Using a high-power, pulsed laser to deposit materials from a plasma plume (shown here), researchers synthesized materials to study their unique pyroelectric properties at the nanoscale. "Controlling ...

Heat sssssensorsss A large-eyed green pit viper. The pit organs are small depressions between the snake's nostrils and eyes. (Courtesy: iStock_TommyIX) Vipers, pythons and boa constrictors all use ...

Pyroelectricity could extract energy from heat sources below100°C, offering an alternative to thermo-electric generators (TEGs). TEGs make electricity through the Seebeck effect, where different ...

Converting heat into electricity is a property thought to be reserved only for stiff materials like crystals. However, researchers--inspired by the infrared (IR) vision of snakes--developed a ...

Practical demonstration on setup and configuration of infrared detectors. In theory, the functioning of a pyroelectric detector is absolutely comprehensible. As the centrepiece in gas analysers, flame ...

(Nanowerk Spotlight) For decades, researchers have sought to understand and harness the pyroelectric effect in biological materials. Pyroelectricity refers to the phenomenon where heating or cooling a ...

What if atomic crystals could send pulse power to light up a room? Back in 314 B.C., a student of Socrates described bits of sawdust that gravitated to a stone thrown into a camp fire. What was an ...