A researcher funded by the Air Force Office of Scientific Research has developed a nanocomposite material that has the potential to enable electronic devices to convert excess heat into energy that could be adapted to a wide range of applications from self-powered sensors to more fuel-efficient cars, according to a Sept. 18 AFOSR release. Ronggui Yang, a mechanical engineer at the University of Colorado in Boulder, and colleagues developed a method to fuse nanoparticles and nanowires to create the composite material, which has tested well and could be produced in mass at low cost. AFOSR currently is considering use of the material in micro-unmanned aerial vehicles. (AFOSR report by Molly Lachance)
The Space Development Agency wants to launch hundreds of satellites into low-Earth orbit over the next few years—and thanks to a new contract, it now has a way to get rid of some when their service life is over.
