Scientists at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, working with MIT and a multi-university team, have demonstrated a nanomanufacturing method that peels off 10-nanometer-thick crystalline membranes for highly sensitive infrared detection without cryogenic cooling. The approach, called atomic lift-off (ALO), eliminates the buffer “release” layers common in prior techniques and achieved a record pyroelectric response in ultrathin films,…
New nanotechnology method increases microalgae biofuel yield by 300%
Scientists from the University of Texas at El Paso demonstrated a new technique to improve the yield of biofuel from microalgae. Their study in ACS Applied Bio Materials centers on the microalga Chlorella vulgaris, which is commonly found in freshwater and can be used to produce biofuels. The researchers demonstrated that doses of zinc oxide…
MIT physicists directly observe frictionless ‘edge state’ flow in ultracold atoms, offering a glimpse of super-efficient electronics
Physicists at MIT have directly imaged the frictionless flow of atoms along the edges of a material, confirming long-held theories about electron behavior in the quantum Hall effect. By recreating the effect’s conditions with ultracold atoms, the team observed these particles effortlessly navigating around obstacles, defying everyday experience with friction. In the everyday world, friction is…