Graphene  

Graphene, impermeable to all gases and liquids, can easily allow protons to pass through it, researchers have found. The discovery could open the door to a whole new type of energy production.

Researchers from the University of Manchester in the United Kingdom have discovered a new way to use graphene to turn air — or hydrogen in the air — into usable energy. Of course, this technology is still years away from being commercially viable, so don't expect to see air-based generators anytime soon.

The team published their report in Nature, an international journal of science, and it describes the process behind the technology. The graphene is worked into a membrane-like structure, which can be used to sieve hydrogen out of the air. In this way, they could use the technology to create generators that are powered by burning hydrogen.

But graphene is not exactly what you'd call a well-known material. Researchers have been working with it for years, and it will take many more to come up with something truly viable. It was first isolated back in 2004 by another team from Manchester University, and since then, they have been continuously working to broaden their understanding of it.

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More recently, researchers from Korea University in Seoul composed a way to grow graphene in bigger quantities. This means we can now create sheets of graphene with more surface area.

However, it still begs the question: What is graphene?

What Is Graphene?

If the term graphene sounds familiar to you, that’s because it probably is. It has an atomic structure identical to graphite, the type of material commonly used in pencils.

Graphene is one atom thick, which means it’s one of the thinnest and lightest materials on the planet. It is a two-dimensional crystal, the first in scientific history actually, and its properties are what make it so promising. Graphene is thin, light and remarkably strong — so strong, in fact, that it is both harder than diamond and about 200 times stronger than steel. It’s impermeable to gasses and liquids, despite its size. In addition, it is transparent, incredibly flexible and works extremely well as a conductor — even better than copper.

Furthermore, silicone has been called the next generation semiconductor because it offers many benefits over other materials. If the recent discoveries about graphene are true, however, it would take the cake, especially considering how conductive it is.

With all of those benefits, it’s impossible to shrug away the incredible potential of this material.

Just imagine what wearable technology, mobile technology and the future of technology as a whole have to gain from a substance like this. It’s so thin and transparent, it could theoretically be used to attach paper-thin interactive displays to pretty much anything, even fabric.

How Can It Be Used to Harvest Hydrogen?

"Graphene can be produced these days in square meter sheets, we hope that it will find its way to commercial fuel cells sooner rather than later."

Modern fuel-cell technology calls for membrane-based cells which trigger a reaction between oxygen and hydrogen as a fuel, and then convert chemical energy into usable electricity. During the process, these membranes separate the protons, and that is essentially what creates the energy. However, with traditional fuel cells, there is a pretty high rate of inefficiency because some of that fuel can leak across the proton membranes, becoming lost or contaminated.

By using graphene to create the membranes, those fuel cells could become extra efficient by stopping that leakage, generating more power. Plus, due to their makeup, they would also be more durable.

During the Manchester University study, researchers found that protons passed through the graphene membranes just fine.

The aforementioned process can be augmented to harvest hydrogen from the air, generating usable electricity.

Co-author of the study, Marcelo Lozada-Hidalgo describes it in more detail:

When you know how it should work, it is a very simple setup. You put a hydrogen-containing gas on one side, apply small electric current and collect pure hydrogen on the other side. This hydrogen can then be burned in a fuel cell. 

We worked with small membranes, and the achieved flow of hydrogen is, of course, tiny so far. But this is the initial stage of discovery, and the paper is to make experts aware of the existing prospects. To build up and test hydrogen harvesters will require much further effort.

Dr Sheng Hu, a postdoctoral researcher and the first author in this work, added: “It looks extremely simple and equally promising. Because graphene can be produced these days in square meter sheets, we hope that it will find its way to commercial fuel cells sooner rather than later”.

More work needs to be done with graphene to understand how protons pass through membranes created out of the material. Even if scientists find a way to create a generator with such technology, in the end, there’s no way to know just how much electricity can be generated from it. This is because there really is not that much hydrogen present in the atmosphere.

Still, it’s a fascinating discovery, and it means we’re just one step closer to the future. We can all agree that efficient and environmentally-friendly energy systems are becoming more and more of a necessity as we push forward.

Source - The University of Manchester

By Kayla Matthews

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Author Bio - Kayla Matthews is a technology journalist and blogger, as well as editor of ProductivityBytes.com. Follow Kayla on Facebook and Twitter to read all of her latest posts.

 Computer Models  

Scientists have developed a sophisticated computer modelling simulation to explore how cells of the fruit fly react to changes in the environment.

Researchers have developed a sophisticated computer modelling simulation to explore how cells of the fruit fly react to changes in the environment. The research has been published in the science journal Cell, is part of an on-going study at The Universities of Manchester and Sheffield that is investigating how external environmental factors impact on health and disease.

The model shows how cells of the fruit fly communicate with each other during its development. Dr Martin Baron, who led the research, said:

"It is exciting that the computer model was able to make predictions that we could test by going back to the fly experiments to investigate the effects of different mutations which alter the components of the cells."

“The work is a really nice example of researchers from different disciplines of maths and biology working together to tackle challenging problems.”

The paper describes how the comptuer model provides a theoretical framework by which to explore how different environmental and other regulatory inputs can be integrated with the core signaling mechanism to result in adaptive—or, possibly, maladaptive—outcomes on the development, maintenance, and health of an organism.

The current phase of the study aims to understand how temperature interacts with cell signalling networks during development. Flies are able to develop normally across a wide range of temperatures and it is not understood how this is achieved.

The combined disciplines approach was undertaken because the complexity of development involves numerous components that are interconnected with each other in networks of cell to cell communication pathways, whose outcomes are difficult to predict without computer simulations.

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The fruit fly is a commonly used  in lab work because, although its development is relatively simple, around 75% of known human disease genes have a recognizable match in the genome of fruit flies which means they can be used to study the fundamental biology behind complex conditions such as neurodegeneration or cancer.

Baron said: “it is exciting that the computer model was able to make predictions that we could test by going back to the fly experiments to investigate the effects of different mutations which alter the components of the cells. It shows us that the model is working well and provides a solid basis on which to develop its sophistication further.”

The next phase will see the team research how the cell signalling network adjusts and responds to other environmental changes such as nutrition. Baron says "There is a lot of interest in how environmental inputs influence our health and disease by interacting with our genetic makeup. Our initial studies have already shown that changes to the adult fly's diet can also affect how cells inside a fly communicate with each other and produce responses in certain fly tissues. This is a promising avenue for future studies".

Baron explains that there are wider implications for understanding human health and disease: “Many different types of signal control normal development but when some of these signals are mis-activated they can result in the formation of tumors."

“What we’ve learnt from studying the flies” said Baron, “is that some communication signals can arise in different ways and this means that, in cancer, mis-activation of these signals can also occur by different routes. This is important because it can help us to understand how to stop mis-activation from occurring.”


SOURCE  University of Manchester

By 33rd Square

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 Biological Clock  

Researchers have discovered a new mechanism that governs how body clocks react to changes in the environment. The discovery could provide a solution for alleviating the detrimental effects of chronic shift work and jet-lag.

Researchers from The University of Manchester have discovered a new mechanism that governs how body clocks react to changes in the environment.

The discovery, which is being published in Current Biology, could provide a solution for alleviating the detrimental effects of chronic shift work and jet lag.

The team’s findings reveal that the enzyme casein kinase 1epsilon (CK1epsilon) controls how easily the body’s clockwork can be adjusted or reset by environmental cues such as light and temperature.

"It is now becoming clear that clock disruption is increasing the incidence and severity of diseases including obesity and diabetes."

Internal biological timers (circadian clocks) are found in almost every species on the planet. In mammals including humans, circadian clocks are found in most cells and tissues of the body, and orchestrate daily rhythms in our physiology, including our sleep/wake patterns and metabolism.

Dr David Bechtold, who led The University of Manchester’s research team, said: “At the heart of these clocks are a complex set of molecules whose interaction provides robust and precise 24 hour timing. Importantly, our clocks are kept in synchrony with the environment by being responsive to light and dark information.”

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The research identifies a new mechanism through which our clocks respond to these light inputs. During the study, mice lacking CK1epsilon, a component of the clock, were able to shift to a new light-dark environment (much like the experience in shift work or long-haul air travel) much faster than normal.

The research team went on to show that drugs that inhibit CK1epsilon were able to speed up shift responses of normal mice, and critically, that faster adaption to the new environment minimised metabolic disturbances caused by the time shift.

Dr Bechtold said: “We already know that modern society poses many challenges to our health and wellbeing - things that are viewed as commonplace, such as shift-work, sleep deprivation, and jet lag disrupt our body’s clocks. It is now becoming clear that clock disruption is increasing the incidence and severity of diseases including obesity and diabetes.

“We are not genetically pre-disposed to quickly adapt to shift-work or long-haul flights, and as so our bodies’ clocks are built to resist such rapid changes. Unfortunately, we must deal with these issues today, and there is very clear evidence that disruption of our body clocks has real and negative consequences for our health.”

He continues: “As this work progresses in clinical terms, we may be able to enhance the clock’s ability to deal with shift work, and importantly understand how maladaptation of the clock contributes to diseases such as diabetes and chronic inflammation.”


SOURCE  University of Manchester

By 33rd Square

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 3D Printing  

Researchers at the University of Liverpool are developing synthetic skin that can be produced on a 3D printer and matched to a person based on their age, gender and ethnic group.

Researchers at the University of Liverpool are developing synthetic skin that can be produced on a 3D printer and matched to a person based on their age, gender and ethnic group.

3D printing is a new science, thought to have significant potential for developments in medicine. Printers are relatively cheap and can be programmed with almost any variation of designs – all without the need for a donor or a factory producing artificial parts. Efforts at producing skin, however, have so far failed to produce a product that looks realistic enough to be indistinguishable from the real thing.

Natural appearance

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Working alongside colleagues at the University of Manchester, Liverpool researchers are now developing 3D image processing and skin modelling techniques that can copy a person's skin so that it appears natural, whatever light it is shown in.

While it is possible to print synthetic skin in one tone, this does not reflect the diversity of the surface which in real life will be patterned by freckles, veins and wrinkles. People walking between daylight and artificial light also take on a different shade, so any synthetic skin has to produce the same effect.

Using a 3D camera will also allow geometry to be taken into account as the perception of skin is often influenced by factors such as shadows.

The first strand of the project will be to perfect 3D camera technology and subsequent image processing that can almost exactly match an individual's skin tone and skin texture under varying light sources. This will be carried out on an individual basis so that each person's synthetic skin is bespoke.

The researchers will also find ways of taking 3D images of skin types of hundreds of people in order to build up a database which can be used more generally. This bank would then be used in more remote areas or in countries where access to calibrated 3D cameras is difficult. 3D printers, however, are relatively cheap so with access to a bank of skin types and a printer, medics could still produce a close match of skin type chosen from a large database of designs.

Enormous advantages

Dr Sophie Wuerger from the Perception Group in the University's Institute of Psychology, Health and Society said: "This science is at an early stage, but the advantages of 3D printing for medicine are enormous.

"The human visual system is extremely sensitive to small distortions in skin appearance, so making a convincing synthetic version will be essential whether this technology is used for emergency or cosmetic medicine."


SOURCE  PhysOrg

By 33rd Square

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 Biotechnology  

Scientists at the University of Manchester's Institute of Biotechnology have used the power of off-the-shelf computer gaming technology to capture previously unseen atomic movements. The research is helping to chart one of nature's most complex entities known as "glycomes" -- the entire complement of carbohydrates within a cell.

Researchers at the University of Manchester's Institute of Biotechnology have used the power of off-the-shelf computer gaming technology to capture previously unseen atomic movements. The research is helping to chart one of nature's most complex entities known as "glycomes."

The glycome is the entire complement of sugars, whether free or present in more complex molecules, of an organism. An alternative definition is the entirety of carbohydrates in a cell.

The novel solution used by the researchers provides a new understanding of these vital biomolecules which play a role in everything from neuronal development, inflammation and cell structure, to disease pathology and blood clotting.

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Understanding the shapes of major biological molecules has revolutionized areas like drug development and medical diagnostics, but the shape of complex carbohydrates has been largely ignored.

The research, reported in a series of six peer-reviewed scientific publications (see notes) with the most recent appearing in Carbohydrate Research, provides a new view of these biochemical barcodes and present new opportunities in the science of carbohydrates, such as designing drugs or biomaterials that mimic carbohydrate shape and interpreting burgeoning functional glycomics data.

Dr. Ben Sattelle from the Faculty of Life Sciences said: "Carbohydrate activity stems from 3D-shape, but the link between carbohydrate sequence and function remains unclear. Sequence-function relationships are rapidly being deciphered and it is now essential to be able to interpret these data in terms of molecular 3D-structure, as has been the case for proteins and the DNA double-helix.

"By using technology designed for computer games, we have been able to investigate the previously unseen movements of carbohydrates at an atomic scale and over longer timescales than before. The insights relate carbohydrate sequence to molecular shape and provide information that will be vital for many industries.

"Carbohydrates remain extremely difficult to characterise in 3D using experiments and advances in computer technology, which exploit computer-gaming technology, have enabled us to use and develop methods that can routinely provide accurate 3D-data for this important class of biomolecules. The ability to model atomic motions in large carbohydrate polymers promises to transform our understanding of fundamentally important biological processes. For example, our approach has potential applications in the design of carbohydrate-based biomaterials, pharmaceuticals and foods."

Modelling carbohydrate motions in water is computationally demanding, meaning that simulations have been limited to short nanosecond timescales using conventional software and central processing unit (CPU) based computers.

The team from Manchester achieved simulations ranging from one microsecond (the time it takes for a strobe light to flash) to twenty-five microseconds by exploiting the extra computational power of graphics processing units (GPUs) that are commonly used in game-play to produce moving images. Compared to CPU-based computers, or even supercomputing clusters of them, GPU technology allows many more simultaneous calculations to be performed.

The researchers produced the first predictions of microsecond molecular motions in glycomic building blocks and oligosaccharides. Previously unobservable atomic movements were predicted and found to be sensitive to the carbohydrate sequence. Building on these new insights, the researchers developed a new physics-based model and GPU software that allows far more realistic simulations of long carbohydrate sequences (polymers) - on microsecond and micrometer scales.

The research has culminated in a computational GPU-based method and protocol that can now be used by other researchers to explore the 3D-landscape of largely unchartered organismal glycomes in unprecedented detail.


SOURCE  BBSRC

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