Self-powered devices to become a reality soon

Just imagine charging your phone while watching your favourite IPL match on television, without moving an inch from the couch or connecting to a charger. Not just phone, you will be able to charge other digital device like tablets and laptops too. All this could become reality in near future with development of a tiny device that can harvest energy in Indian labs.

Nanoenergy harvesters can convert stray mechanical and magnetic energy from surrounding vibrations emanating from television sets, radio and other such sources into electricity.  This concept isn’t new but it has not become popular since the process is costly and yields low voltage power.

Researchers at the Central University of Kerala, Central University of Tamil Nadu, and Mahatma Gandhi Universityin Kerala, have fabricated a new nanoenergy harvester that can generate power sufficient to run a small device.

By scavenging energy from various magnetic energy sources like radio, television and power transmission lines, this device can supply power upto 400 milli volt, which is higher than other energy harvesters available till date.

“We have shown application potential of new nanoenergy harvesters as the next generation energy devices. It will be used to make self-powered portable devices with integrated nanoenergy harvesters as its power source,” researchers say.

The energy harvester is a single unit made of many copper iron oxide tubes, each tube wrapped in a material called KNN. All the tubes are embedded in an alumina membrane. KNN is made of potassium, sodium and niobium ethoxides, and is capable of converting energy from mechanical pressure into electricity.

Cobalt Iron oxide, the material that makes the innermost part of the nanoenergy harvester can convert energy from a magnetic field into electricity. Each tube is 250nanometer wide and 4micrometer long. It is wrapped in a layer of KNN.

The whole unit (nanotubes embedded in alumina membrane) works together to produce electricity. The innermost cobalt iron oxide layer converts magnetic energy from nearby devices such as radio and television into electricity. This exerts mechanical pressure on the alumina membrane, which acts on the outermost KNN layer, which as a result, generates more electricity.

The method to synthesize these nanoenergy harvesters is cost-effective and highly energy efficient, the researchers say. Moreover it is lead-free, which makes it environment-friendly. Nanoenergy harvesters can harness energy from sources like radio frequencies that are otherwise lost unutilized, and hence, in the future, they could be used as additional sources of power.

The research group included CS Chitra Lekha, Ajith S Kumar, S Vivek, UP Mohammed Rasi, K Venkata Saravanan, K Nandakumar, and Swapna S Nair. The findings have been published in journal Nanotechnology. (India Science Wire)

This article was published Down to Earth on April 18, 2017. 

Indian scientists develop a mathematical model to visualize invading tumor in 3D

Doctors may soon be able to visualise an invading tumor in 3D by entering patient test values into a computer program. This has become possible because two Indian scientists at the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore and National Institute of Technology, Goa have developed a computer program.

This computer program works on a mathematical model that helps visualize the invading tumor in 3Dimension. After feeding patient information such as cancer cell density, extracellular matrix density, and the concentration of matrix degrading enzymes into the system, this model can calculate the invasion of cancer in realistic organ geometry like the breast.

An early detection of tumor can save a patient. One a tumor metastasizes, that is, starts spreading to other organs as cancer, curing it becomes challenging. In such situations, mathematical modeling of tumors can help predict the size, shape, and progression of tumor with time, which may prove to be a life-saving strategy.

Mathematical model is a useful and inexpensive approach to determine and to predict the stage, size, and progression of tumors, says Dr. Shangerganesh Lingeshwaran, Assistant Professor of Mathematics at the National Institute of Technology, Goa.

           

Picture: Shangerganesh Lingeshwaran, National Institute of Technology, Goa (Left) and Dr. Ganesan Sashikumaar, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore (right) developed the computer model.

This computer model can make near accurate predictions because of two features. First, it calculates realistic organ geometries. Second, it takes into account the interactions between cancer cells and healthy tissues. These help the model to predict how a tumor is progressing, and what will its shape and size be with time.

In the future, the computer model can also be used for as an aid for treating cancer and planning surgery, say scientists Shangerganesh Lingeshwaran and Ganesan Sashikumaar. 

Published- India Science Wire

Reference: Communications in Nonlinear Science and Numerical Simulation 46: 135-152.

Increasing awareness about biodiversity laws a challenge for India

Many companies make commercial products using the natural biodiversity of India. Most of them are unaware of the regulations governing the use of local plants for making these commercial products. The local people are also unaware of the fact that companies have to share profits with them for any commercial product made from plants indigenous to their area.

This lack of awareness discerning biodiversity and the biodiversity act 2002 is a problem for India. “Our biggest challenge is to increase awareness. Both the users and the beneficiaries lack clarity about regulations and laws ”, said Dr. Meenakumari Singh, Chairperson at the National Biodiversity Authority of India.

With a rich biodiversity constituting 9% of all recorded species of plants and animals in the world, India is a destination for locating newer and better commercial products. This called for laws concerning how biodiversity in India has to be exploited and how the local people have to get their equal share of benefits. The Biodiversity Act was passed in 2002 to address this issue. It deals with how biodiversity of India has to be used for the benefit of its people, maintaining sustainable development as its core value. “The Biodiversity authority of India has a regulatory and a facilitator role”, said Dr. Singh. It regulates how companies use the biodiversity of India, and it facilitates fair and equal sharing of benefits with the local people.

Dr. Meenakumari Singh emphasized the importance of creating awareness about biodiversity laws by citing the example of Dr. Geeta Pandurang. She practices medicine in Maharashtra. She developed a medicine for snakebites that prolongs the time available for the patient to go to the hospital for treatment. This medicine was made from a local plant therefore; was within the purview of the Biodiversity Act of 2002. “She gave INR 3500 to the State biodiversity board as the benefit sharing amount. The monetary benefit was not huge, but it is important to create awareness and inculcate the concept of sharing benefits with the local communities”, said Dr. Singh.  

Published- India Science Wire

Self powered devices to become a reality soon

If you were to choose between watching the much-awaited IPL match and charging your cell phone, what would you do? Don’t you worry; just keep the cell phone in your pocket, enjoy the match, and it will be charged! You could charge other devices like your tablet and laptop too. This could soon be a reality with the advent of nanoenergy harvesters.

Nanoenergy harvesters can convert mechanical and magnetic energy from surrounding vibrations into electricity.  This concept isn’t new. But since these are extremely costly and generate low voltage power; they haven’t become popular.

Researchers at the Central University of Kerala, Central University of Tamil Nadu, and Mahatma Gandhi University in Kerala, have fabricated a new nanoenergy harvester that can generate power sufficient to run a small device. In the future, nanoenergy harvesters could be improved to run a phone or even a laptop.

The new nanoenergy harvester is a single unit made of many copper iron oxide tubes, each tube wrapped in a material called KNN. All the tubes are embedded in an alumina membrane.

Cobalt Iron oxide, the material that makes the innermost part of the nanoenergy harvester can convert energy from a magnetic field into electricity. Each tube is 250nanometer wide and 4micrometer long. It is wrapped in a layer of KNN, which is made of Potassium, Sodium, and Niobium ethoxides. KNN is a material that can convert energy from mechanical pressure into electricity.

The whole unit (nanotubes embedded in alumina membrane) works together to produce electricity. The innermost cobalt iron oxide layer converts magnetic energy from nearby devices such as radio and television into electricity. This exerts mechanical pressure on the alumina membrane, which acts on the outermost KNN layer, which as a result, generates more electricity.

By scavenging energy from various magnetic energy sources, such as radio, television, and power transmission lines, it can supply power with ~400milli Volt, which is higher than other energy harvesters available till date.

 “We show application potential of (new nanoenergy harvester) as the next generation energy devices. It will be used to make self-powered portable devices with integrated nanoenergy harvesters as its power source”, say scientists CS Chitra Lekha, Ajith S Kumar, S Vivek, UP Mohammed Rasi, K Venkata Saravanan, K Nandakumar, and Swapna S Nair, who published their results in the journal Nanotechnology.

The method to synthesize these nanoenergy harvesters is cost-effective and highly energy efficient. Moreover it is lead-free, which makes it environment-friendly. Nanoenergy harvesters can harness energy from sources like radio frequencies that are otherwise lost unutilized, and hence, in the future, they could be used as additional sources of power. 

Published- India Science Wire

Reference: Nanotechnology 28 (5): 055402.

New material to make Indian warships invisible

Indian scientists have made a new material to make ‘radar-invisible’ defense warships. The material absorbs microwaves coming from the enemy radar. This prevents the waves from getting reflected back to the detector, making it invisible.

Radars work by emitting microwaves through a transmitter. The waves travel to the enemy aircrafts and submarines, and get reflected from their surface. Then, a detector senses the reflected waves and identifies the warships.

Radars are of five types- L, S, C, X, and K, depending upon the frequency of waves on which they operate.  Modern warfare uses X-band radars as they employ high-frequency microwaves that can detect aircrafts and submarines located thousands of miles away.

To escape detection by radar, warships are made using two types of materials- carbon fibers and ferrite composites. Both materials absorb microwaves. This is how they become invisible to the radar.

Compared to carbon fibers, ferrite composites have added advantages of being stable at high temperatures, highly flexible and strong, and resistant to corrosion. But, they have to be bound to a suitable matrix to make them efficient microwave absorbers.

Researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology, Jodhpur and Defense Laboratory, Jodhpur have made a new ferrite composite to help Indian defense aircrafts become invisible to enemy radars. They published their results in the journal Scientific Reports.

The new ferrite composite- FMAR80, is made by binding Nickel zinc ferrite powder in layers of a specialized rubber called NBR (acryloNitrile Butadiene Rubber). A simple and energy-efficient chemical process is used to make the material in less than 12 hours.

“FMAR80 can be used as a microwave absorber for strategic applications such as microwave stealth”, say scientists L Saini, MK Patra, RK Jani, GK Gupta, A Dixit, and SR Vadera. 

Published- India Science Wire

Reference: Scientific Reports 7: 44457.

Ecofriendly anti-corrosives of steel developed

Industries incur significant economic losses due to metal corrosion. Using anti-corrosives can minimize these losses. Most of the available anti-corrosives are expensive and harmful for the environment. Now, scientists have found 3 new anti-corrosives of mild steel that are environmentally safe and cheaper.

Mild steel has high strength and costs less, which is why it makes for an excellent material in many industries such as cooling systems, refinery units, pipelines, chemicals, oil and gas production units, boilers, and water processors.

However, mild steel gets corroded in water with time. New anti-corrosives to prevent degradation of mild steel were found by scientists at the Indian Institute of Technology, Banaras Hindu University in India, Jan Dlugosz University in Poland, North-West University in South Africa, and Obafemi Awolowo University in Nigeria, who published their results in the journal Scientific Reports.

“All studied molecules act as good inhibitors for mild steel corrosion”, say scientists C Verma, MA Quraishi, K Kluza, MM Janusik, L Olasunkanmi, and E Ebenso.

The anti-corrosives are named GPH 1-3. They are made from glucose that costs INR 460 per Kg. It is also environmentally safe and easily available. Other commercially used anti-corrosives are made from toxic and expensive chemicals such as glucosamine that costs INR 80,000 per kg.

Coating the surface of mild steel with anti-corrosives GPH1-3 could prevent up to 97% of the metal from being wasted. Even at temperatures as high as 65 degree Celsius, the anti-corrosive GPH3 could prevent 77% of the metal from being wasted.

“The global cost of corrosion is estimated as high as USD2.5Trillion. A significant cost of corrosion can be saved using corrosion inhibitor technology”, says Professor MA Quraishi, at the Indian Institute of Technology, Banaras Hindu University, who is a part of the international team that found the new anti-corrosives. 

Reference: Scientific Reports 7: 44432.

Published- India Science Wire

Reducing pesticides to improve Indian crop productivity

A study from 946 arable farms in France shows that reduced use of pesticides can still improve crop productivity and assure profitability, provided the farming practices are modified. Adopting cropping systems with reduced pesticide use would not impact productivity in 94% of farms, and could even be associated with enhanced productivity in 39% of farms.

The climate in France is temperate as in northwestern India, and the study covers a large range of soils, including soils with low available water capacity. Reducing the use of pesticides by 40-60% in France improved the crop productivity in 39% of the farms, which have temperate climate, and soils with low available water capacity like those in northwestern India, making the study particularly relevant for India.

The productivity of crops like farms growing maize, straw cereals, oilseed rape, and sunflower with low amounts of pesticides was potentially improved when the pesticide burden was reduced as compared with farms more reliant on pesticides. “Pesticide use could be reduced without a significant impact on profitability in 67% of the surveyed farms. In 11% of the farms, pesticide use reduction could even significantly increase profitability”, say scientists at the Agrosolutions and National Institute for Agricultural Research, France in their recent study published in the journal Nature Plants.

This strategy failed in those 6% farms where the soils were loamy with high available water capacity, which is ideal for growing crops like potato and sugar beet. Indeed, those crops are both highly profitable for farmers, and strongly reliant on pesticides, so in France where these crops are grown, the most profitable farms are also those farms that use the highest levels of pesticides. For most 55% of the farms, reducing pesticides did not reduce crop productivity, did not affect it significantly, indicating that using pesticide in most of these farms was redundant.

Using pesticides in agriculture poses environmental and health hazards. Since a long time, researchers have argued whether agriculture with lesser pesticides can be as productive and profitable as current agricultural practices. “Low pesticide use is rarely associated with decreased productivity and profitability in arable farms, provided that several alternative non-chemical measures to control pests and weeds are also adopted”, claim scientists in their report.

The Ministry of Agriculture is a nodal ministry that deals with pesticides, encourages the proper use of pesticides and develops alternatives to pesticides to promote sustainable agriculture in India. A drastic reduction in pesticides use may seem to deeply impact the market organization and trade balance in the agricultural sector. This recent study in France invigorates the need to carry out a rigorous analysis of the proposal to reduce pesticides for agriculture in the Indian setting, which might be a key to pesticide-free future.

Reference: Nature Plants 3: 17008.