Flexible electronics seem to be a continually expanding area of electronics. However, a half-century of focus on silicon-based electronics has left the shelf set aside for materials that can be used for these new flexible electronics a bit bare.
Of late, there has been a big research push aimed at developing self-repairing, electrically conductive materials that can withstand the damage caused by the twisting and deformation of the materials. But thus far, most of that research has focused on self-repairing electrical conductors.
Plenty of people play with small drone aircraft in their backyards these days. Tom Driscoll, cofounder and chief technology officer of a startup called Echodyne may be the only one whose quadcopter packs the kind of sophisticated radar used on fighter jets. “We flew it around, did some collision avoidance, and locked onto one of our engineers and followed him around my backyard,” says Driscoll.
A new process for producing titanium—a metal that’s increasingly used in aircraft to reduce weight and fuel consumption—is significantly cheaper and less energy-intensive than conventional methods. The technique could lead to titanium being used to reduce the weight of cars, helping automakers meet tightening fuel economy regulations.
The incredible material called graphene has ignited what's being called the "Graphene Revolution" that will see the development of super energy efficient gadgets and devices that recharge in a flash, among others.
But then there's its mostly unknown and probably far superior rival called "silicene."
