MAROKO133 Breaking ai: US scientists’ new light-emitting material that’s durable, cheap co

📌 MAROKO133 Breaking ai: US scientists’ new light-emitting material that’s durable

Researchers at the California NanoSystems Institute at UCLA (CNSI) have developed a new light-emitting material that’s flexible, durable, and cheap to produce.

Due to its properties, this new material promises to be both durable and inexpensive to manufacture, holding great potential for chip-integrated light sources in photonic computation.

To achieve this feat, the team combined molybdenum disulfide (MoS₂) with Nafion (a stretchy polymer normally used in fuel cells). The former is a “2D material” only a few atoms thick, known for electronic and optical properties but usually too fragile and dim for practical light-emission.

By stacking these two together in layers, the CNSI team created large, printable membranes that emit bright, stable light and can even be stretched without breaking. This is significant as typically MoS₂ and other 2D semiconductors were too delicate and emitted very little light.

Stretchy and stable

By combining MoS₂ with Nafion, the polymer not only reinforces the fragile material but also helps heal defects on the surface that usually kill light output. It also produces orders of magnitude brighter emission than MoS₂ alone.

Two-dimensional materials like MoS₂ have attracted intense research interest over the last decade. Ever since graphene was first isolated, scientists have been exploring similar ultra-thin crystals for their unusual properties.

Unlike graphene (which is a poor light emitter), MoS₂ has a direct bandgap, meaning it can interact with light much more efficiently. The problem has always been that single layers are fragile and give off only a weak glow, making them impractical for real-world devices.

Nafion itself is usually associated with energy applications such as proton-exchange membranes in fuel cells. It is flexible, chemically stable, and able to interact with ions. These traits turn out to be perfect for supporting delicate MoS₂ films.

The polymer doesn’t just act as a protective wrapper; it actively heals tiny defects on the semiconductor surface that normally trap electrons and quench light. The result is a hybrid material that is both robust and highly efficient at emitting photons.

By embedding the sheets in Nafion, the UCLA team managed to overcome both issues at once.

Could prove revolutionary for photonics

This new material could be very useful in things like photonics, where computing and devices that use light (photons) instead of electricity (electrons) are used. In these devices, light can move faster and use less energy than electrical signals.

We already use photonics in things like lasers, fiber-optic cables, solar cells, and smartphone cameras. For next-generation computers, light-based circuits could mean much higher speeds (since photons don’t collide and heat up like electrons).

It could also, in theory at least, lower energy costs (important for power-hungry applications like artificial intelligence). To this end, in the short term, such a material could open the door to new stretchable displays, flexible lasers, and chip-integrated light sources.

Longer term, it could also lead to a revolution in photonic computers that are faster and far more energy-efficient than today’s electronics, enabling breakthroughs in AI, data processing, and communications.

You can view the study for yourself in the Journal of the American Chemical Society.

🔗 Sumber: interestingengineering.com

📌 MAROKO133 Breaking ai: US to soon spot hostile drones at longer ranges using new

The United States could soon get the capability to detect hostile drones at longer ranges. An AI-enabled drone detection system was recently demonstrated at the Technology Readiness Experimentation event.

L3Harris Technologies and Shield AI recently showcased the system that can detect hostile UAVs faster than current systems.

The test event also demonstrated that the system can detect UAVs even if drones are partially obscured by buildings or clouds.

Unmanned threats that require faster responses

L3Harris tested the passive capabilities using WESCAM MX-Series electro-optical/infrared sensors integrated with Shield AI’s Tracker counter-UAS software to detect multiple classes of unmanned aerial systems. 

“Our warfighters and allies are facing a new breed of unmanned threats that require faster responses at greater ranges without being detected themselves,” said Tom Kirkland, Vice President and General Manager, Targeting and Sensor Systems, L3Harris.

“Partnering with Shield AI enables combat-proven targeting systems like the WESCAM MX-Series to be more effective and provide added protection to operators.” 

Fine-tuning different airborne object behavior models

The next phase of L3Harris Technologies and Shield AI’s collaboration will include fine-tuning different airborne object behavior models to enhance performance tracking across air, land, and maritime domains during daytime and night operations.

The AI-powered capability will be integrated with the L3Harris VAMPIRE Counter-Unmanned System, designed to defend against small drones.

“Adversaries are fielding more drones, cheaper and in more complex environments than ever before,” said Christian Gutierrez, Vice President, Hivemind Solutions, Shield AI. “Defeating that threat requires technology that is intelligent, adaptable and passive, and this collaboration with L3Harris brings together the strengths of autonomy and sensing to meet that urgent operational need.”

Targeting systems support intelligence

Used in the latest innovation, L3Harris’ WESCAM MX-Series of multi-sensor, multi-spectral, electro-optical and infrared (EO/IR) surveillance and targeting systems support intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance and target acquisition missions from platforms across the air, land and maritime domains.

WESCAM MX-Series turrets have outperformed their major competitors in every performance area, giving them the longest EO/IR target identification and designating ranges in the industry (in each class size).

L3Harris highlighted that its designating systems enable teams to dominate the battlefield 24/7, with greater precision than ever before. Field proven, with extensive deployment, WESCAM MX-Series designating systems offer “plug-and-play” installation, as well as high-sensitivity multi-spectral sensors for day, low-light, and night-time missions, according to the company.

High mean-time-between-failures is achieved through a diode-pumped laser target designator. WESCAM MX-Series systems offer precise geo-pointing technologies for hands-free simplicity regardless of aircraft movement or obstructions. The capability is here.

The company pointed out that WESCAM MX-Series EO/IR systems bring a new generation of forward-looking infrared and electro-optical sensor capability to a market where advanced asymmetrical threat identification technologies have become a necessity.

🔗 Sumber: interestingengineering.com