Ferroelectric localized field enhanced nanowire photodetectors

Researchers have designed a high-performance nanowire photodetector with side-gated structure by combining ferroelectric materials and nanowires, and the as-fabricated device can be employed to reduce the dark current and increase the sensitivity of the photodetectors.

Improving CD-AFM measurements from the tip down

Researchers have created reference samples that allow tip calibration with an uncertainty of less than 1 nm.

Heat and light get larger at the nanoscale

Scientists demonstrate a strong, non-contact heat transfer channel using light with performances that could lead to high efficiency electricity generation.

New use for X-rays: A radar gun for unruly atoms

Using coherent X-rays, a new technique has been discovered for sensing motion and velocity of small groups of atoms. This advance gives an unprecedented, nanoscale view of disordered objects as they are being created - like the thin films used to make solar cells and LCD screens.

Flat boron is a superconductor

Scientists have determined that two-dimensional boron is a natural low-temperature superconductor. In fact, it may be the only 2-D material with such potential.

Illuminating the inner 'machines' that give bacteria an energy boost

Researchers have tracked how microscopic organisms called cyanobacteria make use of internal protein 'machines' to boost their ability to convert carbon dioxide into sugar during photosynthesis.

New potent nanodrug to combat antibiotic-resistant infections

Novel approach includes noninvasive light activation of gold nanoconstructs to kill antibiotic-resistant bacteria.

Scientists divide magnetic vortices into collectivists and individualists

In manganese monosilicide, microscopic magnetic vortices ?- skyrmions - may behave as 'collectivists' or 'individuals', i.e. they are able to create a single structure, or they can also split up individually. Studying the behaviour of skyrmions will help to create unique quantum devices based on new physical principles.

Mechanical engineer builds 'ready-to-go' battery electrode with glass-ceramic

Researchers have developed a paperlike battery electrode using silicon oxycarbide glass and graphene.

Nanostructures made from DNA: Daisy chain rotaxanes as molecular bearings

Scientists have used DNA molecules to make a nanoscale component that makes it possible for two individual parts to move relative to each other.

Broadening the bilayer

Researchers use Titan to understand new theories on the organization of human and animal cellular membranes.

Gatekeepers of cell membranes studied one at a time with revolutionary nanotechnology

All cells protect themselves from the environment using very thin but ultra-strong membranes. In order to let useful molecules (nutrients etc.) go through the membrane, cells use 'gatekeeper molecules' called transporters. Researchers found out that these gatekeepers can now be manipulated to work longer hours by turning on a molecular switch.

Second quantum revolution a reality with chip-based atomic physics

Researchers have published research important for integrating Rydberg atoms into hybrid quantum systems and the fundamental study of atom-surface interactions, as well as applications for electrons bound to a 2D surface.

For the first time scientists can observe the nanostructure of food in 3D (w/video)

Scientists have, for the first time, created a 3-D image of food on the nanometer scale. It has promising prospects as a more detailed knowledge of the structure of complex food systems could potentially save the food industry large sums of money.

Researchers move one step closer to sustainable hydrogen production

Splitting water into its hydrogen and oxygen parts may sound like science fiction, but it's the end goal of chemists and chemical engineers.

U.S. Dept. of Agriculture announces nanotechnology grants

Eleven universities receive grants to research food safety, plant and animal health, other uses for nanotechnology solutions.

New atomic layer deposition technique reduces waste

Molecular-scale ALD discovery could have industrial-sized impact.

Wood windows? Swedes develop transparent wood material for buildings and solar cells

Windows and solar panels in the future could be made from one of the best - and cheapest - construction materials known: wood. Researchers have developed a new transparent wood material that's suitable for mass production.

Revealing the fluctuations of flexible DNA in 3-D

First-of-their-kind images by Berkeley Lab-led research team could aid in use of DNA to build nanoscale devices.

Educating and inspiring students through nanotechnology

New educational videos and a nanotech-enabled superhero contest are among new activities to educate and inspire students to prepare for high-tech jobs of the future.

An up-close view of bacterial motors

Over millennia, bacteria have evolved a variety of specialized mechanisms to move themselves through their particular environments. In two recent studies researchers used a state-of-the-art imaging technique to capture, for the first time, three-dimensional views of this tiny complicated machinery in bacteria.

Nanoparticle-based cancer therapies shown to work in humans

Scientists have shown that nanoparticles can function to target tumors while avoiding adjacent healthy tissue in human cancer patients.

How to make metal alloys that stand up to hydrogen

High-tech metal alloys are widely used in important materials such as the cladding that protects the fuel inside a nuclear reactor. But even the best alloys degrade over time. Now, researchers has found a way of greatly reducing the damaging effects these metals suffer from exposure to hydrogen.

A biomimetic 'bridge' to precision medicine

Researchers have developed a technique that uses antibody-coated nanoparticles as imaging probes to watch cell-to-cell interactions under microfluid conditions.

We don't talk much about nanotechnology risks anymore, but that doesn't mean they're gone

The worries that even nanotechnology proponents had in the early 2000s about possible health and environmental risks - and their impact on investor and consumer confidence - seem to have evaporated. So what?s changed?

Effective graphene doping depends on substrate material

Physicists have discovered unexpected effects in doped graphene - i.e. graphene that is mixed with foreign atoms.

Multilingual circuit: 'Optomechanical transducer' links sound, light and radio waves

Researchers have developed a piezo-optomechanical circuit that converts signals among optical, acoustic and radio waves. A system based on this design could move and store information in next-generation computers.

Quantum effects at work in the world?s smelliest superconductor

Researchers have found that quantum effects are the reason that hydrogen sulphide - which has the distinct smell of rotten eggs- behaves as a superconductor at record-breaking temperatures, which may aid in the search for room temperature superconductors.

New nanoparticle reveals cancer treatment effectiveness in real time

A new technique developed in pre-clinical models offers a new approach and a read out on the effectiveness of chemotherapy in as few as eight hours after treatment.

Revealing the ion transport at nanoscale

Researchers have shown that a law of physics having to do with electron transport at nanoscale can also be analogously applied to the ion transport. This discovery provides insight into a key aspect of how ion channels function within our living cells.

Querying excited electrons

New theoretical approaches provide insights into chemical bonding and structure from biology to materials.

A manufacturing method for microbatteries with organic electrode materials

Researchers have demonstrated the fabrication of electrochemically active organic lithium electrode thin films, which help make microbatteries more efficient than before.

Counting biomolecules inside cells

A new analytical tool endows DNA-powered super-resolution microscopy techniques with quantitative power.

Researchers make biosensor 1 million times more sensitive

Researchers have developed an optical sensor, based on nanostructured metamaterials, that's 1 million times more sensitive than the current best available - one capable of identifying a single lightweight molecule in a highly dilute solution.

Researchers develop new method of trapping multiple particles using fluidics

Scientists have developed a new method that relies on fluid flow to manipulate and assemble multiple particles. This new technique can trap a range of submicron- to micron-sized particles, including single DNA molecules, vesicles, drops or cells.

Computer simulation discloses new effect of cavitation

Steam bubbles in fast flowing fluids obviously also result from chemical surface properties; use for reducing wear in pumps and plain bearings.

Scientists discover another design principle for building nanostructures

Nature-inspired nanotubes that assemble themselves, with precision.

Spinning light waves might be 'locked' for photonics technologies

A newly described property related to the spin and momentum of light waves suggests potential practical applications in photonic communications and photonic circuits.

Engineering ultralight, high-dense nanoporous gold

The new material, dubbed 'Black Gold' is twice more solid and 30% lighter than standard gold.

New method to identify nanoparticles in tissue may shed light on their health impact

Biomedical engineers have demonstrated a pioneering method for the rapid visualization and identification of engineered nanoparticles in tissue. The research is a cost-effective hyperspectral imaging method for nanomaterial analysis that may shed light on nanomaterials' potential health impacts.

New terahertz source could strengthen sensing applications

New compact terahertz radiation source that operates at room temperature continuous wave.

Sniffing out a dangerous vapor with nanofibers

Engineers develop material that can sense fuel leaks and fuel-based explosives.

New class of molecular 'lightbulbs' illuminate MRI

Researchers have taken a major step towards realizing a new form of MRI that could record biochemical reactions in the body as they happen.

Smaller. Cheaper. Better.

Iron nitride transformers developed at Sandia could boost energy storage options.

Single-atom lasers change gears

Single-atom lasers that emit one light particle at a time are predicted to be switchable between two activity regimes.

DNA nano-devices perform bio-analytical chemistry inside live cells

Researchers developed a DNA nanosensor that can measure the physiological concentration of chloride with a high degree of accuracy.

Microneedle patch delivers localized cancer immunotherapy to melanoma

Biomedical engineering researchers have developed a technique that uses a patch embedded with microneedles to deliver cancer immunotherapy treatment directly to the site of melanoma skin cancer.

Nanocage surfaces get makeover in room temperature

Nanocrystals morph via anion exchange by exploiting crystal structure.

Newly discovered organic nanowires leave manmade technologies in their dust

A newly discovered microbial protein fiber transports charges at rates high enough to be applied in manmade nanotechnologies.

New open source software for high resolution microscopy

Researchers have developed a new open source software solution for ultra-high resolution fluorescence microscopy that can process such raw data quickly and efficiently.

Moving microswimmers with tiny swirling flows

Scientists have discovered a way to use a microscopic, swirling flow to rapidly clear a circle of tiny bacteria or swimming robots.

Reserchers roll out new method for making the invisible brushes that repel dirt

Polymer crystal 'turf' improves nanobrush-making process.

Graphene nanoribbons: it's all about the edges

Researchers have for the first time succeeded in producing graphene nanoribbons with perfect zigzag edges from molecules. Electrons on these zigzag edges exhibit different (and coupled) rotational directions ('spin').

Nanotechnology for label-free colorimetric detection of c-myc mRNA oncogene

Scientists have reported a label-free colorimetric protocol based on peptide nucleic acid/silver nanoparticles (PNA/AgNPs) for specific detection of c-myc mRNA biomarkers.

Novel water-removal technique boosts performance of carbon nanomaterials

This research provides the first comprehensive understanding of waters role within graphene oxide nanosheets.

NNI agencies announce nanotechnology signature initiative for water sustainability

As a part of the White House Water Summit held yesterday on World Water Day, the Federal agencies participating in the National Nanotechnology Initiative (NNI) announced the launch of a Nanotechnology Signature Initiative (NSI), Water Sustainability through Nanotechnology: Nanoscale Solutions for a Global-Scale Challenge.

An innovative device studies gold nanoparticles in depth (w/video)

Researchers have developed a way to explore and optimize gold nanoparticles, which are used in medicine, biology and solar cells.