Nanotechnology

Using two novel techniques, researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have for the first time examined, with nanometer-scale precision, the variations in chemical composition and defects of widely used solar cells. The new techniques, which investigated a common type of solar cell made of the semiconductor material cadmium telluride, promise to…

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, and energy…

New research from the University of Liverpool, published in the journal Nanoscale, has probed the structure and material properties of protein machines in bacteria, which have the capacity to convert carbon dioxide into sugar through photosynthesis. Cyanobacteria are a phylum of bacteria that produce oxygen and energy during photosynthesis, similar to green plants. They are…

Developing new scientific devices pushing the limits of what we can observe and measure does not occur overnight. There are typically baby steps involved, small and continuous improvements to counter the numerous technical hurdles arising on the way. The new state-of-the-art electron microscope developed by Prof. Tsumoru Shintake at the Okinawa Institute of Science and…

On June 6, the National Science Foundation (NSF), in partnership with the National Nanotechnology Initiative (NNI), named the first- and second-place winners, as well as the People’s Choice winner, for the second annual Generation Nano competition. Generation Nano challenges high school students to imagine novel superheroes who use the power of nanotechnology — technology on…

Magnetic materials form the basis of technologies that play increasingly pivotal roles in our lives today, including sensing and hard-disk data storage. But as our innovative dreams conjure wishes for ever-smaller and faster devices, researchers are seeking new magnetic materials that are more compact, more efficient and can be controlled using precise, reliable methods. A…

Researchers have found a way to make ultralight sponge-like materials from nanoscale ceramic fibers. The highly porous, compressible and heat-resistant sponges could have numerous uses, from water purification devices to flexible insulating materials. “The basic science question we tried to answer is how can we make a material that’s highly deformable but resistant to high…

In anticipation of the official opening of the new MIT.nano building — which will house some of the world’s leading facilities supporting research in nanoscience and nanotechnology — MIT last week officially launched a new “center of excellence” called SENSE.nano, which is dedicated to pushing the frontiers of research in sensing technologies. Like the new…

For the first time ever, scientists were able to peek inside of graphene and view electronic currents. Lloyd Hollenberg, deputy director of the Centre for Quantum Computation and Communication Technology (CQC2T) at the University of Melbourne, led a team to develop a special quantum probe— based on an atomic sized color center found only in…

In an article in the journal Energy and Environmental Science, researchers from Uppsala University, Sweden, present a type of low-cost and environmental-friendly organic polymer nano-material as photocatalysts for hydrogen generation, and propose the working mechanism of the photocatalytic reactive site. Development of photocatalysts for light driven hydrogen generation from water is an ideal way to…

A research team from the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory has performed the first-ever direct nanoscale examination of a living cell membrane. In doing so, it also resolved a long-standing debate by identifying tiny groupings of lipid molecules that are likely key to the cell’s functioning. The methods developed provide a new experimental…

An experiment conducted at the University of Alabama (UA) indicates graphene could be beneficial for car companies. A student team at UA taking part in a national competition called EcoCar3, developed a fully functional hybrid car that simultaneously uses less energy and emits less pollution without sacrificing factors like performance, safety, and consumer appeal. As…

For the first time, a graphene membrane has been designed that can withstand up to 100 bars of pressure. Rohit Karnik, an associate professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Department of Engineering, said the discovery could open graphene to a number of new applications, including desalination, where filtration membranes that can withstand high-pressure flows…

Researchers have used nanotechnology to boost the catalytic performance of cerium oxide. In a new study led by scientists from Stanford University and SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, researchers have improved cerium oxide or ceria—a spongy material commonly used in catalytic converters, self-cleaning ovens and various green applications including fuel cells and solar water splitters. “Ceria…

Engineers at the University of California San Diego have developed a miniature device that’s sensitive enough to feel the forces generated by swimming bacteria and hear the beating of heart muscle cells. The device is a nano-sized optical fiber that’s about 100 times thinner than a human hair. It can detect forces down to 160…

The mechanical properties of cells have an impact on biological processes ranging from wound healing and disease to cellular aging and differentiation. Currently, the most popular method of measuring the mechanical properties of a cell is by atomic-force microscopy (AFM). Very simply, AFM works by moving a very fine needle attached to a cantilever beam…