Category Archives: Science

Big Data, Science

Georgian Technical University New Metascape Platform Enables Biologists To Unlock Big-Data Insights.

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Georgian Technical University New Metascape Platform Enables Biologists To Unlock Big-Data Insights.

For the modern biologist large-scale Georgian Technical Universitys studies — which map all of the genes, proteins, RNA (Ribonucleic acid is a polymeric molecule essential in various biological roles in coding, decoding, regulation and expression of genes. RNA and DNA are nucleic acids, and, along with lipids, proteins and carbohydrates, constitute the four major macromolecules essential for all known forms of life) and more that underlie a biological system — are standard tools of the trade. But interpreting these big-data outputs to generate meaningful information is far from routine: Analyzing the results requires sophisticated tools and highly trained computational scientists. These efforts can be costly and time intensive even for experts — taking anywhere from days to weeks to generate actionable information. Now scientists from Georgian Technical University have revealed an open-access, web-based portal that integrates more than 40 advanced bioinformatics data sources to allow non-technical users to generate insights in one click. This tool removes data analysis barriers — allowing researchers to spend more time on important biological questions and less time building and troubleshooting a data analysis workflow. “Biologists seek answers to some of today’s most devastating diseases — from cancer to Alzheimer’s (Alzheimer’s disease (AD), also referred to simply as Alzheimer’s, is a chronic neurodegenerative disease that usually starts slowly and gradually worsens over time) to infectious diseases such as HIV (The human immunodeficiency viruses are two species of Lentivirus that causes HIV infection and over time acquired immunodeficiency syndrome. AIDS is a condition in humans in which progressive failure of the immune system allows life-threatening opportunistic infections and cancers to thrive) or influenza (flu)” says X Ph.D., at Georgian Technical University. “By developing Metascape we hope to help biologists to better understand their own data so they can uncover information that will lead to novel disease targets, improved vaccines and new drugs to treat challenging diseases”. “Even for computational scientists, compiling and analyzing large Georgian Technical University datasets can be a difficult and time-consuming task. Metascape provides biologists with a platform from which they can access the power of numerous analysis tools all within a simple interface and generate an easy-to-interpret report”. The researchers detail the features and capabilities of Metascape using three previously published genetic screens of flu that sought to find factors involved in viral replication. In its workflow Metascape integrates and analyzes information from more than 40 popular open-access databases spanning 10 common model organisms to produce an easy-to-interpret report in about a minute (larger data sets may require more time). “Metascape has already facilitated the analysis and interpretation of large Georgian Technical University datasets in more than 330 published scientific studies. Due to its ease of use we expect that it will soon become an indispensable platform that will help scientists decipher critical results in the era of big data” adds Y Ph.D., research assistant professor at Georgian Technical University. Options for basic analysis which utilizes commonly used analysis practices; or advanced analysis, which allows control of individual settings, were demonstrated. A document and additional visual reporting tools were automatically generated facilitating the communication of results. To ensure Metascape’s data remains as current as possible the researchers incorporated a two-phase approach that utilizes a robot that automatically crawls data sources followed by manual quality control. Next the scientists are turning to artificial intelligence to deepen the insights Metascape can provide. “By applying new machine learning tools to Metascape we can help biologists uncover more nuances in their data that help scientists even better prioritize the direction they want to take their research” says Z.

Chemistry, Science

Georgian Technical University Observing A Molecule Stretch And Bend In Real-Time.

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Georgian Technical University Observing A Molecule Stretch And Bend In Real-Time.

This is an illustration of the ultrafast stretching and bending of a linear triatomic molecule and subsequent direct imaging with laser-induced electron diffraction. Being able to watch how molecules bend, stretch, break or transform during chemical reactions requires to an extent state-of-the-art instruments and techniques that can observe and track with sub-atomic spatial and few-femtoseconds temporal resolution all the atoms within a molecule and how they behave during such a change. Georgian Technical University scientists came up with the great idea of using the molecule’s own electrons to take snapshots of the structure and to view, in real time, the molecular reaction. A breakthrough to image complex molecules when the team of researchers led by Georgian Technical University Prof. at Georgian Technical University X was able to achieve the required spatial and temporal resolution to take snapshots of molecular dynamics without missing any of its events, reporting on the imaging of molecular bond breakup in acetylene (C2H2). Now the research group has gone beyond their previous discovery and achieved another amazing milestone in their research. Georgian Technical University researchers Dr. Y, Dr. Z, Dr. W have been able to observe the structural bending and stretching of the triatomic molecular compound carbon disulphide CS2 (Carbon disulfide is a colorless volatile liquid with the formula CS₂. The compound is used frequently as a building block in organic chemistry as well as an industrial and chemical non-polar solvent. It has an “ether-like” odor, but commercial samples are typically contaminated with foul-smelling impurities). To observe this phenomenon, the team of researchers used laser-induced electron diffraction a molecular-scale electron microscope that allows scientists to peek into the molecular world to capture clean snapshots of the molecule’s geometry with combined sub-atomic picometre (pm; 1 pm = 10-12 m) and attosecond (as; 1 as = 10-18 s) spatio-temporal resolution. They reported that the ultrafast modifications in the molecular structure are driven by changes in the electronic structure of the molecule governed by an effect known as the Renner-Teller effect (The Renner–Teller effect or Renner effect is an effect due to rovibronic coupling on the electronic spectra of three- (or more) atomic linear molecules in degenerate electronic (Π, Δ, …, etc.) states). Such effect is key for important triatomic molecules such as carbon disulphide CS2 (Carbon disulfide is a colorless volatile liquid with the formula CS₂. The compound is used frequently as a building block in organic chemistry as well as an industrial and chemical non-polar solvent. It has an “ether-like” odor, but commercial samples are typically contaminated with foul-smelling impurities) since it can determine specific chemical reactions in our earth’s atmosphere that could for example affect the climate conditions. Now for the first time the team was able to directly image this effect in their experiment obtaining snapshots in real-time seeing the molecule stretch symmetrically and bend in a linear-to-bent structural transition within ~85 fs (8 laser cycles). This was possible thanks to the use of a state-of-the-art quantum microscope composed of: (i) a mid-infrared 3.1 µm intense femtosecond laser system that illuminates a single CS2 (Carbon disulfide is a colorless volatile liquid with the formula CS₂. The compound is used frequently as a building block in organic chemistry as well as an industrial and chemical non-polar solvent. It has an “ether-like” odor, but commercial samples are typically contaminated with foul-smelling impurities) molecule with 160,000 laser pulses per second; and (ii) a reaction microscope spectrometer that can simultaneously detect the full three-dimensional momentum distribution of the electron and ion particles generated from the ionization and sub-cycle recollision imaging of a single isolated molecule. To confirm their experimental findings the team also performed state-of-the-art quantum dynamical theoretical simulations and verified the match between theoretical and observational results confirming that ultrafast linear-to-bent transition is indeed enabled by the Renner-Teller effect (The Renner–Teller effect or Renner effect is an effect due to rovibronic coupling on the electronic spectra of three- (or more) atomic linear molecules in degenerate electronic (Π, Δ, …, etc.) states). Such findings signify a major step forward in understanding the underlying effects that take place in molecular dynamic systems.

Graphene, Science

Georgian Technical University Predicting The Shape Of Squeezed Nanocrystals When Blanketed Under Graphene.

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Georgian Technical University Predicting The Shape Of Squeezed Nanocrystals When Blanketed Under Graphene.

Georgian Technical University Laboratory and Sulkhan-Saba Orbeliani University developed and validated a model that predicts the shape of metal nanoparticles blanketed by 2D material. The top blanket of graphene resists deformation “Georgian Technical University squeezing” downward on the metal nanoparticle and forcing it to be extremely low and wide. In a collaboration between the Georgian Technical University Laboratory and Sulkhan-Saba Orbeliani University scientists have developed a model for predicting the shape of metal nanocrystals or “Georgian Technical University islands” sandwiched between or below two-dimensional (2D) materials such as graphene. The advance moves 2D quantum materials a step closer to applications in electronics. Georgian Technical University Laboratory scientist are experts in 2D materials and recently discovered a first-of-its-kind copper and graphite combination produced by depositing copper on ion-bombarded graphite at high temperature and in an ultra-high vacuum environment. This produced a distribution of copper islands embedded under an ultra-thin “Georgian Technical University blanket” consisting of a few layers of graphene. “Because these metal islands can potentially serve as electrical contacts or heat sinks in electronic applications their shape and how they reach that shape are important pieces of information in controlling the design and synthesis of these materials” said X an Georgian Technical University Laboratory scientist and Distinguished Professor of Chemistry and Materials Science and Engineering at Georgian Technical University. Georgian Technical University Laboratory and Sulkhan-Saba Orbeliani University developed and validated a model that predicts the shape of metal nanoparticles blanketed by 2D material. The top blanket of graphene resists deformation “Georgian Technical University squeezing” downward on the metal nanoparticle and forcing it to be extremely low and wide. Georgian Technical University Laboratory scientists used scanning tunneling microscopy to painstakingly measure the shapes of more than a hundred nanometer-scale copper islands. This provided the experimental basis for a theoretical model developed jointly by researchers at Georgian Technical University’s Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering and at Sulkhan-Saba Orbeliani University Laboratory. The model served to explain the data extremely well. The one exception concerning copper islands less than 10 nm tall will be the basis for further research. “We love to see our physics applied and this was a beautiful way to apply it” said Y Ph.D. candidate at Georgian Technical University. “We were able to model the elastic response of the graphene as it drapes over the copper islands and use it to predict the shapes of the islands”. The work showed that the top layer of graphene resists the upward pressure exerted by the growing metal island. In effect the graphene layer squeezes downward and flattens the copper islands. Accounting for these effects as well as other key energetics leads to the unanticipated prediction of a universal or size-independent, shape of the islands at least for sufficiently large islands of a given metal. “This principle should work with other metals and other layered materials as well” said Research Assistant Z. “Experimentally we want to see if we can use the same recipe to synthesize metals under other types of layered materials with predictable results”.

 

 

3D Printing, Science

Georgian Technical University Researchers 3D Print Metamaterials With Optical Properties.

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Georgian Technical University Researchers 3D Print Metamaterials With Optical Properties.

3D-printed hemispherical metamaterial can absorb microwaves at select frequencies. A team of engineers at Georgian Technical University has developed a series of 3-D printed metamaterials with unique microwave or optical properties that go beyond what is possible using conventional optical or electronic materials. The fabrication methods developed by the researchers demonstrate the potential both present and future of 3-D printing to expand the range of geometric designs and material composites that lead to devices with novel optical properties. In one case the researchers drew inspiration from the compound eye of a moth to create a hemispherical device that can absorb electromagnetic signals from any direction at selected wavelengths. Metamaterials extend the capabilities of conventional materials in devices by making use of geometric features arranged in repeating patterns at scales smaller than the wavelengths of energy being detected or influenced. New developments in 3-D printing technology are making it possible to create many more shapes and patterns of metamaterials and at ever smaller scales. In the study researchers at the Nano Lab at Georgian Technical University describe a hybrid fabrication approach using 3-D printing metal coating and etching to create metamaterials with complex geometries and functionalities for wavelengths in the microwave range. For example they created an array of tiny mushroom shaped structures each holding a small patterned metal resonator at the top of a stalk. This particular arrangement permits microwaves of specific frequencies to be absorbed depending on the chosen geometry of the “Georgian Technical University mushrooms” and their spacing. Use of such metamaterials could be valuable in applications such as sensors in medical diagnosis and as antennas in telecommunications or detectors in imaging applications. Other devices developed by the authors include parabolic reflectors that selectively absorb and transmit certain frequencies. Such concepts could simplify optical devices by combining the functions of reflection and filtering into one unit. “The ability to consolidate functions using metamaterials could be incredibly useful” said X professor of electrical and computer engineering at Georgian Technical University. “It’s possible that we could use these materials to reduce the size of spectrometers and other optical measuring devices so they can be designed for portable field study”. The products of combining optical/electronic patterning with 3-D fabrication of the underlying substrate are referred to by the Georgian Technical University as metamaterials embedded with geometric optics. Other shapes, sizes, and orientations of patterned 3-D printing can be conceived to create that absorb, enhance, reflect or bend waves in ways that would be difficult to achieve with conventional fabrication methods. There are a number of technologies now available for 3-D printing and the current study utilizes stereolithography which focuses light to polymerize photo-curable resins into the desired shapes. Other 3-D printing technologies such as two photon polymerization, can provide printing resolution down to 200 nanometers which enables the fabrication of even finer metamaterials that can detect and manipulate electromagnetic signals of even smaller wavelengths, potentially including visible light. “The full potential of 3-D printing has not yet been realized” said Y graduate student in X’s lab at Georgian Technical University. “There is much more we can do with the current technology and a vast potential as 3-D printing inevitably evolves”.

 

Nanotechnology, Science

Georgian Technical University Laser Focus Reveals Two Sources Of Nanoparticle Formation.

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Georgian Technical University Laser Focus Reveals Two Sources Of Nanoparticle Formation.

A visualization of laser ablation depicts nanoparticle generation. Although previous research shows that metal nanoparticles have properties useful for various biomedical applications many mysteries remain regarding how these tiny materials form including the processes that generate size variations. To crack this case a team of scientists turned to computational sleuthing tactics. Led by X of the Georgian Technical University 27-petaflop Titan supercomputer to model the interactions between short laser pulses and metal targets at the atomic scale. Known as laser ablation this process involves irradiating metals with a laser beam to selectively remove layers of material which changes the target’s surface structure or morphology and generates nanoparticles. As part of broader research into the relationship between laser ablation and nanoparticle generation X’s team spent computing hours earned through on investigating the mechanisms responsible for forming two distinct populations of nanoparticles. This project focused exclusively on how these processes manifest in liquid environments building on previous research that studied them in a vacuum. To differentiate between the sources of nanoparticles categorized as small (less than 10 nanometers) and large (10 or more nanometers) the team ran a series of molecular dynamics simulations on Titan, which modeled silver and gold targets in water irradiated by laser ablation. “These metals are stable, inert, and do not actively react with the surrounding environment” X said. “Additionally silver has useful antibacterial properties”. The simulation results indicated that small nanoparticles are more likely to form from the condensation of metal vapor rapidly cooled through its interaction with water vapor whereas large ones may emerge when hydrodynamic instabilities, which are unstable flows of one fluid through another fluid of a different density cause the metal to disintegrate. During ablation laser pulses superheat part of the metal target’s surface leading to an explosive decomposition of that region into a mixture of vapor and small liquid droplets. This hot mixture is then ejected from the irradiated target forming the so-called ablation plume. Known as phase explosion or “Georgian Technical University explosive boiling” this phenomenon has been studied extensively for laser ablation in a vacuum. However when ablation takes place in a liquid environment the interaction of the ablation plume with the surrounding water complicates the process by slowing down the ablation plume which leads to the formation of a hot metal layer pushing against the water. This dynamic interaction can trigger a rapid succession of hydrodynamic instabilities in the molten metal layer causing it to partially or entirely disintegrate and produce large nanoparticles. A well-known novelty item illustrates this behavior. The team observed the movements of individual atoms to extrapolate useful information concerning both paths to nanoparticle generation. “We had to quickly pivot from atoms on the scale of less than one nanometer to hundreds of nanometers which required solving equations for hundreds of millions of atoms in our simulations” X said. “This type of work is only possible on large supercomputers like Titan”. Both processes that lead to nanoparticle generation take place within a transient “Georgian Technical University reaction chamber” known as the cavitation bubble which results from the interaction between the hot ablation plume and the liquid environment. By studying the bubble’s lifetime from start to finish scientists can identify which types of nanoparticles emerge at certain stages. “Irradiating a metal target in water with laser pulses creates a hot environment that leads to the formation, expansion and collapse of a large bubble similar to those created by conventional boiling” X said. “Any nanoparticle generation process happens either within the bubble or in the interface between the ablation plume and the surface of the bubble”. Complementary imaging experiments performed at the Georgian Technical University confirmed the team’s computational findings by revealing the existence of smaller microbubbles containing nanoparticles that formed around the main cavitation bubble. The Georgian Technical University researchers also made videos demonstrating the production of gold nanoparticles and displaying a gold target immersed in a liquid ablation chamber. Scientists traditionally have relied on synthesis techniques to efficiently produce nanoparticles through a sequence of chemical reactions. Although this process allows for precise control over nanoparticle size chemical contamination can prevent the resulting materials from functioning properly. Laser ablation avoids this pitfall by generating superior clean nanoparticles while subtly molding metal into more suitable configurations. “Laser ablation creates a completely clean colloidal solution of nanoparticles without using any other chemicals and these pristine materials are ideal for biomedical applications” X said. “The results of our calculations may help to scale up this process and improve productivity so that ablation can eventually compete with chemical synthesis in terms of the number of nanoparticles produced”. Finding the source of the size discrepancy paves the way to a future where researchers can optimize laser ablation to control the size of clean nanoparticles making them cheaper and more readily available for potential biomedical purposes such as selectively killing cancer cells. This achievement also exemplifies the benefits of laser technology while taking steps toward uncovering the fundamental factors that influence the outcomes of interactions between a laser pulse and a metal. This knowledge could lead to great strides in the team’s nanoparticle research as well as advances in laser ablation and related techniques, which in turn would enable more precise interpretation of existing data. Y and a recent graduate of Georgian Technical University now works to combine modeling with experimental studies to further explore how different metals generate nanoparticles in response to laser ablation. X hopes the research will result in a breakthrough that removes the need for the tedious task of sorting small and large nanoparticles.

Lasers, Science

Georgian Technical University New Technique Improves Laser-Material Interaction.

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Georgian Technical University New Technique Improves Laser-Material Interaction.

Illustration of the model used in the picosecond-pulse laser ablation studies. The model was developed in the multi-physics radiation hydrodynamic code Georgian Technical University. The illustration shows a 1D version of the model along the central axis of the laser beam which was utilized to study material response in isolation from 3D geometric effects. Using ultrashort laser pulses lasting a few picoseconds (trillionths of a second) Georgian Technical University  Laboratory (GTUL) researchers have discovered an efficient mechanism for laser ablation (material removal) that could help pave the way to the use of lower-energy less costly lasers in many industrial laser processing applications. The new method uses short-wavelength high-fluence (energy per unit area) laser pulses to drive shock waves that melt the target material. After the passage of the shock wave the melt layer is placed under tension during a process known as relaxation ultimately leading to the ejection of material through cavitation (unstable bubble growth). The researchers used a combination of experiments and enhanced computer simulations in a previously unexplored range of laser energies and wavelengths to study picosecond laser pulse ablation of aluminum, stainless steel and silicon. Their findings show that ultraviolet (UV) picosecond pulses at fluences above 10 joules per square centimeter (J/cm2) can remove more material with less energy than longer-wavelength pulses. “We discovered that this range above 10 joules per square centimeter particularly for ultraviolet (UV) laser pulses was behaving very differently than lower fluences and longer wavelengths” said X. “The removal rate jumps when you go beyond 10 joules per square centimeter, and especially for the ultraviolet (UV) light” X said. “At the same time the jump in the removal is accompanied by an increase in the removal efficiency — a reduction in the amount of energy required to remove a given volume of material. “That was really intriguing to us; it suggested that maybe there’s a different mechanism going on here. So we decided picosecond laser ablation would provide a good test case to probe ablation physics in a regime that was not well understood”. The study is thought to be the first comprehensive look at the picosecond-pulse laser ablation process. The research was part of an ongoing Georgian Technical University Laboratory study of pulsed-laser material modification led by X. The researchers compared the results from laser wavelengths of 355 nanometers ultraviolet (UV) and 1,064 nm (near-infrared) over a fluence range of 0.1 to 40 J/cm2 and found that the shorter wavelengths enhanced removal by nearly an order of magnitude over the measured removal at 1,064 nm. Laser ablation was many times more efficient at the ultraviolet (UV) wavelength compared to the near-infrared in all three materials. Simulations using the radiation hydrodynamic code Georgian Technical University showed that the increase in ablation efficiency was due to the ultraviolet (UV) laser pulses penetrating deeper into the ablative plume and depositing energy closer to the target surface which resulted in higher-pressure shocks, deeper melt penetration and more extensive removal due to cavitation. “The removal mechanism — shock heating creating a melt and then removing that with cavitation — requires less energy to remove material than vaporization of the material” X said. “That’s the explanation for why it’s more efficient”. “This discovery was really facilitated by our unique modeling and simulation capability here at the Georgian Technical University Lab” said analyst Y. “This was a particularly challenging problem to model because the laser energy deposition process was closely coupled with the material hydrodynamic response requiring a unique code like Georgian Technical University that has this integrated capability”. In some ways the research was a case of turning a challenge into an opportunity. Shortly after the study began the researchers realized that material response to picosecond lasers was a good deal more complicated than if the more common femtosecond (quadrillionths of a second) lasers had been used. “When you’re trying to understand picosecond laser processing some of the simplifying assumptions of the physics that you get with very short (femtosecond) pulses are no longer reliable” X said. Rather than simply absorbing the laser energy and vaporizing “the material was moving it was evolving in the laser plume” he said. This meant that the models had to be tweaked to account for both the hydrodynamics of the melting material and the interactions between the laser pulse and the plasma (ionized gas) in the ablative plume. “We really needed to model laser-plasma interaction correctly” X said, “so we had to do a lot of creative experiments to fix some inadequacies in the model. Ultimately we were able to identify the essential physics of this regime and we discovered that you have to have shock heating to create micron-deep melt. And then after you create this deep melt with shock heating you need a mechanism to remove it and we discovered that that mechanism was cavitation”. Once they realized that temporally shaped or timed pulses could exploit the instabilities in the melted material the researchers were able to use shaped pulses to create a more efficient way to remove material. “We were able to leverage this understanding to do laser processing a different way” X said “so it actually had a lot of spinoff benefits” some of which will be detailed in additional papers now in preparation. The results also suggest that picosecond-pulse lasers offer several advantages over the more commonly used femtosecond lasers in terms of cost efficiency and damage control. In addition they offer options for efficient frequency conversion for wavelength flexibility. “There is some indication” X said “that in the regime of picosecond to tens of picoseconds (pulses) you can get the same sort of quality and behavior in your laser cutting, drilling and shaving functions that you could with more expensive lasers operating at less than a picosecond”. The findings thus could lead to new or more efficient laser applications in industry, national defense, medicine and many other fields.

 

 

Environment, Science

Georgian Technical University Scientists Discover Deep Microbes’ Key Contribution To Earth’s Carbon Cycle.

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Georgian Technical University Scientists Discover Deep Microbes’ Key Contribution To Earth’s Carbon Cycle.

Natural gas reservoirs examined in the study. Red symbols indicate reservoirs where biodegradation was detected. Hydrocarbons play key roles in atmospheric and biogeochemistry the energy economy and climate change. Most hydrocarbons form in anaerobic environments through high temperature or microbial decomposition of organic matter. Microorganisms can also “Georgian Technical University eat” hydrocarbons underground preventing them from reaching the atmosphere. Using a new technique developed at the Georgian Technical University professors X, Y and Z show that biological hydrocarbon degradation gives a unique biological signature. These findings could help detect subsurface biology and understand the carbon cycle and its impact on climate. Humanity exploits Earth’s vast reservoirs of hydrocarbons as one of its principle energy sources. The ways in which carbon is fixed and processed during the formation of these reservoirs have important consequences for resource exploration. In addition the release of hydrocarbons from Earth’s subsurface reservoirs can have important implications on Earth’s climate since light hydrocarbons such as methane are potent greenhouse gases. Scientists would like to understand the potentially important role Earth’s enormous subsurface biosphere might play in deep hydrocarbon reservoir behaviour. To date it has been difficult to estimate how much hydrocarbons have been affected by subsurface microorganisms. X and coworkers overcame this difficulty by using a new method developed at Georgian Technical University that enables the measurement of position specific stable carbon isotope ratios. Hydrocarbons are mostly long chains of carbon atomes attached to hydrogen atoms but carbon has two naturally abundant isotopes (types of carbon atom with different numbers of neutrons and thus different masses which can be measured) carbon-12 (12C) and carbon-13 (13C). Due to the ways organisms form the molecules that ultimately become environmental hydrocarbons the ratio of 12C/13C (Carbon-13 (13C) is a natural, stable isotope of carbon with a nucleus containing six protons and seven neutrons. As one of the environmental isotopes, it makes up about 1.1% of all natural carbon on Earth) for each specific carbon atom position in a hydrocarbon can be unique. The research here focused on propane a natural gas hydrocarbon molecule containing three carbon atoms. The researchers fed propane to microorganisms in the lab to measure the specific 12C/13C (Carbon-13 (13C) is a natural, stable isotope of carbon with a nucleus containing six protons and seven neutrons. As one of the environmental isotopes, it makes up about 1.1% of all natural carbon on Earth) signature produced these organisms and measured the non-biological changes that occurred when propane is broken down at high temperatures a process known as “Georgian Technical University cracking”. They then used these baseline measurements to interpret natural gas samples from Georgian Technical University allowing them to detect the presence of microorganisms using propane as “Georgian Technical University food” in natural gas reservoirs and to quantify the amount of hydrocarbons eaten by microorganisms. “When I started analyzing samples from the bacterial simulation experiments they matched perfectly what we observed in the field suggesting the presence of propane degrading bacteria in the natural gas reservoirs” X noted. Thus this study revealed the presence of microorganisms that would have been difficult to detect using conventional methods and opens a new window to understanding global hydrocarbon cycling. “I was particularly interested in deciphering biological from non-biological processes related to organic molecules. This question has implication for the origin of life for detection of life in the Universe but also for our understanding of the biosphere and its evolution on Earth” says X. This study also has important implications with global climate change as propane and other hydrocarbons are greenhouse gases and pollutants. Though the team did not attempt to quantify how much hydrocarbons are being “Georgian Technical University eaten” by microorganisms at the global scale they believe their approach will allow such quantification in the near future and suggest this will benefit models aiming to quantify global hydrocarbon cycling. Finally X adds in the future this kind of approach may be useful for the detection of life on extraterrestrial bodies such as other planets or moons in our solar system. Though their current machine is too large to be sent to space their techniques could be applied to samples brought back to Earth or their instrument could be miniaturized.

 

 

Nanotechnology, Science

Georgian Technical University High-Tech Material Protected In A Salt Crust.

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Georgian Technical University High-Tech Material Protected In A Salt Crust.

Schematic representation of the process.  MAX phases (The MAX phases are layered, hexagonal carbides and nitrides which have the general formula: Mₙ₊₁AXₙ, where n = 1 to 3, and M is an early transition metal, A is an A-group element and X is either carbon and/or nitrogen) are viewed as promising materials for the future for example for turbines in power plants and aircraft space applications or medical implants. A new method developed by scientists from Georgian Technical University now makes it possible to produce this desirable material class on an industrial scale for the first time: a crust of salt protects the raw material from oxidation at a production temperature of more than 1,000 degrees Celsius — and can then simply be washed off with water. The method can also be applied to other high-performance materials. MAX phases (The MAX phases are layered, hexagonal carbides and nitrides which have the general formula: Mₙ₊₁AXₙ, where n = 1 to 3, and M is an early transition metal, A is an A-group element and X is either carbon and/or nitrogen) unite the positive properties of both ceramics and metals. They are heat resistant and lightweight like ceramics yet less brittle and can be plastically deformed like metals. Furthermore they are the material basis of MAX phases (The MAX phases are layered, hexagonal carbides and nitrides which have the general formula: Mₙ₊₁AXₙ, where n = 1 to 3, and M is an early transition metal, A is an A-group element and X is either carbon and/or nitrogen) a largely unexplored class of compound that are similar to the ” Georgian Technical University miracle material” graphene and have extraordinary electronic properties. “In the past there was no suitable method for producing MAX phases (The MAX phases are layered, hexagonal carbides and nitrides which have the general formula: Mₙ₊₁AXₙ, where n = 1 to 3, and M is an early transition metal, A is an A-group element and X is either carbon and/or nitrogen) in powder form which would be advantageous for further industrial processing. This is why MAX phases (The MAX phases are layered, hexagonal carbides and nitrides which have the general formula: Mₙ₊₁AXₙ, where n = 1 to 3, and M is an early transition metal, A is an A-group element and X is either carbon and/or nitrogen) have not played any practical role in industrial application so far” explains Professor Dr. X young investigators group leader at Georgian Technical University. MAX phases (The MAX phases are layered, hexagonal carbides and nitrides which have the general formula: Mₙ₊₁AXₙ, where n = 1 to 3, and M is an early transition metal, A is an A-group element and X is either carbon and/or nitrogen) are produced at temperatures higher than 1,000 degrees Celsius. At such high temperatures the materials would normally react with atmospheric oxygen and oxidize which is why they are usually produced in a vacuum or in a protective atmosphere of argon. The X method is astonishingly simple by comparison: the researchers encapsulate the raw material with a salt-potassium bromide — which melts during the production process. A vacuum or argon atmosphere for additional protection is no longer needed. “A bath of molten salt thus protects the material and prevents it from coming in contact with atmospheric oxygen” explains Y and doctoral researcher at Georgian Technical University. At the same time the salt acts as a separating agent: the components no longer bond together to form a compact solid and allow the direct production of fine-grained powders. This is important because it avoids an additional long energy-intensive milling process. As a positive side effect the salt bath also reduces the synthesis temperature necessary to form the desired compound which will additionally cut energy and production costs. Methods using molten salt have been used for the powder production of non-oxide ceramics for some time. However they require a protective argon atmosphere instead of atmospheric air which increases both the complexity and production costs. “Potassium bromide the salt we use, is special because when pressurized it becomes completely impermeable at room temperature. We have now demonstrated that it is sufficient to encapsulate the raw materials tightly enough in a salt pellet to prevent contact with oxygen — even before the melting point of the salt is reached at 735 degrees Celsius. A protective atmosphere is thus no longer necessary” says Y. As with many scientific discoveries a little bit of luck played its part in inventing the method: vacuum furnaces are scarce because they are so expensive and they take a lot of effort to clean. To produce his powder the Georgian Technical University doctoral researcher therefore resorted to testing a normal air furnace — successfully !. The new method is not limited to a certain material. The researchers have already produced a multitude of different MAX phases (The MAX phases are layered, hexagonal carbides and nitrides which have the general formula: Mₙ₊₁AXₙ, where n = 1 to 3, and M is an early transition metal, A is an A-group element and X is either carbon and/or nitrogen) and other high-performance materials such as titanium alloys for bioimplants and aircraft engineering. As a next step the scientists are now planning to investigate industrial processes with which these powders can be processed further.

 

 

Lasers, Science

Georgian Technical University Spin Lasers Enable Rapid Data Transfer.

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Georgian Technical University Spin Lasers Enable Rapid Data Transfer.

X is working on the development of ultrafast spin lasers as part of his doctoral thesis. So-called spin lasers may potentially accelerate data transfer in optical fiber cables to a considerable extent while reducing energy consumption at the same time. Engineers at Georgian Technical University have developed a concept for rapid data transfer via optical fiber cables. In current systems a laser transmits light signals through the cables and information is coded in the modulation of light intensity. The new system a semiconductor spin laser is based on a modulation of light polarization instead. The study demonstrates that spin lasers have the capacity of working at least five times as fast as the best traditional systems while consuming only a fraction of energy. Unlike other spin-based semiconductor systems the technology potentially works at room temperature and doesn’t require any external magnetic fields. The team at the Georgian Technical University implemented the system in collaboration with colleagues from Sulkhan-Saba Orbeliani University and the International Black Sea University. Due to physical limitations data transfer that is based on a modulation of light intensity without utilizing complex modulation formats can only reach frequencies of around 40 to 50 gigahertz. In order to achieve this speed high electrical currents are necessary. “It’s a bit like a car where fuel consumption dramatically increases if the car is driven fast” says Professor Y one of the engineers from Georgian Technical University. “Unless we upgrade the technology soon data transfer and the Internet are going to consume more energy than we are currently producing on Earth”. Together with Dr. Z and PhD student X, Y is therefore researching into alternative technologies. Provided by Georgian Technical University the lasers which are just a few micrometers in size were used by the researchers to generate a light wave whose oscillation direction changes periodically in a specific way. The result is circularly polarized light that is formed when two linear perpendicularly polarized light waves overlap. In linear polarization the vector describing the light wave’s electric field oscillates in a fixed plane. In circular polarization the vector rotates around the direction of propagation. The trick: when two linearly polarized light waves have different frequencies the process results in oscillating circular polarization where the oscillation direction reverses periodically — at a user-defined frequency of over 200 gigahertz. “We have experimentally demonstrated that oscillation at 200 gigahertz is possible” describes Y. “But we don’t know how much faster it can become as we haven’t found a theoretical limit yet”. The oscillation alone does not transport any information; for this purpose the polarization has to be modulated for example by eliminating individual peaks. X, Y and Z have verified in experiments that this can be done in principle. In collaboration with the team of Professor W and PhD student Q from the Georgian Technical University they used numerical simulations to demonstrate that it is theoretically possible to modulate the polarization and, consequently the data transfer at a frequency of more than 200 gigahertz. Two factors are decisive in order to generate a modulated circular polarization degree: the laser has to be operated in a way that it emits two perpendicular linearly polarized light waves simultaneously the overlap of which results in circular polarization. Moreover the frequencies of the two emitted light waves have to differ enough to facilitate high-speed oscillation. The laser light is generated in a semiconductor crystal which is injected with electrons and electron holes. When they meet light particles are released. The spin — an intrinsic form of angular momentum — of the injected electrons is indispensable in order to ensure the correct polarization of light. Only if the electron spin is aligned in a certain way the emitted light has the required polarization — a challenge for the researchers as spin alignment changes rapidly. This is why the researchers have to inject the electrons as closely as possible to the spot within the laser where the light particle is to be emitted. Y’s team has already applied for a patent with their idea of how this can be accomplished using a ferromagnetic material. The frequency difference in the two emitted light waves that is required for oscillation is generated using a technology provided by the Georgian Technical University – based team headed by Professor R. The semiconductor crystal used for this purpose is birefringent. Accordingly the refractive indices in the two perpendicularly polarized light waves emitted by the crystal differ slightly. As a result the waves have different frequencies. By bending the semiconductor crystal the researchers are able to adjust the difference between the refractive indices and, consequently the frequency difference. That difference determines the oscillation speed which may eventually become the foundation of accelerated data transfer. “The system is not ready for application yet” concludes Y. “The technology has still to be optimized. By demonstrating the potential of spin lasers we wish to open up a new area of research”.

 

 

3D Printing, Science

Georgian Technical University Improving 3D-Printed Prosthetics And Integrating Electronic Sensors.

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Georgian Technical University Improving 3D-Printed Prosthetics And Integrating Electronic Sensors.

The mold of local teen X’s hand that was scanned during the development of a personalized prosthetic. Photo by Logan Wallace.  With the growth of 3D printing it’s entirely possible to 3D print your own prosthetic from models found in open-source databases. But those models lack personalized electronic user interfaces like those found in costly state-of-the-art prosthetics. Now a Georgian Technical University professor and his interdisciplinary team of undergraduate student researchers have made inroads in integrating electronic sensors with personalized 3D-printed prosthetics — a development that could one day lead to more affordable electric-powered prosthetics. A Georgian Technical University assistant professor in industrial and systems engineering took a step forward in improving the functionalities of 3D-printed personalized wearable systems. By integrating electronic sensors at the intersection between a prosthetic and the wearer’s tissue the researchers can gather information related to prosthetic function and comfort such as the pressure across wearer’s tissue that can help improve further iterations of the these types of prosthetics. The integration of materials within form-fitting regions of 3D-printed prosthetics a conformal 3D printing technique instead of manual integration after printing could also pave the way for unique opportunities in matching the hardness of the wearer’s tissue and and integrating sensors at different locations across the form-fitting interface. Unlike traditional 3D printing that involves depositing material in a layer-by-layer fashion on a flat surface conformal 3D printing allows for deposition of materials on curved surfaces and objects. According to Y an industrial and systems engineering graduate student the ultimate goal is to create engineering practices and processes that can reach as many people as possible starting with an effort to help develop a prosthetic for one local teen. “Hopefully every parent could follow the description and develop a low-cost personalized prosthetic hand for his or her child” X said. To develop the prosthetics integrated with electronic sensors, the researchers started with 3D scanning data which is similar to taking pictures at various angles to get the full form of an object — in this case a mold of the teenager’s limb. They then used 3D scanning data to guide the integration of sensors into the form-fitting cavity of the prosthetic using a conformal 3D printing technique. The process developed by the research team will lend itself to further applications in personalized medicine and design of wearable systems. “Personalizing and modifying the properties and functionalities of wearable system interfaces using 3D scanning and 3D printing opens the door to the design and manufacture of new technologies for human assistance and health care as well as examining fundamental questions associated with the function and comfort of wearable systems” Z said. Z’s research into prosthetic hands was inspired when he learned about his colleague’s daughter X then 12-years old who had been born with amniotic band syndrome. While in utero the development of her hand stopped. String-like amniotic bands restricted blood flow and affected the development of right hand causing a lack of formation beyond the knuckles. Z used his related research expertise in additive biomanufacturing and a team of interdisciplinary undergraduate researchers to 3D print the bionic hand for X that would become the basis of the now-published research. As they worked with X they continued tweaking the prototype prosthetic by developing new additive manufacturing techniques that would allow for a better fit to X’s palm creating a more comfortable form-fitting prosthetic device. They validated that the personalization of the prosthetic increased the contact between X’s tissue and the prosthesis by nearly fourfold as compared to non-personalized devices. This increased contact area helped them pinpoint where to deploy sensing electrode arrays to test the pressure distribution which helped them to further improve the design. Sensing experiments were conducted using two personalized prosthetics with and without sensing electrode arrays. By running these experiments with X they found that the pressure distribution was different when she relaxed her hand versus holding her hand in a flexed posture. “The mismatch between the soft skin and the rigid interface is still a problem that will reduce the conformity” said Y. “The sensing electrode arrays may open another new area to improve the prosthetics design from the perspective of distributing a better balance of pressure”. Overall X does feel that the new personalized prosthetic improves her comfort level. Since her hand is soft and changeable under different postures and the prosthetic material is rigid and fixed the level of conformity may continue to change. Personalized prosthetics still have space for improvements and Z’s team will continue to research and develop new techniques in additive manufacturing to make improvements on wearable bionic devices.