The stability of gold clusters: Every ligand counts
The number of molecules attached to gold clusters has a previously unrecognized influence.
Jul 21st, 2014
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Nanotechnology News – Latest Headlines
NSF grant to study the synthesis of nanoparticles resembling stainless steel
Mathew M. Maye, associate professor of chemistry, has been awarded a three-year, $360,000 grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF). The award supports his ongoing work with metal stainless alloy nanostructures, the results of which may impact gas storage, heterogeneous catalysis, and rechargeable lithium-ion batteries.
Jul 21st, 2014
Read moreChemists eye improved thin films with metal substitution
Solution-based inorganic process could drive more efficient electronics and solar devices.
Jul 21st, 2014
Read moreAn optomechanical crystal to study interactions among colocalized photons and phonons
Electromagnetic radiation and mechanical vibrations of matter interact and exchange energy at the nanoscale. The experimental basis to study such interactions with precision is still being established. Researchers have now designed a silicon 1D Optomechanical crystal built up so that it allows to localize in a stable way both phonons and photons.
Jul 21st, 2014
Read moreCarbyne morphs from metal to semiconductor when stretched
Applying just the right amount of tension to a chain of carbon atoms can turn it from a metallic conductor to an insulator, according to Rice University scientists.
Jul 21st, 2014
Read moreDNA used as a nano-gold lightswitch
A nanostructure made from two tiny gold rods reversibly changes its optical properties when specific DNA molecules are added.
Jul 21st, 2014
Read moreNew spongelike structure converts solar energy into steam
The structure - a layer of graphite flakes and an underlying carbon foam - is a porous, insulating material structure that floats on water. When sunlight hits the structure's surface, it creates a hotspot in the graphite, drawing water up through the material's pores, where it evaporates as steam.
Jul 21st, 2014
Read moreScientists explain how gold nanoparticles easily penetrate cells, making them useful for delivering drugs (w/video)
A new study from MIT materials scientists reveals that gold nanoparticles enter cells by taking advantage of a route normally used in vesicle-vesicle fusion, a crucial process that allows signal transmission between neurons. They describe in detail the mechanism by which these nanoparticles are able to fuse with a membrane.
Jul 21st, 2014
Read moreA noble gas cage
New material traps gases from nuclear fuel better and uses less energy than currently available options.
Jul 20th, 2014
Read morePlasmon nanosensor heightens bomb detection sensitivity
New technology under development at the University of California, Berkeley, could soon give bomb-sniffing dogs some serious competition.
Jul 20th, 2014
Read moreMaking a better battery with sulfur 'nano-nugget' cathodes (w/video)
Researchers are working to make a better battery by making the cathode of sulfur instead of today's lithium-cobalt oxide.
Jul 20th, 2014
Read moreNew metamaterial puts a twist in light
Scientists have uncovered the secret to twisting light at will. It is the latest step in the development of photonics, the faster, more compact and less carbon-hungry successor to electronics.
Jul 18th, 2014
Read moreUsing nanofiber mats to extraxt uranium from the ocean
The U.S. Department of Energy selected a University of Alabama start-up company for an approximate $1.5 million award to refine an alternative material to potentially extract uranium from the ocean.
Jul 18th, 2014
Read moreNature's strongest glue comes unstuck
Over a 150 years since it was first described by Darwin, scientists are finally uncovering the secrets behind the super strength of barnacle glue.
Jul 18th, 2014
Read moreFuture electronics may depend on lasers, not quartz
Nearly all electronics require devices called oscillators that create precise frequencies - frequencies used to keep time in wristwatches or to transmit reliable signals to radios. For nearly a century, these oscillators have relied upon quartz crystals to provide a frequency reference, much like a tuning fork is used as a reference to tune a piano. A new approach could ultimately replace the quartz crystal frequency reference - technology in use since the 1920s.
Jul 17th, 2014
Read more'Nanocamera' takes pictures at distances smaller than light's own wavelength
Researchers have demonstrated that an array of novel gold, pillar-bowtie nanoantennas can be used like traditional photographic film to record light for distances that are much smaller than the wavelength of light. A standard optical microscope acts as a 'nanocamera' whereas the pillar-bowtie nanoantennas are the analogous film.
Jul 17th, 2014
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