Florida's EDU Sensing Δ 12th of January 2014 Ω 7:24 PM

ΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞ
~ University of Florida ~ College of Arts & Sciences USF ~ sense for Ξ	~ sense for Ξ ~ sense for Ξ ~ sense for Ξ	~ sense for Ξ ~ sense for Ξ ~ sense for Ξ
~ sense for Ξ ~ sense for Ξ ~ sense for Ξ	~ sense for Ξ ~ sense for Ξ ~ sense for Ξ	~ sense for Ξ ~ sense for Ξ ~ sense for Ξ
~ sense for Ξ ~ sense for Ξ ~ sense for Ξ	~ sense for Ξ ~ sense for Ξ ~ sense for Ξ	~ sense for Ξ ~ sense for Ξ ~ sense for Ξ
~ sense for Ξ ~ sense for Ξ ~ sense for Ξ	~ sense for Ξ ~ sense for Ξ ~ sense for Ξ	ξ ξ ξ
«U.S. EDU Sensing	Θ	Θ
ΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞ

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~ University of Florida

»University of Florida

select: ~[Σ] ~[Δ]!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~ College of Arts & Sciences USF

»College of Arts & Sciences USF

Tiny Solar Cells Built To Power Microscopic Machines
ξ the cells were made of an organic polymer
ξ joined together in an experiment aimed at proving their ability to power tiny devices
ξ that can be used to detect chemical leaks and for other applications
ξ Xiaomei Jiang led the research at the University of South Florida
ξ traditional solar cells, such as the commercial type installed on rooftops,
ξ use a brittle backing made of silicon, the same sort of material upon which computer chips are built
ξ by contrast, organic solar cells rely upon a polymer that has the same electrical properties of silicon wafers
ξ but can be dissolved and printed onto flexible material
ξ "I think these materials have a lot more potential than traditional silicon," says Jiang.
ξ "They could be sprayed on any surface that is exposed to sunlight -- a uniform, a car, a house."
ξ Jiang and her colleagues fabricated their array of 20 tiny solar cells as a power source
ξ for running a microscopic sensor for detecting dangerous chemicals and toxins
ξ the detector, known as a microeletromechanical system (MEMS) device,
ξ is built with carbon nanotubes and has already been tested using ordinary DC power supplied by batteries
ξ when fully powered and hooked into a circuit,
ξ the carbon nanotubes can sensitively detect particular chemicals by measuring the electrical changes
ξ that occur when chemicals enter the tubes
ξ the type of chemical can be distinguished by the exact change in the electrical signal
ξ the device needs a 15-volt power source to work
ξ so far and Jiang's solar cell array can provide about half of that -- up to 7.8 volts in their laboratory tests
ξ the next step is to optimize the device to increase the voltage and
ξ then combine the miniature solar array to the carbon nanotube chemical sensors
ξ Jiang estimates they will be able to demonstrate this level of power with th

select: ~[Σ] ~[Ω] ~[Δ]!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~

select: ~[Σ] ~[Ω] ~[Δ]!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~

select: ~[Σ] ~[Ω]!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Small & Smart Inc reserves rights to change this document without any notice
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~