Producing sound without vibration using a 3D graphene sponge   An ultra-thin, lightweight speaker is developed using a novel nanomaterial: a 3D graphene sponge. The new speaker does not vibrate to produce sound but utilizes thermal waves formed in front of a graphene conductor. This can replace many mechanical parts of conventional speakers and results in more flexible speakers that can be attached to any cur...

KAIST develops a sounding rocket using a hybrid propellant rocket engine   A sounding rocket is a rocket designed to take measurements and perform scientific experiments during its sub-orbital flight. Using a hybrid propellant rocket engine, the KAIST Rocket Lab developed the SNUKA II with a team made up of members of Seoul National University, Sol-top, and NARA-Space.   Article  |  ...

Hierarchically self-assembled hexagonal, honeycomb, and kagome superlattices of binary 1D nanoparticles   The packing behavior of 1D nanoparticles of different diameters into a hexagonally-packed cylindrical micellar system was investigated. By tuning particle diameter and number ratios, highly ordered binary 1D nanoparticle superlattices of two different symmetries are obtained. The maximization of free vol...

Self-generated nanoporous metal electrode   A KAIST research team has established new concept of laser processing that grows silver nanoseed, and has shown that numerous nanopores can be self-generated in the microelectrode. The microelectrodes have more surface area than non-porous electrodes, which enables the fabrication of high-performance film-type supercapacitors.   Article  |  ...

New big data clustering algorithm with high accuracy and efficiency   When analyzing big data, it is usually difficult to achieve both accuracy and efficiency. If you emphasize efficiency (or accuracy), accuracy (or efficiency) would be sacrificed. However, through the development of an elegant and remarkably simple algorithm, Prof. Jae-Gil Lee’s team has solved for both simultaneously in k-medoid...

Thermodynamic study of supercritical CO2 Brayton cycle using an isothermal compressor   A power cycle using supercritical CO2 instead of steam as a working fluid has been considered a strong candidate for reaching higher efficiency limits. To enhance the theoretical limits further, a novel component called the ‘isothermal compressor’, known as an ideal component to minimize the compressi...