The National Physical Laboratory has, as part of an international research collaboration, discovered a novel technique to monitor extremely low concentrations of NO2 in complex environments, using epitaxial sensors containing the “wonder material” graphene. The research, as published in ACS Sensors, was led by an international collaboration of scientists from Linköping University, Chalmers University of…
Scientists discover new ways to twist and shift light
The results from the National Physical Laboratory’s (NPL) latest research in photonics could open doors to new quantum technologies and telecoms systems Researchers from the National Physical Laboratory (NPL) have revealed unusual qualities in light that could lead the way to entirely new electronic devices and applications. Light is used extensively in electronics for telecommunications…
First Graphene ISO Standard Published, Will Heighten Commercialization
The world’s first ISO (International Organization for Standardization) graphene standard has been published. The standard will provide consistency across the emerging world-wide graphene industry and accelerate the 2D material’s commercial exploitation. The new international standard, led by the National Physical Laboratory (NPL), defines the terminology used to describe the many different forms of graphene and…
New Production Method for 2-D Materials Could Lead to Smarter Devices
A world-first non-destructive quality control method from the National Physical Laboratory (NPL) has enabled Oxford Instruments to commercialise wafer-scale fabrication technology for 2-D material MoS2. The demand for miniaturisation of electronics, such as smartphones, wearables and the Internet of Things devices, is continuing to grow, but the industry is now reaching the scaling limit for…
Graphene Offers New Functionalities in Molecular Electronics
An international team of researchers led by the National Physical Laboratory (NPL) and the University of Bern has revealed a new way to tune the functionality of next-generation molecular electronic devices using graphene. The results could be exploited to develop smaller, higher-performance devices for use in a range of applications including molecular sensing, flexible electronics,…
Graphene-Powered Device Offers Immediate Hepatitis Diagnosis
A new U.K.-China collaborative project is developing a sensor to provide an easy, low-cost method of diagnosing hepatitis on the spot using graphene — an advanced 2D material known for its high electrical conductivity. The sensor will be the first to simultaneously test for three types of hepatitis — A, B, and C — out…
New Test Improves Commercial Viability of Printable Electronics
Scientists at the National Physical Laboratory (NPL) have developed a new, non-destructive method of detecting the orientation of molecules in organic semiconductor transistors using Raman spectroscopy. This will create a faster and more flexible method of measuring the efficiency of electrical conductivity in a printed circuit, enabling scientists to understand the quality of their devices.…