two-dimensional metallic dielectric photonic crystal (http://motherboard.vice.com/read/mit-thinks-its-discovered-the-perfect-solar-cell)
Here was me thinking materials science was all about the nanotubes and the graphene but fuck me there's so much more to it than that! :eek:
Quote from: P3nT4gR4m on October 02, 2014, 09:57:39 PM
two-dimensional metallic dielectric photonic crystal (http://motherboard.vice.com/read/mit-thinks-its-discovered-the-perfect-solar-cell)
Here was me thinking materials science was all about the nanotubes and the graphene but fuck me there's so much more to it than that! :eek:
It's also about making transparent aluminum and then immediately making it obsolete.
Materials science is a very broad field, and it's ALL sexy.
Quote from: Doktor Howl on October 02, 2014, 11:13:28 PM
Quote from: P3nT4gR4m on October 02, 2014, 09:57:39 PM
two-dimensional metallic dielectric photonic crystal (http://motherboard.vice.com/read/mit-thinks-its-discovered-the-perfect-solar-cell)
Here was me thinking materials science was all about the nanotubes and the graphene but fuck me there's so much more to it than that! :eek:
It's also about making transparent aluminum and then immediately making it obsolete.
Materials science is a very broad field, and it's ALL sexy.
TRANSPARENT ALUMINIUM? LIKE STAR TREK? :FAP:
Quote from: Doktor Howl on October 02, 2014, 11:13:28 PM
Quote from: P3nT4gR4m on October 02, 2014, 09:57:39 PM
two-dimensional metallic dielectric photonic crystal (http://motherboard.vice.com/read/mit-thinks-its-discovered-the-perfect-solar-cell)
Here was me thinking materials science was all about the nanotubes and the graphene but fuck me there's so much more to it than that! :eek:
It's also about making transparent aluminum and then immediately making it obsolete.
Materials science is a very broad field, and it's ALL sexy.
Hell yeah! I remember you talking about transparent aluminium and sapphire crystals the size of your head but I never connected the two until now. It was all filed in my head under the label under the label "nanotech" but then I came across a wikipedia article on materials science and mind = blown. :eek:
Even without a huge jump in technology solar cells have been steadily increasing their capacity per year between 3 and 5%
It doesn't sound like much but it's been enough to change a market mentality that four years ago pegged solar as too inefficient, to now being rapidly adopted.
It's still one of the more expensive technologies but rising energy costs and this trickle increase in efficiency have changed the return on investment from 20 years to 6 or seven which goes a long way towards helping market acceptance.
Quote from: Pope Pixie Pickle on October 02, 2014, 11:31:37 PM
Quote from: Doktor Howl on October 02, 2014, 11:13:28 PM
Quote from: P3nT4gR4m on October 02, 2014, 09:57:39 PM
two-dimensional metallic dielectric photonic crystal (http://motherboard.vice.com/read/mit-thinks-its-discovered-the-perfect-solar-cell)
Here was me thinking materials science was all about the nanotubes and the graphene but fuck me there's so much more to it than that! :eek:
It's also about making transparent aluminum and then immediately making it obsolete.
Materials science is a very broad field, and it's ALL sexy.
TRANSPARENT ALUMINIUM? LIKE STAR TREK? :FAP:
Yeah, but then it seems kinda silly, when you can make a single-crystal sapphire any size and shape you want. It's like making something out of tissue paper when you could, for almost the exact same price & weight, make it out of stainless steel.
(https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-Qc5UumFGzQI/VC6sYk_leOI/AAAAAAAABKg/plGI_wnx_JQ/w168-h273-no/Thoughts.jpg)
Quote from: P3nT4gR4m on October 03, 2014, 06:52:36 AM
Quote from: Doktor Howl on October 02, 2014, 11:13:28 PM
Quote from: P3nT4gR4m on October 02, 2014, 09:57:39 PM
two-dimensional metallic dielectric photonic crystal (http://motherboard.vice.com/read/mit-thinks-its-discovered-the-perfect-solar-cell)
Here was me thinking materials science was all about the nanotubes and the graphene but fuck me there's so much more to it than that! :eek:
It's also about making transparent aluminum and then immediately making it obsolete.
Materials science is a very broad field, and it's ALL sexy.
Hell yeah! I remember you talking about transparent aluminium and sapphire crystals the size of your head but I never connected the two until now. It was all filed in my head under the label under the label "nanotech" but then I came across a wikipedia article on materials science and mind = blown. :eek:
Nanotech is in the future, more or less, and isn't something we do yet.
Grinding aluminum oxide and then jamming it to 3500C so all the atoms line up in perfectly straight lines is something we can do now.
Quote from: LMNO, PhD (life continues) on October 03, 2014, 01:54:42 PM
(https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-Qc5UumFGzQI/VC6sYk_leOI/AAAAAAAABKg/plGI_wnx_JQ/w168-h273-no/Thoughts.jpg)
This needs to be an emote.
Quote from: Doktor Howl on October 03, 2014, 01:50:50 PM
Quote from: Pope Pixie Pickle on October 02, 2014, 11:31:37 PM
Quote from: Doktor Howl on October 02, 2014, 11:13:28 PM
Quote from: P3nT4gR4m on October 02, 2014, 09:57:39 PM
two-dimensional metallic dielectric photonic crystal (http://motherboard.vice.com/read/mit-thinks-its-discovered-the-perfect-solar-cell)
Here was me thinking materials science was all about the nanotubes and the graphene but fuck me there's so much more to it than that! :eek:
It's also about making transparent aluminum and then immediately making it obsolete.
Materials science is a very broad field, and it's ALL sexy.
TRANSPARENT ALUMINIUM? LIKE STAR TREK? :FAP:
Yeah, but then it seems kinda silly, when you can make a single-crystal sapphire any size and shape you want. It's like making something out of tissue paper when you could, for almost the exact same price & weight, make it out of stainless steel.
Hrm, apple were supposed to be replacing their gorrilla glass with a sapphire one for the new iphone, I think they are using it for the watches. Are they Tuscon based watch screens (can apple get scarier)?
Quote from: Faust on October 03, 2014, 01:58:21 PM
Quote from: Doktor Howl on October 03, 2014, 01:50:50 PM
Quote from: Pope Pixie Pickle on October 02, 2014, 11:31:37 PM
Quote from: Doktor Howl on October 02, 2014, 11:13:28 PM
Quote from: P3nT4gR4m on October 02, 2014, 09:57:39 PM
two-dimensional metallic dielectric photonic crystal (http://motherboard.vice.com/read/mit-thinks-its-discovered-the-perfect-solar-cell)
Here was me thinking materials science was all about the nanotubes and the graphene but fuck me there's so much more to it than that! :eek:
It's also about making transparent aluminum and then immediately making it obsolete.
Materials science is a very broad field, and it's ALL sexy.
TRANSPARENT ALUMINIUM? LIKE STAR TREK? :FAP:
Yeah, but then it seems kinda silly, when you can make a single-crystal sapphire any size and shape you want. It's like making something out of tissue paper when you could, for almost the exact same price & weight, make it out of stainless steel.
Hrm, apple were supposed to be replacing their gorrilla glass with a sapphire one for the new iphone, I think they are using it for the watches. Are they Tuscon based watch screens (can apple get scarier)?
Yeah, we're involved in that. I haven't been able to talk about it until recently, but then Apple spilled the beans themselves.
That's really cool.
So how much will a sapphire the size of my head set me back?
Quote from: Faust on October 03, 2014, 02:31:57 PM
That's really cool.
So how much will a sapphire the size of my head set me back?
About 2 million Euro, give or take, if it's just a spherical lump. If it's grown to a shape, double that (or more).
Within 3 years, we expect that cost to drop by an order of magnitude, as we have a far better process now.
Quote from: Doktor Howl on October 03, 2014, 03:12:35 PM
Quote from: Faust on October 03, 2014, 02:31:57 PM
That's really cool.
So how much will a sapphire the size of my head set me back?
About 2 million Euro, give or take, if it's just a spherical lump. If it's grown to a shape, double that (or more).
Within 3 years, we expect that cost to drop by an order of magnitude, as we have a far better process now.
That's actually not as bad as I was expecting, considering a less then a decade ago it would have been the biggest naturally occurring sapphire, would only be priced at auction and would have been the plot point of Inspector Clouseau film.
Quote from: Faust on October 03, 2014, 03:30:56 PM
Quote from: Doktor Howl on October 03, 2014, 03:12:35 PM
Quote from: Faust on October 03, 2014, 02:31:57 PM
That's really cool.
So how much will a sapphire the size of my head set me back?
About 2 million Euro, give or take, if it's just a spherical lump. If it's grown to a shape, double that (or more).
Within 3 years, we expect that cost to drop by an order of magnitude, as we have a far better process now.
That's actually not as bad as I was expecting, considering a less then a decade ago it would have been the biggest naturally occurring sapphire, would only be priced at auction and would have been the plot point of Inspector Clouseau film.
This stuff is useless as a gemstone, as it is utterly flawless (Less than 1 PPM of any metal in the mix). But yeah. :lulz:
Useless? Within a generation you're enabling QVC and such shit to sell people giant rocks of what look like very flawless precious gems. The level of fraud, malfeasance and general corruption that could be enabled here is breathtaking.
I am dismayed by your lack of vision.
Quote from: Junkenstein on October 03, 2014, 05:35:52 PM
Useless? Within a generation you're enabling QVC and such shit to sell people giant rocks of what look like very flawless precious gems. The level of fraud, malfeasance and general corruption that could be enabled here is breathtaking.
I am dismayed by your lack of vision.
Hopefully not, truly flawless gems are really boring, they don't sparkle.
Quote from: Junkenstein on October 03, 2014, 05:35:52 PM
Useless? Within a generation you're enabling QVC and such shit to sell people giant rocks of what look like very flawless precious gems. The level of fraud, malfeasance and general corruption that could be enabled here is breathtaking.
I am dismayed by your lack of vision.
Cubic zirconium is cheaper to make, and it's sparkly, which is what the rubes are after.
Dull gemstones just don't make the nut in Branson, MO.
I say to you that there's a whole category of rubes you're ignoring: Rich rubes. Never underestimate the willingness of a mark to put forward a little knowledge to help convince themselves of the value of the thing.
Quote from: Junkenstein on October 03, 2014, 07:17:45 PM
I say to you that there's a whole category of rubes you're ignoring: Rich rubes. Never underestimate the willingness of a mark to put forward a little knowledge to help convince themselves of the value of the thing.
Have you ever seen a rich American do something tasteful? Seriously, now. YOUR blue-bloods may be inbred to the point of having flippers, but they know how to DRESS, for fuck's sake.
Where the hell is the taste in giant lumps of psuedo gems? It's got "USA" practically fucking stamped on this.
Seriously, talk to me about this when lumps are cheap. We'll be very, very rich men.
Quote from: Faust on October 03, 2014, 05:41:14 PM
Quote from: Junkenstein on October 03, 2014, 05:35:52 PM
Useless? Within a generation you're enabling QVC and such shit to sell people giant rocks of what look like very flawless precious gems. The level of fraud, malfeasance and general corruption that could be enabled here is breathtaking.
I am dismayed by your lack of vision.
Hopefully not, truly flawless gems are really boring, they don't sparkle.
This.
Also there a bit of that as a philosophical thang. It's not perfection that appeals to the mind.
Quote from: a somewhat wiser Joe. on October 04, 2014, 01:05:13 AM
It's not perfection that appeals to the mind.
I disagree, I cannot move on to the next level in World of Goo until I get an absolutely perfect score on the previous one. In WoG they call this OCD, though a "perfect score" is often even higher than the official "OCD" score.
Anyway sorry for derail.