Nanotechnology News – Latest Headlines

2D Electronic-vibrational spectroscopy technique provides unprecedented look into photochemical reactions

By combining the advantages of two well-established spectroscopy technologies - 2D-electronic and 2D-infrared - two-dimensional electronic-vibrational spectroscopy (2D-EV) is the first that can be used to simultaneously monitor electronic and molecular dynamics on a femtosecond time-scale. The results show how the coupling of electronic states and nuclear vibrations affect the outcome of photochemical reactions.

Jun 17th, 2014

Nanofibers for quantum computing

Carefully fabricating nanofibers by heating and pulling may make for highly-efficient, optics-based, low-power atom traps.

Jun 17th, 2014

Swell new sensors

Researchers make novel, high sensitivity optical sensors that swell when exposed to a target gas - potential industrial, security, environmental, and medical applications.

Jun 17th, 2014

Researcher predicts new state of matter

Theoretical calculations indicate the possible existence of fermionic matter in apreviously unknown state in the form of a one-dimensional liquid

Jun 17th, 2014

Nanomechanical detection of methamphetamines and designer drugs

Researchers have introduced a new method of detection that allows the entire class of methamphetamine drugs to be detected in water. A probe equipped with synthetic receptor molecules responds to a grouping of atoms that is present in all methamphetamines.

Jun 17th, 2014

Novel nanoparticle production method could lead to better lights, lenses, solar cells

Sandia National Laboratories has come up with an inexpensive way to synthesize titanium-dioxide nanoparticles and is seeking partners who can demonstrate the process at industrial scale for everything from solar cells to light-emitting diodes (LEDs).

Jun 17th, 2014

Researchers cage water in buckyballs to see it change form

Scientists are using a pioneering method of 'caging' and cooling water molecules to study the change in orientation of the magnetic nuclei at the centre of each hydrogen atom - a process which transforms the molecule from one form of water to another.

Jun 17th, 2014

EU issues final opinion on nanosilver - safety, health and environmental effects and role in antimicrobial resistance

The European Commission and its non-food Scientific Committee on Emerging and Newly Identified Health Risks, SCENIHR, published the final opinion on 'Nanosilver: safety, health and environmental effects and role in antimicrobial resistance'.

Jun 17th, 2014

Nanoshell shields foreign enzymes used to starve cancer cells from immune system

Nanoengineers have developed a nanoshell to protect foreign enzymes used to starve cancer cells as part of chemotherapy.

Jun 17th, 2014

Nanotubes boost power and durability in lithium-ion batteries

Researchers at the Energy Department's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) are turning to extremely tiny tubes and rods to boost power and durability in lithium-ion batteries, the energy sources for cell phones, laptops, and electric vehicles. If successful, the batteries will last longer and perform better, leading to a cost advantage for electric vehicles.

Jun 17th, 2014

Researchers use virus to reveal nanopore physics

Nanopores could provide a new way to sequence DNA quickly, but the physics involved isn't well understood. That's partly because of the complexities involved in studying the random, squiggly form DNA takes in solution. Researchers have simplified matters by using a stiff, rod-like virus instead of DNA to experiment with nanopores. Their research has uncovered previously unknown dynamics in polymer-nanopore interactions.

Jun 16th, 2014

Trapping light: a long lifetime in a very small place

Physicists have created a silicon nanocavity that allows light to be trapped longer than in other similarly-sized optical cavities. An innovative design approach, which mimics evolutionary biology, allowed them to achieve a 10-fold improvement on the performance of previous nanocavities.