Graphene and phosphorene upgrade sodium ion battery
A new material comprising interspersed layers of graphene and phosphorene has been shown by US researchers to be a more stable, more conductive and higher capacity anode for sodium ion batteries than previous materials. The researchers believe it could be industrially compatible, and potentially allow sodium ion batteries to become useful for large-scale energy storage.
Lithium-ion batteries have revolutionised portable electronics thanks to their high charge capacity, but the high cost and geopolitical insecurity of lithium supplies (most of the easily mined salts are in countries such as Chile and Bolivia) present a problem. Sodium-ion batteries present a potentially attractive alternative as sodium is 90% cheaper and widely found all over the world. The Na+ ion, however, intercalates less easily into anode materials. Lithium-ion batteries traditionally use graphite anodes, into which Li+ ions reversibly intercalate. The inter-planar distance in graphite is only 1.86Å, however, whereas the Na+ ion is 2.02Å, so graphite is electrochemically inactive in a sodium-ion solution. Possible alternatives have proved unsatisfactory.
One such alternative is black phosphorus, which has sufficient interlayer distance of 3.08Å and a high theoretical specific charge capacity of 2596mAhg-1 as it forms Na3P. But it rapidly decomposes when tested because of its large volume expansion when it takes up Na+ ions. In the new research, Yi Cui and colleagues at Stanford University in California have developed a nanostructured hybrid comprising interspersed phosphorene and graphene. The graphene layers provide an elastic buffer and function as an electrical highway, allowing charge to get in and out faster. The phosphorene and graphene were both produced by scalable liquid exfoliation, and the sandwich structure self-assembled when suspensions of the two components were mixed and the solvent was evaporated.
The material had an initial specific capacity of 1178mAhg-1, 94% of its theoretical maximum capacity, and retained up to 83% of this after 100 charge/discharge cycles. Cui's group is now working to improve this further, and Cui says that, if it can increase the life to 3000 cycles, the technology could be ‘very attractive for large-scale stationary energy storage’ of electricity in the national grid.
Stefan Freunberger of the Technical University of Graz in Austria describes the research as ‘interesting’ but warns that the researchers will face a further obstacle to improving the cycling performance. All known electrolytes are thermodynamically unstable during intercalation in alkaline ion batteries, he says. Li-ion anodes rapidly form a 'passivation layer' that sticks to the anode and protects the electrolyte, but this partially breaks down in Na-ion batteries every time the battery is discharged. Therefore, he says, 'there is much more side reaction than in the case of the lithium'. The high surface area of graphene could even make the problem worse, he adds.
7 Social Networking Apps for When Facebook Jumps the Shark
ACCORDING TO A recent poll by the Associated Press and CNBC,46 percent of respondentsthink Facebook will “fade away as new things come along.” That’s an ominous data point for a company whoseIPOdominated the news cycle last week, and claims some 900 million worldwide users.
Facebook seems to be infiltrating every facet of our lives. “Like” buttons appear on every website. “Like us on Facebook!” shouts at us during TV commercials. And more and more apps rely on Facebook to simply log in. It’s starting to feel more than a little oppressive — it’s like we’re living in a blue-and-white-painted jail cell.
And all this IPO madness is just foul icing on the cake.
So where do you turn when the world’s been stricken with Facebook fever? We rounded up seven apps that could satisfy your social networking needs should Facebook go down the tubes — or you just can’t take it anymore.
GOOGLE+
As Facebook fervor dies down, Google’s social networking attempt could rise up to the occasion, and — dare we say it — eventually take its place.
The popularity of Google+ is definitely on the rise. A number of commenters pointed out in our hands-on with Google’s redesigned iOS app that they are fervent users of the network, finding it a great source for quality content minus the “moronic posts” that litter Facebook feeds.
Speaking of the redesign, Google+’s updated iPhone app (see photo above) features an attractive, almost post-modern aesthetic and a much-improved user experience. The Android version is set to get a facelift in the near future, too. Google+ is one of the few social networks that has both a robust mobile and web experience, making it a strong contender for those tired of that other social network.
VIDDY
For something a little different, how about a social network based entirely around sharing video? That’s Viddy.
You can take a video using the app’s camera, which has adjustable white balance, exposure, and focus settings. You can also grab a video already in your camera roll, and upload it to Viddy. From there, you can go hog-wild with Instagram-like creativity, adding one of a handful of different filters — Vintage, Black & White, and Crystal are default options, with more available as free in-app downloads. You can also add music, transitions, and other visual effects.
With one click you can share your videos to other platforms like Twitter or YouTube. Or you can just stay in the app and like, comment, and re-share others’ videos. The videos you can upload are bite-sized — 15 seconds max — so it’s easy and fun to hop from one video to the next.
Viddy launched in February this year, and now has 36 million monthly active users, or “Viddyographers
For an exclusively mobile social networking experience, Path could be your bag. It lets you share your life in the form of a “simple, private journal.” Because it has no web component, I find it’s much more of an “in the moment” kind of sharing than a platform for long status update tirades, or ubiquitous link-sharing.
The design is charming and intuitive, and is one of the main draws of the experience. Similar to Facebook, you get to set a background “cover” image for your profile, and choose a personal profile photo for yourself. Your postings as well as those of your friends (including status updates, photos, check-ins, and the music you’re currently listening to) are uploaded in a straightforward, reverse-chronological timeline, and you can react to posts with a heart, one of four different smiley faces, or with a comment.
If it’s just you and your significant other who you care about constantly connecting with, you don’t need a massive social network like Google+, or even Path. Instead, you need Pair.
Oleg Kostour, Pair cofounder and CEO, told Wired the app offers a more personal way to talk to someone significant in your life — and it’s entirely private.
The app centers around a conversation between you and your loved one, but besides SMS-style messaging, you can share photos, drawings, and video, as well as location check-ins. You can also collaborate on art (for a simultaneous game of tic-tac-toe for instance), or use the app’s trademark feature, the thumb kiss: You and your partner place your thumbs on your respective smartphone screens at the same time, and when they’re pressed against identical spots onscreen for a couple of seconds, the screen bursts and you’ve virtually “kissed.”
Since the app is designed to be used between only two people, it’s a bit of a small, nontraditional social network, if it can really even be classified as such.
Even so, Instagram is still our favorite way to share square-cropped photos colored by fun, often retro-inspired filters. The $1 billion photo-sharing community is rich and active, and most of all, incredibly addictive. Once you start using Instagram, you start seeing the world in a different way — as moments you’d like to capture and enhance with a filter effect to amplify a particular mood.
Because Instagram is more of a niche social network, it would never fully take the place of a larger network like that of Facebook or Google+. Nevertheless, it provides a fun, friendly way to see the world through smartphone lenses across the globe.
Instagram is now available on both iOS and Android.
EVERYME
EveryMe is both an amalgamation of your existing major social networks — Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram — and a complete departure.
The app is all about circles of contacts, each of which is private. There’s no option for public sharing at all in this app. Because of this, you shouldn’t have to worry about privacy settings being changed on a whim, or private posts suddenly appearing to all of the interwebs.
Once you’ve synced with your favorite existing networks, the app automatically creates circles of contacts (pulled from your smartphone contacts). You can edit these so-called “Magic Circles,” or create your own. If you have people you want to stay in touch with who don’t have a social media presence, that’s OK too. You can add them with an e-mail address or a phone number so they can stay in the loop.
You can then interact with people in those circles, posting status updates, check-in information, and photographs. Anything you update to one circle is exclusive to that circle — so you don’t have to worry about grandma and grandpa stumbling upon those photos of you doing a kegstand from last weekend, unless you know, you post them in the wrong circle.
TWITTER
Wait, Facebook is, like, a “thing”? That’s funny, because at Gadget Lab, we gravitate to Twitter more often. We rely on it daily — hourly, really — for news alerts and socializing. Between the app, website, and the handful of very successful third-party clients, Twitter has solidified itself into an expedient, convenient social media mainstay that complements other more robust sharing services.
Sure, it’s more about news, and less about social networking, but it’s the one social network we’d be least inclined to ever give up.
"At Mercedes-Benz, we believe the future of driving means giving the customer the option to not have to drive at all. With the F 015 Luxury in Motion, the vehicle drives itself, transforming the cabin into a personal haven where time and space are the ultimate luxury."
These were the lines spoken by the officials at Mercedes Benz. They have finally built a car you need not have to drive. A self driving car capable of avoiding accidents and obeying the traffic rules, deliver the passenger to the desired location. A car that does the job of a driver just by voice command.
The car is built out of specialized sensors that is capable of travelling far away distances to the desired place. It can sense pedestrians crossing the road. It can sense the traffic. It can spot the difference between the red and green light. Either the owner of the car has to press a single button or it has to voice operate the car to go to the desired location. The car is partly battery operated and partly consumes fuel. It consumes lesser fuel than a general car and avoids pollution. It is made out of Eco-friendly methods and can serve the best in the future of automobile industries.
The car has got both manual and autonomous driving systems. It has smart body structure that combines carbon-fiber reinforced plastic, aluminium and high strength steels. There are front and rear LED modules that communicate with the outside world along with variable seating system with four rotating lounge chairs. Open-pore walnut wood floor, white nappa leather seats along with six display screens that form a 360 degree virtual screen. A pre-safe body structure that inflates on impact, absorbing the energy of collision. This car also posses electric-driving system capabilities.
However till now this car has not been tested on traffic roads and highways. Still this car will be the perfect future of automobile industry.
Man needs his difficulties because they are necessary to enjoy success.
You have to dream before your dreams can come true.
Great dreams of great dreamers are always transcended.
To succeed in your mission, you must have single-minded devotion to your goal.
We should not give up and we should not allow the problem to defeat us.
We have not invaded anyone. We have not conquered anyone. We have not grabbed their land, their culture, their history and tried to enforce our way of life on them.
Those who cannot work with their hearts achieve but a hollow, half-hearted success that breeds bitterness all around.
In India we only read about death, sickness, terrorism, crime.
