HIV and hepatitis C are among the leading causes of worldwide death. According to amfAR, an organization dedicated to eradicating the spread of HIV/AIDS through innovative research, nearly 37 million people are currently living with HIV. Of those 37 million, one third become co-infected with hepatitis C.

The threat of HIV and hepatitis C

The regions hit the hardest by this co-infection tend to be developing parts of the world, such as sub-Saharan Africa and Central and East Asia.

While these developing regions have measures to diagnosis HIV and hepatitis C, the rapid point-of-care tests used are typically unaffordable or unreliable.

An electrochemical solution

A group from McGill University is looking to change that with a recently developed, paper-based electrochemical platform with multiplexing and telemedicine capabilities that may enable low-cost, point-of-care diagnosis for HIV and hepatitis C co-infections within serum samples.

(more…)

ECS is sponsoring the 11th European Space Power Conference, taking place October 3-7, 2016 in Thessaloniki, Greece. The conference, which will focus on electrical power for space applications and cutting-edge research on topics for terrestrial applicators, is currently open for potential presenters to submit their papers.

Following several issues, some related to browsers compatibility and companies systems configuration, we know that some authors were not able to upload their digest. In addition, some digests have not been submitted in the appropriate format as per instructions, being an abstract instead of a digest.

In view of these issues, the ESPC2016 committee has decided to re-open a window: from Friday 22/04/2016 18:00 CET till Monday 25/04/2016 12:00 CET.

Upload your digest before April 22, 2016!

The conference is intended to cover the three main topics of: power generation with solar generators and other types of sources, such as nuclear or electrochemical; energy storage, including batteries and regenerative fuel cells; and power management and distribution, a wide domain covering every level of integration from electrical parts to power subsystem architectures.

If you are not able to login to ESPC2016 digest submission website, the ESPC2016 committee recommends to use another browser.

Learn more about the conference and email espc2016-conference@esa.int for questions or support.

Image: Antalexion

With the increasing popularity of solar power and ongoing dialogue about the effects of climate changes comes inevitable discussions about the viability of renewable energy. While efficiency levels have grown tremendously over the years, many still worry about the feasibility of solar panels during inclement weather when the sun is not shining its brightest.

To address that issue, more attention has been focused on energy storage. However, a group of Chinese scientists are turning to the solar panels themselves to answer some of these questions.

In a recently published paper, scientist detailed a new way for solar panels to produce electricity from rain water. The way it works is pretty simple: researchers apply a thin layer of graphene to the bottom of the solar panel; when it rains, you simply flip the panel and allow the positively charged ions from the rain drops to interact with the graphene and produce electricity.

“Although great achievements have been made since the discovery of various solar cells, there is still a remaining problem that the currently known solar cells can only be excited by sunlight on sunny days,” wrote the researchers in the paper.

(more…)

Image: Lei Shi/Faculty of Physics, University of Vienna

The material Carbyne hit the benchtop years ago. Scientists were able to calculate the properties of this exotic material, but not able to stabilize it. Carbyne promised to be stronger and stiffer than any other material known to man, but the question of how to synthesize it remained.

Now, researchers from the University of Vienna in Austria were able to do just that. The researchers took the highly reactive, one-dimensional chain of carbon atoms and synthesized it by wrapping it in a double-walled tube of graphene that provided a protective casing, allowing the material to remain intact.

This from Gizmodo:

The record for stringing together carbon atoms like this in the past had been 100 in a row; now, the team can put 6,400 atoms together, and have them remain in a chain for as long as they want. That is, of course, as long as they sit inside the carbon Thermos. It remains to be seen how useful Carbyne will be whilst wrapped up, but for now it’s the best that researchers can achieve.

Read the full article.

While not much is known about Carbyne, the material is believed to be stronger than both graphene and diamonds, and twice the stiffness of any known material. Maybe (just maybe) this could bring us one step closer to space elevators.

Is ECS a fundamental part of your professional life? Do you plan on remaining involved with the ECS for years to come? If so, commit to the ECS for the long haul! Consider lifetime membership today!

ECS offers different membership plans to meet the needs of individuals in academia, industry, and government. The lifetime membership option is designed for individuals who wish to become ECS members for their entire lives.

The lifetime membership is a one-time payment for your Society dues and a one-time payment for your division dues. Pricing for lifetime membership dues will vary. Contact customerservice@electrochem.org to inquire about a lifetime membership quote.

***For your convenience, we can accept installment payments for lifetime membership.***

As a lifetime member, you will receive all of the benefits of ECS membership, including 100 free full-text downloads from the ECS Digital Library, discounts on meeting registrations, unlimited electronic access to ECS meeting abstracts, and a subscription to Interface, our quarterly membership magazine. Once a year, you will receive an inquiry from ECS to confirm your contact information. This is simply to keep our records up-to-date.

Avoid the inconveniences of yearly renewals and fluctuating membership prices. Pay once and become an ECS member for life!

If lifetime membership isn’t for you, check out our multi-year membership options!

Artificial limbs have experience tremendous evolution in their long history. Throughout history, we’ve gone from the peg leg of the Dark Ages to technologically advanced modern day prosthesis that mimic the function of a natural limb. However, most prosthesis still lack a sense of touch.

Zhenan Bao, past ECS member and chemical engineer at Stanford University, is at the forefront of the research looking to change that.

(MORE: Read Bao’s past meeting abstracts in the ECS Digital Library for free.)

Recently on NPR’s All Things Considered, Bao described her work in developing a plastic artificial skin that can essentially do all the things organic skin can do, including sensing and self-healing.

The self-healing plastic Bao uses mimics the electrical properties of silicon and contains a nano-scale pressure sensor. The sensor is then connected to electrical circuits that connect to the brain, transmitting the pressure to the brain to analyze as feeling.

Additionally, the skin is set to be powered by polymers that can turn light into electricity.

While there is still much work to be done, Bao and her colleagues believe that this product could help people who have lost their limbs regain their sense of touch.

Image: AlexanderAIUS

Graphene’s potential seems limitless. From to patches that monitor glucose and inject treatment to water-splitting capabilities, the popularly proclaimed “wonder material” is finding a home in a host of applications. However, graphene has yet to make it wide-spread, commercial applications.

To help take graphene from the lab to society, the Graphene Flagship has been formed as a European initiative promoting collaborative research on the up-and-coming material. Recently, the initiative published a paper detailing the possibility of creating light-responsive graphene-based devices that could be applied to anything from photo-sensors to optically controllable memories.

(MORE: Listen to our podcast with nanocarbons expert Bruce Weiseman, where we talk graphene, fullerenes, and all things nano.)

This from Graphene Flagship:

The work shows how, by combining molecules capable of changing their conformation as a result of light irradiation with graphite powder, one can produce concentrated graphene inks by liquid phase exfoliation. These graphene inks can then be used to make devices which, when exposed to UV and visible light, are capable of photo-switching current in a reversible fashion.

(more…)

The iconic Moore’s law has predicted the technological growth of the chip industry for more than 50 years. When ECS member and co-founder of Intel Gordon Moore proposed the law, he stated that the number of transistors on a chip would double every two years. So far, he’s been correct.

But researchers have started hitting an apex that makes keeping the pace of Moore’s law extremely difficult. It has become harder in recent years to make transistors smaller while simultaneously increasing the processing power of chips, making it almost impossible to continue Moore’s law’s projected growth.

However, researchers from MIT have developed a long-awaited tool that may be able to keep driving that progress.

(READ: “Moore’s Law and the Future of Solid-State Electronics“)

The new technology that hopes to keep Moore’s law going at its current pace is called extreme-ultraviolet (EUV) lithography. Industry leaders say it could be used in high-volume chip manufacturing as early as 2018, allowing continued growth in the semiconductor industry, with advancements in our mobile phones, wearable electronics, and many other gadgets.

(more…)

According to Wikipedia, a teller of an election is “a person who counts the votes in an election, vote, referendum, or poll.” The ECS Tellers of Election recently met to do just that: verify our 2016 Society Elections.

ECS Tellers of Election as they verify the 2016 Society votes – from left, Prof. Craig B. Arnold, Dr. Ronald E. Enstrom, Mr. Norman Goldsmith and Dr. William M. Ayers.

Let’s backtrack a moment where we must first and foremost thank members of ECS for voting this year. Our second thoughts of appreciation go to the wonderful slate of candidates who are not only recognized professionals in their own areas of the sciences, but are dedicated enough to vie for ECS leadership. Thank you very much to Drs. Christina Bock and Thomas Moffat for considering the Vice President opportunity. Four years ago, Dr. Krishnan Rajeshwar was in this race to become an ECS Vice President which allowed him to now be on the ballot for the organization’s President. We extend similar appreciation to Drs. James Fenton and Douglas Hansen for competing for the role of Secretary.

(more…)

This spring, ECS will be coming to San Diego for our 229th meeting, bringing with us roughly 2,400 scientists, engineers, and students from around the world to discuss their latest research and innovations with implications for sustainability, renewable energy, and medical care.

To better connect with local groups who are working in sustainability and electrochemistry-related fields, as well as strengthen our connection with the San Diego community, ECS would like to extend the opportunity to be part of our Exhibit Hall by participating in the Local Lounge: San Diego, where local groups will be able to interact with our attendees and showcase their work.

In an effort to make our knowledge and resources more widely available, we’re also inviting local groups to join our community for the 229th Plenary Session on Monday, May 30 at 5 p.m., during which our speaker will be Christian Amatore.

You may also be interested in joining us at a special presentation on electrochemical solutions to global water sanitation challenges at 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday, the following day. This water sanitation session will present the results of a grant competition that we conducted with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. We are pleased to offer a free guest pass for either of these session if you are interested (RSVP required).

If you or one of your group members would like to learn more about having a literature display in the Local Lounge, or our exhibit program in general, and/or to RSVP to the above events, please contact Karla Cosgriff at karla.cosgriff@electrochem.org or 609.737.1902 ext. 122.