Nanotechnology News – Latest Headlines

'Exceptional' nanosensor architecture based on exceptional points

Researchers have developed a novel design for a compact, ultra-sensitive nanosensor that can be used to make portable health-monitoring devices and to detect minute quantities of toxins and explosives for security applications.

Nov 10th, 2016

Solar cells get boost with integration of water-splitting catalyst onto semiconductor

Scientists have found a way to engineer the atomic-scale chemical properties of a water-splitting catalyst for integration with a solar cell, and the result is a big boost to the stability and efficiency of artificial photosynthesis.

Nov 10th, 2016

First random laser made of paper-based ceramics

New biotemplating process makes it possible to create lasers out of cellulose paper.

Nov 10th, 2016

Spin Hall effect in decorated graphene

In a new paper, scientists question the interpretation of large values from the Spin Hall effect (SHE) signals, reported experimentally in chemically decorated graphene. Further, they propose new device geometry to suppress background contributions on the non-local resistance to access the upper limit of SHE in two-dimensional materials.

Nov 10th, 2016

Functional textiles clean pollutants from air and water

Researchers have shown the ability to infuse cotton with a beta-cyclodextrin (BCD) polymer, which acts as a filtration device that works in both water and air.

Nov 9th, 2016

Nanoparticle treatment adds antimicrobial coatings to leather

Traditional leather manufacturing requires the use of several toxic chemicals, such as halogenated flame retardants or organic antimicrobial solvents, which cause pollution. Now, researchers are testing an eco-friendly alternative: silver-titanium nanoparticles.

Nov 9th, 2016

Possible reason for carcinogenicity of silica dust is found

Scientists have found unusual properties of silicon nanoparticles. They have shown that at normal conditions silica nanoparticles are enriched in oxygen. Such nanoparticles are magnetic and contain reactive oxygen species. This may explain the known high toxicity and carcinogenicity of silica dust.

Nov 9th, 2016

Computers made of genetic material?

Physicists conducted a current through gold-plated nanowires, which independently assembled themselves from single DNA strands.

Nov 9th, 2016

Portugal calls for startups using nanotechnologies

StartupNano opens its doors to entrepreneurs around the world working with nanotechnology based solutions.

Nov 9th, 2016

Nanoelectronics scores laboratory victory

Researchers pioneer technique to grow monolayer tungsten disulfide for next-generation transistors, wearable electronics, and biomedical devices.

Nov 9th, 2016

New 'bottlebrush' electroactive polymers make dielectric elastomers increasingly viable for use in devices

A multi-institutional research team has developed a new electroactive polymer material that can change shape and size when exposed to a relatively small electric field. The advance overcomes two longstanding challenges regarding the use of electroactive polymers to develop new devices, opening the door to a suite of applications ranging from microrobotics to designer haptic, optic, microfluidic and wearable technologies.

Nov 9th, 2016

New nanosensors for the detection of TNT

A new type of sensor has the potential to replace sniffer dogs when it comes to detecting explosives such as TNT.

Nov 9th, 2016

Engineers develop invisibility cloak for high-tech processing chips

Engineers have developed a cloaking device for microscopic photonic integrated devices - the building blocks of photonic computer chips that run on light instead of electrical current - in an effort to make future chips smaller, faster and consume much less power.