Public voting now open for the EnvisioNano nanotechnology image contest

Members of the public are invited to vote for the best images in this round of the National Nanotechnology Initiative (NNI) EnvisioNano contest. Now in its third round, this contest has drawn submissions from students at top labs and schools across the United States.

Superfilter nanomask protects from invisible killers

Scientists have invented an easily breathable nanomask that can filter incredibly tiny particles, such as viruses and air pollutants.

Echo technique could make X-ray lasers more stable

Researchers have developed a method that could open up new scientific avenues by making the light from powerful X-ray lasers much more stable and its color more pure.

Physicists predict novel phenomena in exotic materials

Better understanding of topological semimetals could help usher in future electronics.

New method snips complex fibers into uniform particles

Stretching process can produce nanoscale rods or strips made of many material combinations.

New photonic sensor opens the door to high-speed biodetection

Researchers have developed a new technique for extremely high speed photonic sensing of the mechanical properties of freely flowing particles using an opto-mechano-fluidic resonator (OMFR). This research potentially opens up completely new mechanical 'axes of measurement' on micro/nanoparticles and bioparticles.

Scientists use a frozen gas to boost laser light to new extremes

The results give researchers a potential new, solid-state tool for 'attosecond science', which explores processes like the motions of electrons in atoms and the natural vibrations of molecules.

'Breaking me softly'- ability to control breakage in a material

A new finding unlocks a means of controlling materials at the nanoscale and opens the door to a new generation of manufacturing.

Scientists use silver to make lights shine brightly

The toxic and expensive phosphors used widely in fluorescent lighting could be eliminated thanks to a new study conducted by a materials scientist.

Researchers can now build an inexpensive and flexible micro-Raman system

Scientists describe an inexpensive, versatile micro-Raman system that can be assembled from readily available components at a fraction of the cost of a commercial tool.

A new low-defect method to nitrogen dope graphene resulting in tunable bandstructure

Researchers have demonstrated hyperthermal ion implantation (HyTII) as an effective means of substitutionally doping graphene with nitrogen atoms. The result is a low-defect film with a tunable bandstructure amenable to a variety of device platforms and applications.

A matter of orientation

German Research Foundation approves collaborative research centre for the study of directional properties of particles and their superstructures.

New molecular design to get hydrogen-powered cars motoring

A radical new process that allows hydrogen to be efficiently sourced from liquid formic acid could be one step forward in making the dream of hydrogen-powered cars an economic reality.