Nanophotonics, the development of new ways to generate and manipulate light using ultrasmall engineered structures — some as tiny as a strand of DNA — is one of the fastest-growing fields in nanotechnology. It spans the disciplines of physics, chemistry, electrical engineering and bioengineering and holds promise for important technological advances in many industries, including energy conservation and environmental remediation. Rice University's far-reaching research program in nano-photonics, centered in the Laboratory for Nanophotonics (LANP), includes leading theorists and experimentalists in both the basic and applied sciences. Their research has the potential to enhance the absorptive capacity of solar panels, extend their longevity, and make much more efficient use of solar power generators. LANP was formed in 2004 with a mission to invent, understand, develop, simulate, control, optimize and apply nanoscale optical elements, components and systems. It has been awarded a highly competitive, five-year, $3 million federal grant by one of the National Science Foundation’s most competitive programs, the Integrative Graduate Education and Research Training (IGERT) program. Wind Energy: Improved Turbine Efficiency and Durability Solutions to global energy problems will require materials and technologies that fundamentally change how energy is generated, stored and transmitted. Wind is the fastest growing energy sector in the U.S., and its use and cost-effectiveness are expected to grow as larger, more efficient wind turbines are developed. Rice researchers are discovering ways to improve turbine efficiency and durability through enhanced aerodynamic and limited-space designs, development of Òplug-and-playÓ strategies for multi-solution vertical axis turbines, and constructional use of advanced nano-composite materials that are inexpensive, environmentally safe, and both stronger and lighter than steel. Applications provide greater mechanical strength, improved abrasion resistance, longer fatigue time, and better thermal stability. Further advances are found through integration of materials development with models of fatigue implications due to wind-induced acceleration and blade vibration.
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