Converting heat into electricity is a property thought to be reserved only for stiff materials like crystals. However, researchers—inspired by the infrared (IR) vision of snakes—developed a ...

Using a high-power, pulsed laser to deposit materials from a plasma plume (shown here), researchers synthesized materials to study their unique pyroelectric properties at the nanoscale. "Controlling ...

The metasurface is an ultra-thin resonant element with special physical properties. A good example of such an innovation is seen in the thermally based photon-detector project at Duke University, ...

Heat sssssensorsss A large-eyed green pit viper. The pit organs are small depressions between the snake's nostrils and eyes. (Courtesy: iStock_TommyIX) Vipers, pythons and boa constrictors all use ...

Many peptides and proteins have an innate ability to assemble into long, slender fibers called fibrils and other shapes. Now, researchers have found a way to harness this property to create tubular ...

Vintage computer hardware can fail in a variety of fascinating ways, with [Bits und Bolts] dealing with an interesting failure mode, in the form of degraded MLCC capacitors on Voodoo 2 graphics cards.

Practical demonstration on setup and configuration of infrared detectors. In theory, the functioning of a pyroelectric detector is absolutely comprehensible. As the centrepiece in gas analysers, flame ...

IRISYS (Infrared Integrated Systems Ltd), Northampton, UK, is promoting thermal technology for intelligent building. Using its own thermal imaging cameras, the company has developed a range of ...

What if atomic crystals could send pulse power to light up a room? Back in 314 B.C., a student of Socrates described bits of sawdust that gravitated to a stone thrown into a camp fire. What was an ...