Ionic liquids are salt-like materials that are fluid at relatively low temperatures and are made entirely from positive and negative ions.
The first ionic liquids were highly corrosive materials that had limited use, but, in the 1990s, researchers began to develop less corrosive versions that were stable at room temperature in air and which are today used as solvents and lubricants.
Now Mark Grinstaff from Boston University and a colleague have developed ionic liquids that are both viscous and elastic.
By attaching a long hydrocarbon chain to one of the two ions in the liquid, Grinstaff has been able to develop a range of ionic substances with rubber-like qualities. He says they could be used as electrolytes for oddly shaped batteries to power small gadgets, as self-healing lubricants for micro-scale devices in satellites, or as novel solvents.
Read the full rubber salt patent application.
Justin Mullins, New Scientist consultant
Archive for January, 2008
Rubbery salt batteries
Thursday, January 31st, 2008Living With Male Chauvinism……….by Susan
Thursday, January 31st, 2008
I have lived my life with men who practice what used to be referred to as 'Male Chauvinism'. It began of course, with my father who was a very loving person but........he was also a sergeant in the Army. He used to tell his six daughters and one son this: "Saturday we were going to have a G I party". This meant we all had to clean our rooms. He was bossy and required us to live by his standards in all areas of our lives. If he came home and mom told him one of us needed a spanking, he gave it to us. He required all of us to go to confession once every two weeks, regardless of whether we felt the need to confess anything.
I can't begin to tell you how many times my mother asked him not to talk so loud. I guess his career required a lot of yelling and he didn't leave his job at the office. Those were the early days. Later, after he retired from the military, he changed. He changed a lot as I began my high school years. He began to drink heavily. My mother also changed and was often mean to him and her children. They fought a lot as my siblings and I tried to get as far away from it as possible. We had a large home and a large yard, thank God!
I've never forgotten this incident when my Dad was especially chauvinistic. I was studying accounting, shorthand, and typing in school and hoped to work in an office when I graduated. These were my Dad's words of support: "It's good to have a skill, in case something happens to your husband and you have to go to work". Yesterday, while visiting with some of my female friends who are fellow Avon Representatives, they were talking about the encouragement their dads gave them. That conversation is what brought to mind the lack of encouragement I received from my dad.
I pat myself on the back daily for the progress I've been making in improving my self esteem. I'm happy with the desire I have to accomplish something in addition to being a wife and mother. I've been working hard online to promote my ozzieblackcat websites and my Avon blog and website. I've also been working hard to make a small income to supplement my husband's retirement income. I still battle the attitude of some of the men in my life who continue to display an attitude of "chauvinism" or superiority. I also battle the anger I feel when my husband behaves in this manner. Many men have let go of this attitude of superiority, but there are some of us who are still living with "male chauvinism" and this someone is surviving. My happiness level continues to increase as I learn to be the best I can be.
Please visit:
Ozzie Reviews Avon
My Avon Website
I can't begin to tell you how many times my mother asked him not to talk so loud. I guess his career required a lot of yelling and he didn't leave his job at the office. Those were the early days. Later, after he retired from the military, he changed. He changed a lot as I began my high school years. He began to drink heavily. My mother also changed and was often mean to him and her children. They fought a lot as my siblings and I tried to get as far away from it as possible. We had a large home and a large yard, thank God!
I've never forgotten this incident when my Dad was especially chauvinistic. I was studying accounting, shorthand, and typing in school and hoped to work in an office when I graduated. These were my Dad's words of support: "It's good to have a skill, in case something happens to your husband and you have to go to work". Yesterday, while visiting with some of my female friends who are fellow Avon Representatives, they were talking about the encouragement their dads gave them. That conversation is what brought to mind the lack of encouragement I received from my dad.
I pat myself on the back daily for the progress I've been making in improving my self esteem. I'm happy with the desire I have to accomplish something in addition to being a wife and mother. I've been working hard online to promote my ozzieblackcat websites and my Avon blog and website. I've also been working hard to make a small income to supplement my husband's retirement income. I still battle the attitude of some of the men in my life who continue to display an attitude of "chauvinism" or superiority. I also battle the anger I feel when my husband behaves in this manner. Many men have let go of this attitude of superiority, but there are some of us who are still living with "male chauvinism" and this someone is surviving. My happiness level continues to increase as I learn to be the best I can be.
Please visit:
Ozzie Reviews Avon
My Avon Website
Researchers Map Signaling Networks that Control Neuron Function
Thursday, January 31st, 2008
Relationship between Thousands of Proteins at Work in the Brain Could Impact Diseases such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's Disease, and Spinal Cord Injury
Problem solved – just keep an ‘open mind’
Thursday, January 31st, 2008
Ever wondered what goes on in your brain when you are trying to solve a problem? Researchers have found that keeping an 'open mind' is the key to being able to solve problems.
Tending the Mind Garden
Wednesday, January 30th, 2008Scientists Make Progress In Determining How The Brain Selectively Interprets Sound
Wednesday, January 30th, 2008
Surprisingly few auditory neurons may be involved in zeroing-in on a particular sound
Creative and noncreative problem solvers exhibit different patterns of brain activity, study reveals
Wednesday, January 30th, 2008
Why do some people solve problems more creatively than others? Are people who think creatively somehow different from those who tend to think in a more methodical fashion?
Destined to lie, cheat or steal? New research finds that believing in free will can keep us honest
Wednesday, January 30th, 2008
In an age where cheating scandals plague all levels of governments and major corporations are brought down by unethical actions, the debate about the origins and nature of how and why decisions are made play into a larger debate about genetic determinism and free will.
Startling tinnitus test
Tuesday, January 29th, 2008
More than 7 million people in the US suffer severe, disabling tinnitus – the perception of noise in the ears or head when no external sound is present.
Nobody knows what causes tinnitus or how to treat it effectively. Worse, the only test for tinnitus is to play various sounds to the patient and ask him or her to identify the one that most closely matches the noise in their heads.
This test is open to abuse by those wishing to fraudulently claim disability benefit, says Jeremy Turner, a surgeon at the Southern Illinois University School of Medicine in Springfield, US.
Turner has come up with an objective way of measuring tinnitus by subjecting patients to sudden loud noises and measuring their startle reflex. His thinking is that if the noise matches the sound of the tinnitus, the patient will be less likely to hear it and the startle reflex will be less noticeable. Turner says the technique works on rats with damaged hearing.
Read the full tinnitus test patent application.
Nobody knows what causes tinnitus or how to treat it effectively. Worse, the only test for tinnitus is to play various sounds to the patient and ask him or her to identify the one that most closely matches the noise in their heads.
This test is open to abuse by those wishing to fraudulently claim disability benefit, says Jeremy Turner, a surgeon at the Southern Illinois University School of Medicine in Springfield, US.
Turner has come up with an objective way of measuring tinnitus by subjecting patients to sudden loud noises and measuring their startle reflex. His thinking is that if the noise matches the sound of the tinnitus, the patient will be less likely to hear it and the startle reflex will be less noticeable. Turner says the technique works on rats with damaged hearing.
Read the full tinnitus test patent application.