Nanotechnology News – Latest Headlines

Novel method for growing high-quality oxide thin films on a glass substrate

Researchers succeeded in growing thin film crystals consisting of highly oriented crystal grains, which were as large as a few micrometers or more, by coating a glass substrate with oxide sheets of about one nanometer in thickness, called oxide nanosheets, and using these nanocrystals as seed crystals in solid phase crystallization.

Jul 15th, 2014

Nanophotonics experts create powerful molecular sensor

Sensor amplifies optical signature of single molecules about 100 billion times.

Jul 15th, 2014

Science journalists pen Copenhagen Declaration on nanotechnology

The science debate of the European Science Journalists EUSJA revealed many severe misunderstandings and a profound lack of knowledge about nanotechnology, two decades after the topic first emerged. More detailed information and more dialogue is necessary, in particular a broader array of inclusive, participative and collaborative formats, above all in the early phases of research.

Jul 15th, 2014

A Swiss cross made of 20 atoms

The manipulation of atoms has reached a new level: Physicists were able to place 20 single atoms on a fully insulated surface at room temperature to form the smallest 'Swiss cross', thus taking a big step towards next generation atomic-scale storage devices.

Jul 15th, 2014

Researchers find nanoscale revolution biomotors in many bacteria and viruses

Researchers reported the discovery of a new class of biomotor, unique in that it uses a 'revolution without rotation' mechanism. Rotation is the turning of an object around its own axle, as the Earth does every 24 hours. Revolution is the turning of an object around a second object, as the Earth does around the sun.

Jul 14th, 2014

Nano-sized silicon oxide electrode for the next generation lithium ion batteries

Scientists report an approach with industrial potential to produce nano-sized composite silicon-based powders as negative electrodes for the next generation lithium ion batteries.

Jul 14th, 2014

Nanocarriers successfully alleviate pulmonary inflammation

When delivered by nanocarrier, steroids can access the hard-to-reach lung endothelial cells that need it most and are successful at preventing inflammation in mice.

Jul 14th, 2014

Theoretical model predicts how carbon components will perform as electrodes

The model is based on intrinsic electronic characteristics of materials used as battery anodes. These include the material's quantum capacitance (the ability of the material to absorb charge) and the material's absolute Fermi level, which determines how many lithium ions may bond to the electrodes.

Jul 14th, 2014

Tunable nanoantenna paves the way for novel plasmonic-based optomechanical systems

Scientists developed a novel, tunable nanoantenna that paves the way for new kinds of plasmonic-based optomechanical systems, whereby plasmonic field enhancement can actuate mechanical motion.

Jul 14th, 2014

The world's first photonic router

Scientists have demonstrated for the first time a photonic router - a quantum device based on a single atom that enables routing of single photons by single photons. This achievement is another step toward overcoming the difficulties in building quantum computers.

Jul 14th, 2014

Using light to modulate the properties of a copper-based superconductor

Researchers used a technique based on applying short flashes of light to observe and analyse the features of a superconductor at high critical temperature, a material with major prospects for technological applications. In addition to providing an explanation for the peculiar behaviour of the material, the study also opens to the possibility of controlling its characteristics by means of laser pulses.

Jul 14th, 2014

Carbon nanotube catalyst may rival cost-prohibitive platinum for hydrogen production

The new technology is a novel catalyst that performs almost as well as cost-prohibitive platinum for so-called electrolysis reactions, which use electric currents to split water molecules into hydrogen and oxygen. The technology is also far more efficient than less-expensive catalysts investigated to-date.

Jul 14th, 2014

Nanotechnology fabrication - from stronger Kevlar to better biology

Place two large, sturdy logs in a streambed, and they will help guide the water in a particular direction. But imagine if the water started mimicking the rigidity of the logs in addition to flowing along them. That's essentially what happens in a directed assembly method developed by a researcher at Northeastern University.