technology Letters ( Volume: 34, Issue: 6, June 2024)
Page(s): 841 - 844
Date of Publication: 16 May 2024
ISSN Information:
DOI: 10.1109/LMWT.2024.3396026

Kalingrad, the new permanent home of the Olympic Village

morganism

  • Young ice
  • Posts: 2694
    • View Profile
  • Liked: 281
  • Likes Given: 178
Re: Amazing new science and engineering
« Reply #13 on: September 07, 2024, 11:05:57 PM »
(a thread that started out as a Xbox repair discussion, gets into an amazing explanation of those chip capacitors...)

https://chaos.social/@gsuberland/113084315488845513
Kalingrad, the new permanent home of the Olympic Village

morganism

  • Young ice
  • Posts: 2694
    • View Profile
  • Liked: 281
  • Likes Given: 178
Re: Amazing new science and engineering
« Reply #14 on: September 19, 2024, 11:47:25 PM »
 New organic thermoelectric device that can harvest energy at room temperature

Researchers have succeeded in developing a framework for organic thermoelectric power generation from ambient temperature and without a temperature gradient


Fukuoka, Japan—Researchers have developed a new organic thermoelectric device that can harvest energy from ambient temperature. While thermoelectric devices have several uses today, hurdles still exist to their full utilization. By combining the unique abilities of organic materials, the team succeeded in developing a framework for thermoelectric power generation at room temperature without any temperature gradient. Their findings were published in the journal Nature Communications.

Thermoelectric devices, or thermoelectric generators, are a series of energy-generating materials that can convert heat into electricity so long as there is a temperature gradient—where one side of the device is hot and the other side is cool. Such devices have been a significant focus of research and development for their potential utility in harvesting waste heat from other energy-generating methods.

Perhaps the most well-known use of thermoelectric generators is in space probes such as the Mars Curiosity rover or the Voyager probe. These machines are powered by radioisotope thermoelectric generators, where the heat generated from radioactive isotopes provides the temperature gradient for the thermoelectric devices to power their instruments. However, due to issues including high production cost, use of hazardous materials, low energy efficiency, and the necessity of relatively high temperatures, thermoelectric devices remain underutilized today.

“We were investigating ways to make a thermoelectric device that could harvest energy from ambient temperature. Our lab focuses on the utility and application of organic compounds, and many organic compounds have unique properties where they can easily transfer energy between each other.” explains Professor Chihaya Adachi of Kyushu University’s Center for Organic Photonics and Electronics Research (OPERA) who led the study. “A good example of the power of organic compounds can be found in OLEDs or organic solar cells.”

The key was to find compounds that work well as charge transfer interfaces, meaning that they can easily transfer electrons between each other. After testing various materials, the team found two viable compounds: copper phthalocyanine (CuPc) and copper hexadecafluoro phthalocyanine (F16CuPc).

“To improve the thermoelectric property of this new interface, we also incorporated fullerenes and BCP,” continues Adachi. “These are known to be good facilitators of electron transport. Adding these compounds together significantly enhanced the device’s power. In the end, we had an optimized device with a 180 nm layer of CuPc, 320 nm of F16CuPc, 20 nm of fullerene, and 20 nm of BCP.”

The optimized device had an open-circuit voltage of 384 mV, a short-circuit current density of 1.1 μA/cm2, and a maximum output of 94 nW/cm2. Moreover, all these results were achieved at room temperature without the use of a temperature gradient.

“There have been considerable advances in the development of thermoelectric devices, and our new proposed organic device will certainly help move things forward,” concludes Adachi. “We would like to continue working on this new device and see if we can optimize it further with different materials. We can even likely achieve a higher current density if we increase the device’s area, which is unusual even for organic materials. It just goes to show you that organic materials hold amazing potential.”
(fin)

https://www.kyushu-u.ac.jp/en/researches/view/299/

....

Organic thermoelectric device utilizing charge transfer interface as the charge generation by harvesting thermal energy

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-024-52047-5


We propose an organic thermoelectric device having a new power generation mechanism that extracts small-scale thermal energy, i.e., a few tens of millielectronvolts, at room temperature without a temperature gradient. We demonstrate a new operating mechanism based on an organic thermoelectric power generation architecture that uses the charge separation capabilities of organic charge transfer (CT) interfaces composed of copper (II) phthalocyanine and copper (II) 1,2,3,4,8,9,10,11,15,16,17,18,22,23,24,25-hexadecafluoro-29H,31H-phthalocyanine as the donor and acceptor, respectively. With the optimized device architecture, values of open-circuit voltage VOC of 384 mV, short-circuit current density JSC of 1.1 μA/cm2, and maximum output Pmax of 94 nW/cm2 are obtained. The temperature characteristics of the thermoelectric properties yield activation energy values of approximately 20–60 meV, confirming the low-level thermal energy’s contribution to the power generation mechanism. Furthermore, from surface potential analysis using a Kelvin probe, we confirm that charges are generated at the CT interface, and the electrons and holes are diffused to the counter-electrodes with the aid of Fermi-level alignment between adjacent layers.
Kalingrad, the new permanent home of the Olympic Village

morganism

  • Young ice
  • Posts: 2694
    • View Profile
  • Liked: 281
  • Likes Given: 178
Re: Amazing new science and engineering
« Reply #15 on: September 22, 2024, 01:27:21 AM »
(there was a story about the Flow corp further up-thread. Looks like they built a FPGA mock-up and have been working on the software for pipelining and parallelization. Says can be used with existing CPU's)

 Startup Says It Can Make a 100x Faster CPU

Flow Computing aims to boost central processing units with their ‘parallel processing units’

(...)
According to Forsell, there are four main requirements for a computer architecture that’s optimized for parallelism: tolerating memory latency, which means finding ways to not just sit idle while the next piece of data is being loaded from memory; sufficient bandwidth for communication between so-called threads, chains of processor instructions that are running in parallel; efficient synchronization, which means making sure the parallel parts of the code execute in the correct order; and low-level parallelism, or the ability to use the multiple functional units that actually perform mathematical and logical operations simultaneously. For Flow Computing new approach, “we have redesigned, or started designing an architecture from scratch, from the beginning, for parallel computation,” Forsell says.

Any CPU can be potentially upgraded

To hide the latency of memory access, the PPU implements multi-threading: when each thread calls to memory, another thread can start running while the first thread waits for a response. To optimize bandwidth, the PPU is equipped with a flexible communication network, such that any functional unit can talk to any other one as needed, also allowing for low-level parallelism. To deal with synchronization delays, it utilizes a proprietary algorithm called wave synchronization that is claimed to be up to 10,000 times more efficient than traditional synchronization protocols.

To demonstrate the power of the PPU, Forsell and his collaborators built a proof-of-concept FPGA implementation of their design. The team says that the FPGA performed identically to their simulator, demonstrating that the PPU is functioning as expected. The team performed several comparison studies between their PPU design and existing CPUS. “Up to 100x [improvement] was reached in our preliminary performance comparisons assuming that there would be a silicon implementation of a Flow PPU running at the same speed as one of the compared commercial processors and using our microarchitecture,” Forsell says.

Now, the team is working on a compiler for their PPU, as well as looking for partners in the CPU production space. They are hoping that a large CPU manufacturer will be interested in their product, so that they could work on a co-design. Their PPU can be implemented with any instruction set architecture, so any CPU can be potentially upgraded.

“Now is really the time for this technology to go to market,” says Keller. “Because now we have the necessity of energy efficient computing in mobile devices, and at the same time, we have the need for high computational performance.”

https://spectrum.ieee.org/parallel-processing-unit
Kalingrad, the new permanent home of the Olympic Village

morganism

  • Young ice
  • Posts: 2694
    • View Profile
  • Liked: 281
  • Likes Given: 178
Re: Amazing new science and engineering
« Reply #16 on: September 26, 2024, 01:11:26 AM »
Why Mark Zuckerberg thinks AR glasses will replace your phone
Meta’s CEO on his first pair of AR glasses, partnering with Ray-Ban, why he’s done with politics, and more.

https://www.theverge.com/24253481/meta-ceo-mark-zuckerberg-ar-glasses-orion-ray-bans-ai-decoder-interview
Kalingrad, the new permanent home of the Olympic Village

morganism

  • Young ice
  • Posts: 2694
    • View Profile
  • Liked: 281
  • Likes Given: 178
Re: Amazing new science and engineering
« Reply #17 on: September 26, 2024, 08:56:28 PM »
Are there individual protons and neutrons in a nucleus?



The popular science material always talks about the number of protons and neutrons in a nucleus, but I've always wondered if that's a real thing nuclear physicists believe or if it is just a convenient model. In other words, is there some reason to believe that an atomic nucleus isn't just a single particle with mass and charge equal to a certain number of protons and neutrons instead of a clump of individual protons and neutrons? Are there experiments to distinguish one situation from the other? It's hard to imagine what such an experiment would be like. Anything that produces a fragment of a nucleus could be interpreted in either of two ways: a certain number of protons and neutrons broke off of the clump, or the single particle transmutes into smaller particles.

https://physics.stackexchange.com/questions/828872/are-there-individual-protons-and-neutrons-in-a-nucleus
Kalingrad, the new permanent home of the Olympic Village

morganism

  • Young ice
  • Posts: 2694
    • View Profile
  • Liked: 281
  • Likes Given: 178
Re: Amazing new science and engineering
« Reply #18 on: October 01, 2024, 12:19:33 AM »
 Build a No-Fuss Particle Detector

The BetaBoard is an inexpensive and robust way to see the invisible

There’s nothing like particle physics to make you aware that we exist in an endless three-dimensional pinball game. All around us, subatomic particles arc, collide, and barrel along with merry abandon. Some originate within our own bodies, others come from the far ends of the cosmos. But detecting this invisible tumult requires equipment, which can be costly. I wanted to create a way to detect at least some of the pinballs for less than US $15.

My main reason was to have a new teaching tool. I’m doing a Ph.D. in the Physics Institute III B at RWTH Aachen University, and I realized such a detector would help satisfy my teaching obligations while tapping into my interests in physics, electronics, and software design.

Fortunately, I didn’t have to start from scratch. Oliver Keller at CERN’s S’Cool Lab has created a DIY particle detector that relies on inexpensive silicon photodiodes to detect alpha and beta particles (helium nuclei and free electrons whizzing through the air, respectively) and estimate their energy. Normally, photodiodes are used to respond to light, such as the signals used in fiber-optic communications. But a charged particle striking the photodiode will also produce a pulse of current, with higher-energy particles generating bigger pulses. In practice, given typical conditions and the sensitivity of the photodiodes, this primarily means detecting beta particles.

In Keller’s design, these pulses are amplified, converted to voltages, and transmitted via a cable from an audio jack on the detector to the microphone input of a laptop or smartphone. The data is then digitized and recorded.

A colleague of mine had built the CERN device, but I realized there was room for improvement. Passing the analog pulse signal through the length of an audio cable left the detector prone to noise from various sources. In addition, the design requires its own power source, in the form of a 9-volt battery. Apart from the hassle of having a separate battery, this also means that if you miswire the device, you’ll send an unacceptable voltage into an expensive smartphone!

https://spectrum.ieee.org/diy-handheld-radiation-detector
Kalingrad, the new permanent home of the Olympic Village

morganism

  • Young ice
  • Posts: 2694
    • View Profile
  • Liked: 281
  • Likes Given: 178
Re: Amazing new science and engineering
« Reply #19 on: October 07, 2024, 12:14:37 AM »
(but, but, but....I had the same trouble with osmosis.)

Chemist challenges traditional views on crystal growth

by Tracey Peake, North Carolina State University
Graphical abstract. Credit: Matter (2024). DOI: 10.1016/j.matt.2024.08.011

Remember that old high school chemistry experiment where salt crystals precipitate out of a saltwater solution—or maybe the one where rock candy crystals form from sugar water? It turns out that your understanding of how crystals formed in those solutions might be wrong.

A new theory demystifies the crystallization process and shows that the material that crystallizes is the dominant component within a solution—which is the solvent, not the solute. The theory could have implications for everything from drug development to understanding climate change.

The paper is published in the journal Matter.

"Crystals are ubiquitous—we use them in everything from technology to medicine—but our actual understanding of the crystallization process has been lacking," says James Martin, professor of chemistry at North Carolina State University and author of a paper in Matter that outlines the theory.

"The prevailing ideas around dissolving and precipitating are that they're essentially the reverse of each other, but they aren't. In reality, they are completely different processes," Martin says.

"Using the high school chemistry experiment with getting precipitate out of a solution as an example: when I dissolve salt (the solute) into water (the solvent), the water is dominant. It dissolves the salt by essentially ripping it apart," Martin says. "If I then want to grow a salt crystal from that solution, the dominant phase must become the salt—which is the solvent at that point and is the one that forms the crystal."

Thermodynamic phase diagrams, which describe concentration and temperature-dependent transition points in solutions, can be used to illustrate the new theory, dubbed the transition-zone theory.

The theory demonstrates that crystallization happens in two steps: first a melt-like pre-growth intermediate forms. Then that intermediate can organize into the crystal structure.

"To grow a crystal out of a solution, you have to quickly separate the solvent and solute," Martin says. "When we refer to the 'melt' here, we're talking about the pure phase of the solvent prior to crystal formation. The difference here is that my theory shows you get better, faster crystal growth by moving your solution toward conditions that emphasize the solvent; in other words, the solvent—not the impurity within it—controls the rate of crystal growth."

Martin applied his theory to a number of different solutions, concentrations and temperature conditions and found that it accurately describes the rate and size of crystal formation.

"The main issue with previous descriptions of crystallization was the perception that crystals grow by having independent solute particles diffuse to, and then attach to a growing crystal interface," Martin says. "Instead, it is necessary to understand cooperative ensembles of the solvent to describe crystal growth."

According to Martin, the important aspect of the new theory is its focus on understanding how solute impurities disrupt that cooperative ensemble of solvent.

"By understanding the interplay of temperature and concentration, we can predict exactly how fast and large crystals will grow out of solution."

Martin believes the phase diagrams could have important applications for not just crystal formation, but for preventing crystal formation, such as preventing kidney stones from growing.

"Crystals underpin technology—they're all around us and impact our daily lives," Martin says. "This theory gives researchers simple tools to understand the 'magic' of crystal growth and make better predictions. It's an example of how foundational science lays the foundation for solving all kinds of real-world problems."

https://phys.org/news/2024-10-chemist-traditional-views-crystal-growth.html

....
Solutes don’t crystallize! Insights from phase diagrams demystify the “magic” of crystallization

https://www.cell.com/matter/abstract/S2590-2385(24)00443-0



Progress and potential
Whether growing crystals for solar cells, modeling ice formation in clouds, or preventing kidney stones, there is a need for accurate mechanistic descriptions of crystal growth. Traditional models presume that crystals grow by diffusion and attachment of individual solute particles to a growth interface. However, that assumption is thermodynamically invalid since equilibrium-phase diagrams establish only the solvent-phase crystallizes.
A new paradigm for solution crystal growth, grounded in thermodynamics and reliant on the cooperative-ensemble nature of condensed matter, is presented. Our transition-zone theory demonstrates that solution crystallization proceeds by the formation of a melt-like pre-growth intermediate followed by the rate-determining cooperative organization into the long-range order of a crystal. This new paradigm resolves mechanistic riddles and provides important mechanistic insights into the grand challenges of climate and earth changes, sustainable energy, and health.
Kalingrad, the new permanent home of the Olympic Village

morganism

  • Young ice
  • Posts: 2694
    • View Profile
  • Liked: 281
  • Likes Given: 178
Re: Amazing new science and engineering
« Reply #20 on: October 20, 2024, 09:35:06 AM »
(wow,wow, wow!)

At Rapid Liquid Print, we enable mass customization and unlock previously impossible designs for products of all sizes across industries. By transforming elastomer manufacturing with our patented Gravity Free Manufacturing™ technology, we're pushing the boundaries of what's possible.​​​​‌‍​‍​‍‌‍‌​‍‌‍‍‌‌‍‌‌‍‍‌‌‍‍​‍​‍​‍‍​‍​‍‌​‌‍​‌‌‍‍‌‍‍‌‌‌​‌‍‌​‍‍‌‍‍‌‌‍​‍​‍​‍​​‍​‍‌‍‍​‌​‍‌‍‌‌‌‍‌‍​‍​‍​‍‍​‍​‍‌‍‍​‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​​‍‍​‍​‍‌​‍‌‍​‌​​​‍‍‌​‌‍​‌‌‍‍‌‍‍‌‌‌​‌‍‌​‍‍‌​‌‌​‌‌‌‌‍‌​‌‍‍‌‌‍​‍‌‍‍‌‌‍‍‌‌​‌‍‌‌‌‍‍‌‌​​‍‌‍‌‌‌‍‌​‌‍‍‌‌‌​​‍‌‍‌‌‍‌‍‌​‌‍‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌‍‌‌‌​‌‍‌‌‌‍‍‌‌​‌‍​‌‌‌​‌‍‍‌‌‍‌‍‍​‍‌‍‍‌‌‍‌​​‌‌‌​‌‍‌‌‌‍​‌‍‍​‌‍‍‌‍‌‍​‌‍‌‍‌‌‍‌​‍‌‌​‌‍‌‌​​‌‍‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‍‌‌‌‍​‌‍‍​‌‍‍‌‍‌‍​‌‍‌‍‌‌‍‌​‍‌​​‌‍​‌‌‌​‌‍‍​​‌‌‍‍​‌‍‌‌‌​‍‌‍‌‌​‌‍‌‌‌‍​‌‌​‌‍‍‌‌‍‌‍‍​‍‍‌‍‌​‌‍‌‌‌​‌‍​‌​‍‌‍‍‌‌​​‌‌​‌‍‍‌‌‍‌‍‍​‌‍​‍‌‍​‌‌​‌‍‌‌‌‌‌‌‌​‍‌‍​​‌‌‍‍​‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​​‍‌‌​​‌​​‌​‍‌‌​​‍‌​‌‍​‍‌‌​​‍‌​‌‍‌​‍‌‍​‌​​​‍‍‌​‌‍​‌‌‍‍‌‍‍‌‌‌​‌‍‌​‍‍‌​‌‌​‌‌‌‌‍‌​‌‍‍‌‌‍​‍‌‍‌‍‍‌‌‍‌​​‌‌‌​‌‍‌‌‌‍​‌‍‍​‌‍‍‌‍‌‍​‌‍‌‍‌‌‍‌​‍‌‍‌‌​‌‍‌‌​​‌‍‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‍‌‌‌‍​‌‍‍​‌‍‍‌‍‌‍​‌‍‌‍‌‌‍‌​‍‌‍‌​​‌‍​‌‌‌​‌‍‍​​‌‌‍‍​‌‍‌‌‌​‍‌‍‌‌​‌‍‌‌‌‍​‌‌​‌‍‍‌‌‍‌‍‍​‍‍‌‍‌​‌‍‌‌‌​‌‍​‌​‍‌‍‍‌‌​​‌‌​‌‍‍‌‌‍‌‍‍​‍​‍‌‌

https://www.rapidliquidprint.com/
Kalingrad, the new permanent home of the Olympic Village

morganism

  • Young ice
  • Posts: 2694
    • View Profile
  • Liked: 281
  • Likes Given: 178
Re: Amazing new science and engineering
« Reply #21 on: November 01, 2024, 09:36:25 PM »
Chemists break 100-year-old rule that may rewrite textbooks and change drug development
(carbon double bonds)


In a discovery that’s sending ripples through the chemistry world, UCLA scientists have proven that a fundamental rule of organic chemistry – one that has held back researchers for 100 years – isn’t as unbreakable as everyone thought. The breakthrough could open new paths for drug development and pharmaceutical research.

The rule in question, known as Bredt’s rule, has been chemistry gospel since 1924. It’s like telling architects they can never build a certain type of bridge because the laws of physics won’t allow it. But now, UCLA researchers have not only built that “impossible” bridge – they’ve shown others how to do it too.

“People aren’t exploring anti-Bredt olefins because they think they can’t,” says Neil Garg, UCLA’s Kenneth N. Trueblood Distinguished Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry, who led the research, in a media release. “We shouldn’t have rules like this — or if we have them, they should only exist with the constant reminder that they’re guidelines, not rules. It destroys creativity when we have rules that supposedly can’t be overcome.”

To understand why this matters, imagine organic molecules as tiny 3D structures, like molecular Lego builds. These structures often contain what chemists call “double bonds” between carbon atoms. According to the traditional rules, these double bonds must lie flat – like a tabletop – and can’t exist in certain twisted positions within the molecule. Bredt’s rule specifically said you couldn’t put these double bonds at certain junction points in more complex molecular structures.

However, Garg’s team found a way around this limitation. Using a clever chemical strategy, they created these supposedly impossible structures by treating specific molecules (called silyl pseudohalides) with fluoride. Because these “forbidden” structures are highly unstable – think of a house of cards in a windstorm – the team also developed a way to “trap” them, making them useful for further chemical reactions. The implications could be significant for drug development.

“There’s a big push in the pharmaceutical industry to develop chemical reactions that give three-dimensional structures like ours because they can be used to discover new medicines,” Garg explains.
(more)

https://studyfinds.org/chemists-break-100-year-old-rule/

....
A solution to the anti-Bredt olefin synthesis problem

https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.adq3519

Editor’s summary
One hundred years ago, Julius Bredt published an observation that certain molecules that constrained several adjacent carbon centers in a particular nonplanar arrangement could not form double bonds between them. These hypothetical double bonds became known as “anti-Bredt” olefins, and the doctrine that they were inaccessible remains widespread even with the occasional hint to the contrary. McDermott et al. now report a general strategy to prepare these olefins as fleeting intermediates that can be captured in cycloaddition reactions. The protocol relies on the driving force of silicon-fluorine bond formation from a precursor, which is akin to approaches used to access strained aromatics.
Kalingrad, the new permanent home of the Olympic Village