Nanotechnology News – Latest Headlines

UC Berkeley names Professor David Graves as first Lam Research Distinguished Chair in Semiconductor Processing

The Lam Research Distinguished Chair is the Berkeley Nanosciences and Nanoengineering Institute's first-ever endowed Chair.

November 29, 2011 Read more

Making a light-harvesting antenna from scratch

A biomimetic antenna for gathering sunlight may one day transform solar-powered devices.

November 29, 2011 Read more

Two-step technique makes graphene suitable for organic chemistry

The future brightened for organic chemistry when researchers at Rice University found a highly controllable way to attach organic molecules to pristine graphene, making the miracle material suitable for a range of new applications.

November 29, 2011 Read more

Cobblestones on implants hoodwink innate immunity

Coating the surface of an implant such as a new hip or pacemaker with nanosized metallic particles reduces the risk of rejection, and researchers at the University of Gothenburg can now explain why: they fool the innate immune system.

November 29, 2011 Read more

Complexity of grain boundaries in ceramics: electrons reveal it all

Scientists describe how they have been able to unravel the structure of grain boundary defects in ceramics with both atomic resolution and chemical sensitivity by combining advanced electron microscopy techniques with theoretical simulations. Their findings shed new light onto these universally important defects and demonstrate that their structure can be much more complex than is often assumed.

November 29, 2011 Read more

Researchers discover new nanoscale electronic state on graphene sheets

Researchers from the London Centre for Nanotechnology have discovered electronic stripes, called 'charge density waves', on the surface of the graphene sheets that make up a graphitic superconductor. This is the first time these stripes have been seen on graphene, and the finding is likely to have profound implications for the exploitation of graphene.

November 29, 2011 Read more

Whole-cell imaging at nanometer resolutions using fast and slow focused helium ions

A new study demonstrates that microscopy with helium ions may greatly enhance both surface and sub-cellular imaging.

November 29, 2011 Read more

Imperfections may improve graphene sensors

Although they found that graphene makes very good chemical sensors, researchers at Illinois have discovered an unexpected "twist" - that the sensors are better when the graphene is "worse" - more imperfections improved performance.

November 29, 2011 Read more

Research probes potential link between cancer and zinc oxide nanoparticles in consumer products

A study led by a group of Nanyang Technological University (NTU) researchers has found that a chemical commonly used in consumer products can potentially cause cancer.

November 29, 2011 Read more

Tyndall scoops multiple awards for its work in energy efficient nanoelectronics

Tyndall National Institute recently won a series of awards for its work in energy efficient nanoelectronics.

November 29, 2011 Read more

The interplay of dancing electrons

Negative ions play an important role in everything from how our bodies function to the structure of the universe. Scientists from the University of Gothenburg, Sweden, have now developed a new method that makes it possible to study how the electrons in negative ions interact in, which is important in, for example, superconductors and in radiocarbon dating.

November 29, 2011 Read more

Big success with tiny crystals

Tiny crystals exhibit unexpected properties. Researchers from the Vienna University of Technology and the University of Calcutta can now explain why.

November 29, 2011 Read more

Zehn Jahre Forschung an Nanomaterialien zu Nanorisiken

Um weitere, dringend benoetigte Studien im Bereich Nano(oeko)toxikologie durchzufuehren, mangelt es an ExpertInnen. Zudem bestehen noch etliche, teils erhebliche Wissensluecken. So lautet das Fazit zweier Berichte, die kuerzlich vorgestellt wurden.

November 29, 2011 Read more

The art of stabilizing entangled spaghetti-like materials

Gene therapy can only be effective if delivered by a stable complex molecule. Now, scientists have determined the conditions that would stabilise complex molecular structures that are subject to inherent attractions and repulsions triggered by electric charges at the surfaces of the molecules.

November 29, 2011 Read more

Bright future for gallium nitride nanowires

The gallium nitride nanowires grown by scientists in the Physical Measurement Laboratory at NIST may only be a few tenths of a micrometer in diameter, but they promise a very wide range of applications, from new light-emitting diodes and diode lasers to ultra-small resonators, chemical sensors, and highly sensitive atomic probe tips.

November 29, 2011 Read more

New microscope at Brookhaven Lab promises unprecedented experimental opportunities in materials science

A new class of x-ray photoelectron spectroscopic microscope has been developed at the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Brookhaven National Laboratory. The microscope will be used for advanced research on a wide range of technologically important materials systems.

November 28, 2011 Read more