EurekAlert! - Nanotechnology

'Dark plasmons' transmit energy

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 00:00:00 EST

(Rice University) Microscopic channels of gold nanoparticles have the ability to transmit electromagnetic energy that starts as light and propagates via "dark plasmons," according to researchers at Rice University.

Hydrogen from acidic water

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 00:00:00 EST

(DOE/Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory) A technique from Berkley Lab for creating a new molecule that structurally and chemically replicates the active part of the molybdenite catalyst paves the way for developing catalytic materials that can serve as effective low-cost alternatives to platinum for generating hydrogen gas from water.

New technology platform for molecule-based electronics

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 00:00:00 EST

(University of Copenhagen) Researchers at the Nano-Science Center at the University of Copenhagen have developed a new nanotechnology platform for the development of molecule-based electronic components using the wonder material graphene.

5 University of Houston assistant professors receive NSF CAREER awards

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 00:00:00 EST

(University of Houston) Five junior faculty members at the University of Houston have been awarded NSF CAREER awards for their outstanding work as researchers and educators.

New NIST 'Cell assay on a chip': Solid results from simple means

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 00:00:00 EST

(National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)) A NIST research engineer combined a glass slide, plastic sheets and double-sided tape to build a "diffusion-based gradient generator", a tool to rapidly assess how changing concentrations of specific chemicals affect living cells.

The governance of synthetic biology

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 00:00:00 EST

(Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars/Science and Technology Innovation Program) The Synthetic Biology Project at the Woodrow Wilson Center is launching a new online scorecard to track efforts to better govern synthetic biology research and development.

Innovation promises expanded roles for microsensors

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 00:00:00 EST

(Purdue University) Researchers have learned how to improve the performance of sensors that use tiny vibrating microcantilevers to detect chemical and biological agents for applications from national security to food processing.

A bronze matryoshka doll: The metal in the metal in the metal

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 00:00:00 EST

(Technische Universitaet Muenchen) Just like in the Russian wooden toy, a hull of 12 copper atoms encases a single tin atom. This hull is, in turn, enveloped by 20 further tin atoms. Professor Faessler's work group at the Technische Universitaet Muenchen was the first to generate these spatial structures built up in three layers as isolated metal clusters in alloys. With their large surfaces these structures can serve as highly efficient catalysts.

First industrial-scale foam forming research environment for forest sector

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 00:00:00 EST

(VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland) Foam-forming technology gives exciting opportunities to develop new recyclable and lightweight wood fiber products. It also gives a possibility to decrease raw material and production costs remarkably compared to recent technology. VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland, together with industry, has started setting up a new pilot scale technology platform for foam-forming applications.

Nanoshell whispering galleries improve thin solar panels

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 00:00:00 EST

(Stanford School of Engineering) Engineers at Stanford have created photovoltaic nanoshells that harness a peculiar physical phenomenon to better trap light in the solar materials. The results could dramatically improve the efficiency of thin-film solar cells while reducing their weight and cost.

The right recipe: Engineering research improves laser detectors, batteries

Mon, 06 Feb 2012 00:00:00 EST

(Kansas State University) A Kansas State University researcher is developing new ways to create and work with carbon nanotubes -- ultrasmall tubes that look like pieces of spaghetti or string. These carbon nanotubes have the perfect ingredients for improving laser detectors and rechargeable batteries.

Nanorod-assembled order affects diffusion rate and direction

Mon, 06 Feb 2012 00:00:00 EST

(Georgia Institute of Technology) Georgia Tech professor Rigoberto Hernandez studied the movements of a spherical probe amongst static nanorods. He found that the particles sometimes diffused faster in a nematic environment than in a disordered environment. That is, the channels left open between the ordered nanorods don't just steer nanoparticles along a direction, they also enable them to speed right through.

The butterfly effect in nanotech medical diagnostics

Mon, 06 Feb 2012 00:00:00 EST

(Inderscience Publishers) Tiny metallic nanoparticles that shimmer in the light like the scales on a butterfly's wing are set to become the color-change components of a revolutionary new approach to point-of-care medical diagnostics, according to a study published in International Journal of Design Engineering.

Stanford engineers weld nanowires with light

Sun, 05 Feb 2012 00:00:00 EST

(Stanford School of Engineering) At the nano level, researchers at Stanford have discovered a new way to weld together meshes of tiny wires. Their work could lead to exciting new electronics and solar applications. To succeed, they called upon plasmonics.

UT biosolar breakthrough promises cheap, easy green electricity

Thu, 02 Feb 2012 00:00:00 EST

(University of Tennessee at Knoxville) A professor of biochemistry, cellular and molecular biology, at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, and a team of researchers have developed a system that taps into photosynthetic processes to produce efficient and inexpensive energy.

New investment aims to establish the UK as a global graphene research hub

Thu, 02 Feb 2012 00:00:00 EST

(Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council) Today sees the announcement of full details of how an additional £50 million will be spent to keep the UK at the forefront of research into 'wonder material' graphene. 200 times stronger than steel yet less than an atom thick, graphene is the strongest and thinnest material ever measured, and also the world's most conductive material. It has a wide range of potential uses, including electronics, flexible touch screens, sensors and in composite materials.

Graphene electronics moves into a third dimension

Thu, 02 Feb 2012 00:00:00 EST

(University of Manchester) Wonder material graphene has been touted as the next silicon, with one major problem - it is too conductive to be used in computer chips. Now scientists from the University of Manchester have given its prospects a new lifeline.

Self-assembling nanorods: Berkeley Lab researchers obtain 1-, 2- and 3-D nanorod arrays and networks

Wed, 01 Feb 2012 00:00:00 EST

(DOE/Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory) Berkeley Lab researchers have developed a relatively fast, easy and inexpensive technique for inducing nanorods to self-assemble into aligned and ordered macroscopic structures. This technique should enable more effective use of nanorods in solar cells, magnetic storage devices and sensors, and boost the electrical and mechanical properties of nanorod-polymer composites.

Nano-oils keep their cool

Wed, 01 Feb 2012 00:00:00 EST

(Rice University) Rice University scientists have created a nano-infused oil that could greatly enhance the ability of devices as large as electrical transformers and as small as microelectronic components to shed excess heat.

Ultra-fast photodetector and terahertz generator

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 00:00:00 EST

(Technische Universitaet Muenchen) Photodetectors made from graphene can process and conduct light signals as well as electric signals extremely fast. Within picoseconds the optical stimulation of graphene generates a photocurrent. Until now, none of the available methods were fast enough to measure these processes in graphene. Scientists at the Technische Universitaet Muenchen now developed a method to measure the temporal dynamics of this photo current. Furthermore they discovered that graphene can emit terahertz radiation.

ORNL microscopy reveals 'atomic antenna' behavior in graphene

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 00:00:00 EST

(DOE/Oak Ridge National Laboratory) Atomic-level defects in graphene could be a path forward to smaller and faster electronic devices.

Perfect nanotubes shine brightest

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 00:00:00 EST

(Rice University) A painstaking study by Rice University has brought a wealth of new information about single-walled carbon nanotubes through analysis of their fluorescence. The researchers found that the brightest nanotubes of the same length show consistent fluorescence intensity, and the longer the tube, the brighter.

Research at Rice University leads to nanotube-based device for communication, security, sensing

Mon, 30 Jan 2012 00:00:00 EST

(Rice University) Researchers at Rice University are using carbon nanotubes as the critical component of a robust terahertz polarizer that could accelerate the development of new security and communication devices, sensors and noninvasive medical imaging systems as well as fundamental studies of low-dimensional condensed matter systems.

Reducing ion exchange particles to nano-size shows big potential

Mon, 30 Jan 2012 00:00:00 EST

(DOE/Savannah River National Laboratory) Researchers at the US Department of Energy's Savannah River National Laboratory have successfully shown that they can replace useful little particles of an ion exchange material with even tinier nano-sized particles, making them even more useful for a variety of applications.

Bright lights of purity

Mon, 30 Jan 2012 00:00:00 EST

(DOE/Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory) Berkeley Lab researchers have discovered why a promising technique for making quantum dots and nanorods has so far been a disappointment. Better still, they've also discovered how to correct the problem.