New Material To Revolutionize Electronics?

This is a digital model showing how molybdenite can be integrated into a transistor. (Credit: Credit: EPFL)

New Transistors: An Alternative to Silicon and Better Than Graphene -- Science Daily

ScienceDaily (Jan. 30, 2011) — Smaller and more energy-efficient electronic chips could be made using molybdenite. In an article appearing online January 30 in the journal Nature Nanotechnology, EPFL's Laboratory of Nanoscale Electronics and Structures (LANES) publishes a study showing that this material has distinct advantages over traditional silicon or graphene for use in electronics applications.

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My Comment: This is the next electronic revolution.

Should I Be Worried About Electromagnetic Pulses Destroying My Electronics?

Sun Spots Solar storms, like this one captured by NASA’s STEREO satellite,
could knock out the power grid. NASA

From Popular Science:

It depends on the source of the pulse. Electromagnetic pulses (EMPs) large enough to cause you trouble come in two varieties: those produced by the sun, and those created by a nuclear bomb or another military-grade emitter device. With the sun-related variety, specifically coronal mass ejections (CMEs), your gear will probably be fine. But a really large CME could take down the power grid, says Bill Murtagh, the program coordinator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Space Weather Prediction Center. Power lines transmit electricity as an alternating current, but a pulse from a CME can introduce a direct current into the system, says Luke van der Zal, a technical executive at the nonprofit Electric Power Research Institute. This can cause transformers to overheat and work sluggishly, or fail altogether.

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2010 Will See A Blizzard Of Television Innovations

From Times Online:

Las Vegas TV manufacturers and broadcasters are trying to bring the magic back to the living room.

Soon through your TV set you will be able to watch immersive 3D, talk to your grandma, browse all your favourite websites and update Facebook.

At the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas this week a blizzard of TV innovations were unveiled to bring high tech 3D, video chat and internet capabilities to the humble box in the corner.

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Great Gizmos At Vegas Electronics Show

Watch CBS News Videos Online

From CBS News:

CNET.com Senior Editor Natali Del Conte Highlights Flashy Products at the Consumer Electonics Show.

(CBS) From 3-D televisions to the latest in computers, the annual Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas has it all.

The event has so much that Natali Del Conte, senior editor of CNET.com, returned to "The Early Show" Friday to highlight more of the latest gizmos and gadgets from this year's show -- after showcasing several on Thursday.

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Implantable Silicon-Silk Electronics

Image: Silicon on silk: This clear silk film, about one centimeter squared, has six silicon transistors on its surface. These flexible devices can be implanted in mice like the one in this image without causing any harm, and the silk degrades over time. The orange liquid on the hair is a disinfectant used during the surgery. Credit: Rogers/Omenetto

From Technology Review:

Biodegradable circuits could enable better neural interfaces and LED tattoos.

By building thin, flexible silicon electronics on silk substrates, researchers have made electronics that almost completely dissolve inside the body. So far the research group has demonstrated arrays of transistors made on thin films of silk. While electronics must usually be encased to protect them from the body, these electronics don't need protection, and the silk means the electronics conform to biological tissue. The silk melts away over time and the thin silicon circuits left behind don't cause irritation because they are just nanometers thick.

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