Recently, senior scientists and researchers from Russia were hosted in Israel and participated in a joint workshop of the Israeli Academy of Sciences and the Russian Academy of Sciences
Recently, senior scientists and researchers from Russia were hosted in Israel and participated in a joint workshop of the Israeli Academy of Sciences and the Russian Academy of Sciences.
This is the tenth annual meeting of the two groups, which was organized by Professor Michael Zinigard, Rector of the Ariel University Center in Samaria. The university center serves as the representative of the Israel Academy of Sciences in these meetings.
I am of course attaching the list of participants, the schedule of meetings and the schedule for the entire week. Among the studies presented at the conference, I would like to highlight some of them:
Remote detection of IEDs and explosives. Professor Yossi Panhassi, Dean of the Faculty of Engineering, Ariel University Center in Samaria.
Professor Panhassi will reveal at the conference a unique project of the unit for security studies and homeland security (Home Land Security). In large places, such as airports and train stations, there is a problem in remotely identifying the existence of an AML on a person and the type of ALM that he is carrying. In a project that ended after two years of work, partially funded by the enterprise and the Ministry of Defense, a technique was developed that solves the problem. The researchers have developed a device that allows identification of the presence and type of an amlach from a distance of tens of meters. The device uses electromagnetic radiation in a frequency range called terahertz, and the lure it presents is particularly helpful in identifying the type and amount of explosives that may be on a potential terrorist.
Shortening improvement processes and product survival. Professor Asher Yahlom, Head of the Department of Electrical and Electronics Engineering, Ariel University Center in Samaria.
The industry that produces products is constantly looking for ways to improve and optimize the product (smaller, more energy efficient). However, the path to finding efficiency is complex and complicated and consumes resources and money. The way to shorten the process of streamlining and improving the product is to understand the fiscal laws (the relevant laws of nature) and find the solutions to deal with them. In order to understand the physical reality of product improvement, the relevant equations must actually be found and solved. These equations are called non-linear equations and are considered particularly difficult and problematic to solve. Professor Yahlum found a way to shorten dealing with these non-linear equations, with the help of an application called variational variables. According to this approach, by deriving a function from the original function of the physical rule, it is possible to obtain the maximum and minimum point at which that physical rule operates. After receiving the maximum and minimum points, you can easily find all the relevant equations in the field and run data on them to predict in advance how the product will behave in the various situations. At the end of the run, you reach an optimal solution of what is the best way to optimize the product, and only then can you proceed to prototyping and conducting trials. This way saves a lot of resources and money in the development process of an upgraded product.
Improvement and optimization of batteries for electric vehicles. Dr. Doron Orbach, professor of physical chemistry. Electrochemistry. Expert in the subject of energy use and conversion, Bar Ilan University.
The main problem of electric vehicles, which are going to be marketed in Israel as early as next year, is the time or distance of travel possible in one charge and the life time of the battery before it has to be replaced. The existing technology is with a very heavy battery. They give a driving range of 215 km at a speed of up to 120 km/h. Dr. Auerbach revealed at the conference new batteries he developed which are tens of percent more efficient than existing batteries. Their usage time is longer and the battery life is longer. The batteries he developed have higher capacity and reliability, thus electric vehicle owners need to charge the vehicle less times and the batteries last longer. This saves the number of times that the batteries have to be dealt with, thus saving the owner of the car that has been charged both time and money. Dr. Auerbach's battery has greater energy densities and increases the travel range to 250 km and even 300 km between charges, with batteries of up to half a ton - these are the existing batteries.
But here the safety dimension also comes into play. The ambition is, of course, to create a battery that will not catch fire even in the event of damage and that will have 0 safety faults. The solutions found for the safety issue are diverse, such as batteries with partitions that separate the energy cells. Such a situation reduces the energy density and damages the maximum capacity of the battery, but will increase the optimum in terms of safety ratio and energy density/efficiency.
Mechano-chemical processing of nanoparticles. Professor Michael Zinigard, Rector of the Ariel University Center in Samaria.
There is a continuous demand in the market to improve the quality and capacity of the products without compromising the visibility, texture and behavior of the product. For example, increasing the protective power of sunscreen or strengthening aluminum for industry and transportation without making it too heavy or making it flexible while maintaining its strong properties. Professor Zinigrad's laboratory, in collaboration with a central research laboratory in Russia, found a mechano-chemical material processing method, which mechanically processes chemical materials to the nano-particle level in such a way that the particles receive additional energy during processing. This way the materials are both smaller and more powerful. How is this reflected in the industry?
In the sun cream, for example: Professor Zinigard's processing method allows him to take the material of a sunscreen of a certain strength and turn it into a much stronger protection, all this without damaging the texture and fluidity of the material.
In aluminum for example: Prof. Zinigard's processing method developed the ability to process particles from the "non-metallic" group to the level of nanoparticles. This processing makes it possible to add the particles into the aluminum compounds intended for aircraft construction. The fact that the particles are nano-sized makes it possible to mix a small amount in the compound in relation to the amount of aluminum - but still have a large number of particles in the material. Furthermore, the processing makes the parts have such properties that they make the aluminum compound stronger and more flexible without being heavier or more brittle.
