Researchers produce insulation with lowest thermal conductivity ever

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A new insulation material with the lowest thermal conductivity ever measured for a fully dense solid has been created at the University of Oregon and tested by researchers at three other U.S. institutions. While far from having immediate application, the principles involved, once understood, could lead to improved insulation for a wide variety of uses, the scientists say.


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All News summaries for December 14, 2006

Made-to-order isotopes hold promise on science's frontier

May 08, 2008 | User rating: not rated yet
Designer labels have a lot of cachet -- a principle that’s equally true in fashion and physics. The future of nuclear physics is in designer isotopes -- the relatively new power scientists have to make specific rare isotopes ...

New technique measures ultrashort laser pulses at focus

May 08, 2008 | User rating: not rated yet
Lasers that emit ultrashort pulses of light are used for numerous applications including micromachining, microscopy, laser eye surgery, spectroscopy and controlling chemical reactions. But the quality of the ...

FSU researchers make observing cell functions easier

May 08, 2008 | User rating: not rated yet
Now that the genome (DNA) of humans and many other organisms have been sequenced, biologists are turning their attention to discovering how the many thousands of structural and control genes -- the “worker ...

Modern ceramics help advance technology

May 08, 2008 | User rating: not rated yet
Many important electronic devices used by people today would be impossible without the use of ceramics. A new study published in the Journal of the American Ceramic Society illustrates the use of ceramic materials ...

Researchers Observe Hydrogen-Bond Exchange

May 08, 2008 | User rating: not rated yet
Hydrogen bonds are quite small, on the level of a few angstroms. They can also be passed between two different molecules very quickly, at speeds of tens of times per second. But in spite of these properties, ...