Depositing the CIGS materials evenly on glass or metal foil is a lot harder than it sounds, and figuring out a way to mass produce thin films is another big challenge.
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The company has tweaked the chemical and atomic composition of the raw materials of the glass, which in turn has increased its density -- making it much more scratch and dent resistant than last years model.
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Apple may likewise be going all old-school iPhone on us, with a modern twist: we could be reverting to an aluminum back with more receptive materials (likely glass) at the ends, just in a much thinner form that keeps the steel antenna band.
New lens elements and glass materials ensure the clearest possible imaging performance, and the proven dust and splashproof mechanism originally featured in the Four Thirds SHG (Super High Grade) series lenses is now incorporated for the first time in a Micro Four Thirds System lens.
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Known as cellulose nanocrystal substrates (or CNC), these solar cells benefit from being truly disposable, eliminating the waste that results from the use of alternative materials like petroleum or glass.
Umasi, a collection of work by artist Wells Mason, blurs the line between sculpture and furniture, with man-made materials such as stainless steel and tempered glass colliding with organic (exquisitely finished woods) and even obviously salvaged materials (a telephone pole, recycled rubber, bicycle parts).
Natural materials such as teak, glass and stone create a mood of Zen-like tranquility.
More modern versions have been powered by everything from waterwheels to electrical motors, and they work a wide variety of different kinds of materials, including metal and glass.
The galleries will be situated within walls of painted, waxed concrete (one of Mr Ando's favourite materials) and enveloped in glass, through which visitors can view the site's landscaped grounds and reflecting pond.
Such materials might include plastic or photovoltaic glass, which changes from transparent to opaque at the flick of a button.
Designed to meet high environmental and technical standards, the i2757fh is made of eco-friendly materials such as arsenic-free glass and mercury-free panels.
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One of the ways that Chapman added lightness to his cars, the use of composite materials such as carbon fibre and glass-reinforced plastic, is not that practical either.
Suntech Power is currently pursuing thin film technology, a low cost PV technology that involves depositing several thin layers of silicon or more complex materials on a substrate such as glass to make a PV cell.
Shapeways prints more than 10, 000 unique products every month from materials that range from stainless steel to glass, plastics and sandstone.
In the master bathroom, the couple used honey onyx and glass tiles both popular materials in the 1970s for the countertops and cabinetry.
At about the same time, the nuclear industry started using force feedback devices to help workers manipulate hazardous, radioactive materials with slave arms through thick, leaded glass.
While less efficient at converting sunlight into electricity than conventional silicon-based photovoltaic panels, the great promise was that CIGS cells could be produced cheaper and deposited on glass, flexible metal or other materials.
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Whether built with delicate sensitivity to materials or dull adherence to principles, the glass box became an icon of Cold War capitalism, a symbol of modernist cosmopolitanism befitting a global superpower in the making.
Their three-room bicycle garage is made of the same materials, and has floor-to-ceiling glass sliding doors in the fitness room that open to the same courtyard as the floor-to-ceiling sliding glass doors in the main house's dining room.
He also saw the functional and commercial vernacular of Liverpool as a source for a more familiar and time-tested kind of design, and he began to use local materials, like red brick, to modify the structural glass and steel of the university buildings at Cambridge and Leicester done in the late '50s and early '60s, without sacrificing the radical rethinking of program and space that modernism encouraged.
The XPS Duo 12 features thoughtful design, attractive aesthetics, and is crafted from premium materials such as machined aluminium and carbon fibre, as well as Corning Gorilla Glass for durability.
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There are plenty of materials that simply happen to have features at the nanoscale such as stained glass, mayonnaise or cat litter but do not qualify for the nanotechnology label.
Bringing together renowned Sennheiser technology, innovative materials and revolutionary design, the new CX 890i ear-canal headset features a glass-like finish with metal detailing to create a distinctive, minimalistic style.
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It sets a new standard for thinness in LTE devices, uses leading-edge display technology, resists flexing, glass breakage and water damage, has a striking design and thoughtfully selected materials, stretches battery life, matches with a bevy of optimized accessories, and enables remote file and media access via Motocast software .
To sell the Baccarat Residences, a 50-story glass condominium tower under construction across from the Museum of Modern Art in midtown Manhattan, a model set up in the building's showroom includes striking materials like lacquered ziricote-wood walls and a crackled bronze sculptural wall embedded with tiny pieces of glass made by a British artist.
Relatively inexpensive to manufacture, steel and glass components were also comparatively simple to assemble because the buildings were designed to "express" their materials.
While gadget hounds delighted in the new iPad, materials-science geeks lamented the continuing dominance of power-hungry liquid-crystal displays that use heavy pieces of glass.
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