5 New Technologies

1. Graphene Nanoribbons

Silicon is used as the standard semiconductor in electronics, but graphene is much more efficient. However, graphene needs to be in very small pieces called nanoribbons to act as semiconductors. Our current technology cannot manufacture nanoribbons accurately enough for electronic chips, but scientists have taken an important step by figuring out a possible way to create nanoribbons by building them out of singular atoms instead of cutting them out of a larger sheet.

https://phys.org/news/2017-01-atomic-scale-nanoribbons.html

2. Acrete

A new concrete substitute named Acrete is lighter, stronger, and cheaper than concrete. In addition, it uses 3 times as much "fly ash", which is recycled material that makes up about 30 percent of normal concrete. Acrete is made of nearly 100 percent of fly ash, reducing CO2 emissions.

https://uanews.arizona.edu/story/concrete-substitute-ua-startup-brings-advantages

3. Hydrogen Extraction

Hydrogen fuel is an amazing idea, as it creates no carbon emissions. However, the production is difficult, expensive, and generates pollution, preventing us from mass producing it. Researchers at the German Aerospace Center may have found a way to solve this problem by concentrating large amounts of heat at a specific point to power a reaction that extracts hydrogen from water.

https://www.technologyreview.com/s/603965/the-worlds-largest-artificial-sun-could-help-generate-clean-fuel/?mc_cid=967c3ae06b&mc_eid=6400180312

4. Futuristic Fragrance

We already have technology that takes a "snapshot" of smells, allowing scientists to try and replicate it in the lab, but we may soon have technology that allows perfumers to digitally create smells and synthesize them, meaning we can create new smells that have never existed on Earth before.

http://www.cnn.com/2017/03/29/luxury/future-of-fragrance/index.html?sr=twcnni040317future-of-fragrance0130AMStoryGalPhoto&linkId=36117110

5. Bacterial Power

Scientist at Binghamton University have created a very early example of bacterial power cells, using a symbiotic relationship of photosynthetic bacteria for sustainability and heterotrophic bacteria to increase power. The power cell generated power for 13 days without maintenance.

http://sciencenewsjournal.com/scientists-created-self-sustaining-bacteria-fueled-power-cell-generated-power-13-days/