In case you missed it (ICYMI), here are some of the stories that made headlines in the world of cleanrooms and nanotechnology in the past week.
Researchers at Penn State and the University of Pittsburgh have developed an innovative method of using the chemical reactions of certain enzymes to trigger self-powered mechanical movement. The pumps offer precise control over flow rate without the use of an external power source. They are also able to turn on in response to specific chemicals in solution, and are capable of remaining viable and capable of turning on even after prolonged storage.” The self-powered enzyme micropumps could be used to detect substances, move particles to build small structures, and deliver medications.
Tohoku University announced that the light produced by the Free Electron Laser FERMI at the research Centre Elettra Sincrotrone Trieste in the AREA Science Park has been used to control the ultrafast movement of electrons. This experiment paves the way to the study of more complex processes which occur in nature on the scale of attoseconds (billionths of a billionth of a second), such as photosynthesis, combustion, catalysis, and atmospheric chemistry. In the future, it may be possible to control complex processes such as photocatalytic processes where the charge transfer plays a key role.
UMass Amherst chemists and polymer scientists have, for the first time, found an unexpected property in an organic semiconductor molecule. The property, known as directional intrinsic charge separation, was discovered in crystalline nanowires of an organic semiconductor known as 7,8,15,16-tetraazaterrylene (TAT). This discovery could hold the key to more efficient and cost-effective materials for use in cell phone and laptop displays, as well as opto-electronic devices such as lasers, light-emitting diodes and fiber optic communications.
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