Graphene is a remarkable material: light, strong, transparent and electrically conductive. It can also convert heat to electricity. Researchers have recently exploited this thermoelectric property to create a new kind of radiation detector. Classified as a bolometer, the new device has a fast response time and, unlike most other bolometers, works over a wide range…
Silver Nanoparticles Push Spectroscopy to New Heights
As medicine and pharmacology investigate nanoscale processes, it has become increasingly important to identify and characterize different molecules. Raman spectroscopy, a technique that leverages the scattering of laser light to identify molecules, has a limited capacity to detect molecules in diluted samples because of low signal yield. A team of researchers from the University of…
Hybrid Electrolyte Enhances Supercapacitance in Vertical Graphene Nanosheets
Supercapacitors can store more energy than and are preferable to batteries because they are able to charge faster mainly due to the vertical graphene nanosheets (VGNs) that are larger and positioned closer together. VGNs are 3-D networks of carbon nanomaterial that grow in rows of vertical sheets, providing a large surface area for greater charge…
Antireflective Semiconductor Surfaces Inspired by Cicadas
A team of Shanghai Jiao Tong University researchers has used the shape of cicada wings as a template to create antireflective structures fabricated with one of the most intriguing semiconductor materials, titanium dioxide (TiO2). The antireflective structures they produced are capable of suppressing visible light — 450 to 750 nanometers — at different angles of…
Nanogenerator Fabricated from Fish Biowaste
Large quantities of fish are consumed in India on a daily basis, which generates a huge amount of fish “biowaste” materials. In an attempt to do something positive with this biowaste, a team of researchers at Jadavpur University in Koltata, India, explored recycling the fish byproducts into an energy harvester for self-powered electronics. The basic…
Hexagonal Boron Nitride Semiconductors Protect U.S. Ports
One of the most critical issues the United States faces today is preventing terrorists from smuggling nuclear weapons into its ports. To this end, the U.S. Security and Accountability for Every Port Act mandates that all overseas cargo containers be scanned for possible nuclear materials or weapons. Detecting neutron signals is an effective method to…
Edges of Graphene Nanoribbons Enhanced by Swapping Substrates
It is now feasible to make a prized material for spintronic devices and semiconductors — monolayer graphene nanoribbons with zigzag edges. Miniscule ribbons of graphene are highly sought-after building blocks for semiconductor devices because of their predicted electronic properties. But making these nanostructures has remained a challenge. Now, a team of researchers from China and…
Bouncing Droplets Remove Contaminants
Scalpels that never need washing. Airplane wings that de-ice themselves. Windshields that readily repel raindrops. While the appeal of a self-cleaning, hydrophobic surface may be apparent, the extremely fragile nature of the nanostructures that give rise to the water-shedding surfaces greatly limit the durability and use of such objects. To remedy this, researchers at Duke…