What is inside an atom, between the nucleus and the electron? Usually there is nothing, but why could there not be other particles too? If the electron orbits the nucleus at a great distance, there is plenty of space in between for other atoms. A “giant atom” can be created, filled with ordinary atoms. All…
Atomic-Level Rubber Blanket Measures Distortion
Two-dimensional materials such as graphene, which consist of only one or a few atomic layers, have been a very promising aspect of materials science over recent years. They demonstrate remarkable properties that open up completely new technical possibilities, from sensor technology to solar cells. However, there is one important phenomenon that could not be measured…
New Semiconductor Processing Technology Raises Exciting Possibilities
Extremely fine porous structures with tiny holes — resembling a kind of sponge at nano level — can be generated in semiconductors. This opens up new possibilities for the realization of tiny sensors or unusual optical and electronic components. There have already been experiments in this area with porous structures made from silicon. Now, researchers…
Electricity Used to Switch Magnetism
It’s not exactly a new revelation that electricity and magnetism are closely linked. And yet, magnetic and electrical effects have been studied separately for some time now within the field of materials science. Magnetic fields will usually be used to influence magnetic material properties, whilst electrical properties come down to electrical voltage. Then we have…
Graphene Transports Large Currents on the Nanoscale
Once again, graphene has proven itself to be a rather special material: an international research team led by Professor Fritz Aumayr from the Institute of Applied Physics at TU Wien was able to demonstrate that the electrons in graphene are extremely mobile and react very quickly. Impacting xenon ions with a particularly high electric charge…
The Philosopher’s Stone of Nanotechnology
The idea is reminiscent of the ancient alchemists’ attempts to create gold from worthless substances: Researchers from TU Wien (Vienna) have discovered a novel way to fabricate pure gold nanostructures using an additive direct-write lithography technique. An electron beam is used to turn an auriferous organic compound into pure gold. This new technique can now…
Quantum Sniffer Dog Detects Different Gases Simultaneously
As humans, we sniff out different scents and aromas using chemical receptors in our noses. In technological gas detection, however, there are a whole host of other methods available. One such method is to use infrared lasers, passing a laser beam through the gas to an adjacent separate detector, which measures the degree of light…
Ultrashort Laser Pulses Equivalent to Nuclear Reactors
It is a very unusual kind of laser: researchers at the photonics institute at Technische Universität Wien (TU Wien) have built a device which emits ultrashort flashes of infrared light with extremely high energy. “It is very hard to combine these three properties — long infrared wavelength, short duration and high energy,” says Valentina Shumakova.…