<div style="margin: 12px 0px; font-family: arial; color: #333333; background: #ffffff; border: solid 4px #e5e5e5; width: 100%; clear: left;"><div class="CM_CTB_Content_Wrap" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;background-color: #ffffff;"><div style="border-bottom: solid 1px #dcdcdc; white-space: nowrap; margin-bottom: 8px; background-color: #eeeeee ;background-image: url(http://clipmarks.com/images/source-bg.gif); background-repeat: repeat-x; height: 24px; line-height: 24px; vertical-align: middle; padding-bottom: 4px; color: #666666; font-size: 10px;" ><a href="http://clipmarks.com/clip-to-blog/" title="see clips that are hot right now"><img src="http://content.clipmarks.com/blog_embed/0d4c83dc-5ab9-4637-bce0-d4898830ca4a/E1242813-E59B-4239-A88F-7C27BA45F3E6/" alt="" width="19" height="19" border="0" style="vertical-align: middle; margin: 0px 4px; display: inline; border: none; float:none;" /></a>clipped from <a title="http://www.abc.net.au/science/articles/2008/11/24/2428060.htm?site=science&topic=latest" href="http://www.abc.net.au/science/articles/2008/11/24/2428060.htm?site=science&topic=latest" style="font-size: 11px;">www.abc.net.au</a></div><blockquote style="text-align: left; padding: 0px 8px; margin: 4px 0px 8px 0px; background: transparent; border: none;" cite="http://www.abc.net.au/science/articles/2008/11/24/2428060.htm?site=science&topic=latest"><A href="http://www.abc.net.au/profiles/content/s2193255.htm?site=science">Dani Cooper</A></blockquote><div style="height: 2px; font-size: 2px; background: #dcdcdc; border-bottom: solid 1px #f5f5f5; margin: 2px 4px;"></div><blockquote style="text-align: left; padding: 0px 8px; margin: 4px 0px 8px 0px; background: transparent; border: none;" cite="http://www.abc.net.au/science/articles/2008/11/24/2428060.htm?site=science&topic=latest"><P class="first">An Australian researcher is developing a 'leaky' optic fibre full of holes, which could see it used in applications as diverse as refrigerator lighting through to office communications.</P></blockquote><div style="height: 2px; font-size: 2px; background: #dcdcdc; border-bottom: solid 1px #f5f5f5; margin: 2px 4px;"></div><blockquote style="text-align: left; padding: 0px 8px; margin: 4px 0px 8px 0px; background: transparent; border: none;" cite="http://www.abc.net.au/science/articles/2008/11/24/2428060.htm?site=science&topic=latest"><div align="center"><img src="http://content8.clipmarks.com/blog_cache/www.abc.net.au/img/D6D60746-001A-4941-9DD4-D870388F03FD" alt="Holey fibre: bubble-filled fibre optics have a wide range of potential uses <em>(Source: Macquarie University )</em>" /></div></blockquote><div style="height: 2px; font-size: 2px; background: #dcdcdc; border-bottom: solid 1px #f5f5f5; margin: 2px 4px;"></div><blockquote style="text-align: left; padding: 0px 8px; margin: 4px 0px 8px 0px; background: transparent; border: none;" cite="http://www.abc.net.au/science/articles/2008/11/24/2428060.htm?site=science&topic=latest"><div align="center"><img src="http://content9.clipmarks.com/blog_cache/www.abc.net.au/img/B30B7842-85B2-488C-B7E2-EA942FF551A6" alt="The hole truth: A microscopic image of the bubble-filled fibre optic (Macquarie University)" /></div></blockquote><div style="height: 2px; font-size: 2px; background: #dcdcdc; border-bottom: solid 1px #f5f5f5; margin: 2px 4px;"></div><blockquote style="text-align: left; padding: 0px 8px; margin: 4px 0px 8px 0px; background: transparent; border: none;" cite="http://www.abc.net.au/science/articles/2008/11/24/2428060.htm?site=science&topic=latest"><P>Professor Graham Town, who is head of the <A target="_blank" href=" http://www.elec.mq.edu.au/">Department of Electronic Engineering</A> at <A target="_blank" href=" http://www.mq.edu.au/"> Macquarie University</A>, believes bubble-filled polymer could be lead to a breakthrough in the manufacture of optic fibres.</P></blockquote><div style="height: 2px; font-size: 2px; background: #dcdcdc; border-bottom: solid 1px #f5f5f5; margin: 2px 4px;"></div><blockquote style="text-align: left; padding: 0px 8px; margin: 4px 0px 8px 0px; background: transparent; border: none;" cite="http://www.abc.net.au/science/articles/2008/11/24/2428060.htm?site=science&topic=latest"><P>Town has developed a bubble-filled polymer fibre, which he says is cheap and energy efficient to produce.</P></blockquote><div style="height: 2px; font-size: 2px; background: #dcdcdc; border-bottom: solid 1px #f5f5f5; margin: 2px 4px;"></div><blockquote style="text-align: left; padding: 0px 8px; margin: 4px 0px 8px 0px; background: transparent; border: none;" cite="http://www.abc.net.au/science/articles/2008/11/24/2428060.htm?site=science&topic=latest"><P>Traditionally glass has been used to make the optical fibres, which are primarily used in long-distance communication networks.</P></blockquote><div style="height: 2px; font-size: 2px; background: #dcdcdc; border-bottom: solid 1px #f5f5f5; margin: 2px 4px;"></div><blockquote style="text-align: left; padding: 0px 8px; margin: 4px 0px 8px 0px; background: transparent; border: none;" cite="http://www.abc.net.au/science/articles/2008/11/24/2428060.htm?site=science&topic=latest"><P>Town has developed a cheaper and simpler polymer optic fibre that contains irregular air 'bubbles'.</P></blockquote><div style="height: 2px; font-size: 2px; background: #dcdcdc; border-bottom: solid 1px #f5f5f5; margin: 2px 4px;"></div><blockquote style="text-align: left; padding: 0px 8px; margin: 4px 0px 8px 0px; background: transparent; border: none;" cite="http://www.abc.net.au/science/articles/2008/11/24/2428060.htm?site=science&topic=latest"><P>Town says this bubbly material is then made into a fibre that is approximately 100 micrometres wide by drawing it down from a tower.</P></blockquote><div style="height: 2px; font-size: 2px; background: #dcdcdc; border-bottom: solid 1px #f5f5f5; margin: 2px 4px;"></div><blockquote style="text-align: left; padding: 0px 8px; margin: 4px 0px 8px 0px; background: transparent; border: none;" cite="http://www.abc.net.au/science/articles/2008/11/24/2428060.htm?site=science&topic=latest">This leakage means light can enter as well as leave the fibre, opening up a range of commercial potentials</blockquote></div><div style="margin: 0px 6px 6px 4px;"><table style="font-size: 11px;border-spacing: 0px;padding: 0px;" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%"><tr><td style="background:transparent;border-width:0px;padding:0px;">&nbsp;</td><td align="right" style="background:transparent;border-width:0px;padding:0px;width:107px" width="107"><a href="http://clipmarks.com/share/E1242813-E59B-4239-A88F-7C27BA45F3E6/blog/" title="blog or email this clip"><img src="http://content6.clipmarks.com/images/c2b-foot.png" border="0" alt="blog it" width="107" height="17" style="border-width:0px;padding:0px;margin:0px;" /></a></td></tr></table></div></div>

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