Nanotechnology News – Latest Headlines

Physicists find strong bonds between rare-earth metals and graphene

Physicists at the U.S. Department of Energy's Ames Laboratory are studying the interaction of materials that are promising for use in nanoscale electronics: graphene and different types of metals. The team has discovered the rare-earth metals dysprosium and gadolinium react strongly with graphene, while lead does not.

Sep 28th, 2011

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Spontaneous combustion in nanobubbles

Nanometer-sized bubbles containing the gases hydrogen and oxygen can apparently combust spontaneously, although nothing happens in larger bubbles. For the first time, researchers have demonstrated this spontaneous combustion.

Sep 28th, 2011

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Photonics: Golden atoms

Similarities between the electronic states of molecules and the optical properties of gold nanostructures aid the development of new photonic devices.

Sep 28th, 2011

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NIST polishes method for creating tiny diamond machines

Diamonds may be best known as a symbol of long-lasting love. But semiconductor makers are also hoping they'll pan out as key components of long-lasting micromachines if a new method developed at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) for carving these tough, capable crystals proves its worth.

Sep 27th, 2011

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Carbon nanotubes make solar cells affordable, flexible

Researchers from Northwestern University have developed a carbon-based material that could revolutionize the way solar power is harvested. The new solar cell material - a transparent conductor made of carbon nanotubes - provides an alternative to current technology, which is mechanically brittle and reliant on a relatively rare mineral.

Sep 27th, 2011

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100 trillion graphene wall field-effect transistors could fit on a single chip

A new paper by collaborators at Rice University and Hong Kong Polytechnic University demonstrates the possibility that tiny strips of graphene can stand tall on a substrate with a little support. This leads to the possibility that arrays of graphene walls could become ultrahigh density components of electronic or spintronic devices.

Sep 27th, 2011

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New 'FeTRAM' is promising computer memory technology

Researchers are developing a new type of computer memory that could be faster than the existing commercial memory and use far less power than flash memory devices. The technology combines silicon nanowires with a "ferroelectric" polymer, a material that switches polarity when electric fields are applied, making possible a new type of ferroelectric transistor.

Sep 27th, 2011

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Two UCSB faculty members will receive US presidential science awards

President Obama today named two UC Santa Barbara faculty members as recipients of the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE). The award is the highest honor the nation can bestow on a scientist or engineer at the beginning of his or her career. Benjamin Mazin, assistant professor in the Department of Physics, and Sumita Pennathur, assistant professor in the department of mechanical engineering, are among 94 individuals across the country to receive the early career awards.

Sep 27th, 2011

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