Nanotechnology News – Latest Headlines

Electrons jostling in a traffic jam

Quantum point contacts in electrical circuits are narrow constrictions that can impede the passage of electrons in unexpected ways. Physicists have now achieved a detailed microscopic understanding of this transport anomaly.

Aug 29th, 2013

New grayscale technique opens a third dimension for nanoscale lithography

While it has long been possible to make complicated 3D structures with many mask layers or expensive grayscale masks, the new technique enables researchers to etch trenches and other high aspect ratio structures with nanometer scale features without using masks and in only two process stages.

Aug 29th, 2013

New oxygen 'sponge' presents path to better catalysts, energy materials

Scientists at Oak Ridge National Laboratory have developed a new oxygen 'sponge' that can easily absorb or shed oxygen atoms at low temperatures. Materials with these novel characteristics would be useful in devices such as rechargeable batteries, sensors, gas converters and fuel cells.

Aug 29th, 2013

Carbon nanotube sensor almost as sensitive as a dog's nose

Using carbon nanotubes, a research team led by Professor Hyung Gyu Park in collaboration with Dr. Tiziana Bond has developed a sensor that greatly amplifies the sensitivity of commonly used but typically weak vibrational spectroscopic methods, such as Raman spectroscopy. This type of sensor makes it possible to detect molecules present in the tiniest of concentrations.

Aug 29th, 2013

Magnetic charge crystals imaged in artificial spin ice

A team of scientists has reported direct visualization of magnetic charge crystallization in an artificial spin ice material, a first in the study of a relatively new class of frustrated artificial magnetic materials-by-design known as 'Artificial Spin Ice'.

Aug 28th, 2013

Nanofibers in dissolvable sutures could treat brain infections, reducing hospital stays

A plastic material already used in absorbable surgical sutures and other medical devices shows promise for continuous administration of antibiotics to patients with brain infections, scientists are reporting in a new study. Use of the material, placed directly on the brain's surface, could reduce the need for weeks of costly hospital stays now required for such treatment.

Aug 28th, 2013

Butterfly wings + carbon nanotubes = new nanobiocomposite material

Leveraging the amazing natural properties of the Morpho butterfly's wings, scientists have developed a nanobiocomposite material that shows promise for wearable electronic devices, highly sensitive light sensors and sustainable batteries.

Aug 28th, 2013

Molecular motors for nanotechnology: Much less power than expected?

An innovative measurement method was used at the Institute of Physical Chemistry of the Polish Academy of Sciences in Warsaw for estimating power generated by motors of single molecule in size, comprising a few dozens of atoms only. The findings of the study are of crucial importance for construction of future nanometer machines - and they do not instil optimism.

Aug 28th, 2013

Quantum effects in nanowires at room temperature

Nanotechnologists at the UT research institute MESA+ have, for the first time, demonstrated quantum effects in tiny nanowires of iridium atoms. These effects, which occur at room temperature, are responsible for ensuring that the wires are almost always 4.8 nanometers - or multiples thereof - long.