Researchers have created the fastest man-made rotor in the world, which they believe will help them study quantum mechanics. At more than 60 billion revolutions per minute, this machine is more than 100,000 times faster than a high-speed dental drill. “This study has many applications, including material science,” said Tongcang Li, an assistant professor of…

Billions of objects ranging from smartphones and watches to buildings, machine parts and medical devices have become wireless sensors of their environments, expanding a network called the “internet of things.” As society moves toward connecting all objects to the internet – even furniture and office supplies – the technology that enables these objects to communicate…

Recent studies show that 40 percent of Americans over the age of 85 have Alzheimer’s disease, and that the disease begins 10 to 20 years before people show up at the doctor’s office with memory problems. One major problem with understanding Alzheimer’s is not being able to clearly see why the disease starts. A super-resolution…

Quantum bits are now easier to manipulate for devices in quantum computing, thanks to enhanced spin-orbit interaction in silicon. A silicon quantum computer chip has the potential to hold millions of quantum bits, or qubits, for much faster information processing than with the bits of today’s computers. This translates to high-speed database searches, better cybersecurity…

Purdue researchers have discovered a new two-dimensional material, derived from the rare element tellurium, to make transistors that carry a current better throughout a computer chip. The discovery adds to a list of extremely thin, two-dimensional materials that engineers have tried to use for improving the operation speed of a chip’s transistors, which then allows…

A solid can serve as a medium for heat and sound wave interactions just like a fluid does for thermoacoustic engines and refrigerators – resulting in leak-free machines that can stay operating longer. Leaky systems have limited how engineers design thermoacoustic devices that rely on the interplay between temperature oscillations and sound waves. Researchers at…

Purdue engineers have figured out a way to tackle plastic landfills while also improving batteries – by putting ink-free plastic soaked in sulfur-containing solvent into a microwave, and then into batteries as a carbon scaffold. Lithium-sulfur batteries have been hailed as the next generation of batteries to replace the current lithium ion variety. Lithium-sulfur batteries…

Surfaces that repel water can support efficient boiling if all air and vapor is removed from a system first, according to research featured on the cover of the most recent issue of Physical Review Letters. Water is typically boiled off hydrophilic surfaces to cool nuclear reactors and high-power electronics, preventing them from overheating. Purdue University research…

A new electronic security badge, offered through a new collaboration between Intel Corp. and Purdue University, will emphasize using secure design principles throughout the product development life cycle. The “Design for Security” badge will be based on a series of courses offered on Purdue’s campus and also online beginning in the fall of 2018. The…

New research has demonstrated how the nano-architecture of a silkworm’s fiber causes “Anderson localization of light,” a discovery that could lead to various innovations and a better understanding of light transport and heat transfer. The discovery also could help create synthetic materials and structures that realize the phenomenon, named after Nobel laureate Philip Anderson, whose…

 A new type of all-terrain microbot that moves by tumbling could help usher in tiny machines for various applications. The “microscale magnetic tumbling robot,” or μTUM (microTUM), is about 400 by 800 microns, or millionths of a meter, smaller than the head of a pin. A continuously rotating magnetic field propels the microbot in an…

A new platform enables high-quality 3-D video communication on mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets using existing standard wireless networks. “To our knowledge, this system is the first of its kind that can deliver dense and accurate 3-D video content in real time across standard wireless networks to remote mobile devices such as smartphones…

A “quantum material” that mimics a shark’s ability to detect the minute electric fields of small prey has been shown to perform well in ocean-like conditions, with potential applications from defense to marine biology. The material maintains its functional stability and does not corrode after being immersed in saltwater, a prerequisite for ocean sensing. Surprisingly,…

On Target Laboratories Inc., a privately held biotechnology company that is developing tumor-targeted fluorescent dyes to improve cancer surgery, has secured $40 million in a combination of equity and convertible debt financing. The funding round was led by new investor Johnson & Johnson Innovation (JJDC), with participation from existing investors. On Target Laboratories, based in…

Researchers have demonstrated how to decode what the human brain is seeing by using artificial intelligence to interpret fMRI scans from people watching videos, representing a sort of mind-reading technology. The advance could aid efforts to improve artificial intelligence and lead to new insights into brain function. Critical to the research is a type of…

A new featherweight, flame-resistant and super-elastic “metamaterial” has been shown to combine high strength with electrical conductivity and thermal insulation, suggesting potential applications from buildings to aerospace. The composite combines nanolayers of a ceramic called aluminum oxide with graphene, which is an extremely thin sheet of carbon. Although both the ceramic and graphene are brittle, the…

Researchers are making progress in developing rechargeable batteries based on potassium, a potential alternative to lithium that’s less expensive and far more plentiful, and also have shown how to derive carbon for battery electrodes from old tires. “With the growth of rechargeable batteries for electronic devices, electric vehicles and power grid applications, there has been…

 Functional magnetic resonance imaging reveals changes in blood-oxygen levels in different parts of the brain, but the data show nothing about what is actually happening in and between brain cells, information needed to better understand brain circuitry and function. “We really have no clear understanding of what cellular processes cause the MRI signal and are…