Nanogaps improve optical sensor

New optical device could help detect drugs, bomb-making chemicals and more.

Extracting hydrogen from water cheaply and efficiently

Researchers discovered a new class of cheap and efficient catalyst to facilitate the water splitting process.

Carbon nanotubes form first known tunable room-temperature quantum emitters at telecom wavelengths

Single-photon emitter has promise for quantum info-processing.

A semiconductor that can beat the heat

A newly discovered collective rattling effect in a type of crystalline semiconductor blocks most heat transfer while preserving high electrical conductivity.

New nanocluster MRI contrast agent tested on big animals

Experiments in dogs, rabbits and monkeys show the efficacy and biocompatibility of a new MRI/MRA contrast agent in detecting stroke.

Bubbles help new catalysts self-optimize

Scientists have predicted and created new two-dimensional electrocatalysts to extract hydrogen from water with high performance and low cost.

Energy storage solution combines polymers and nanosheets

A new, lightweight composite material for energy storage in flexible electronics, electric vehicles and aerospace applications has been experimentally shown to store energy at operating temperatures well above current commercial polymers.

Bubbles help new catalysts self-optimize

Scientists have predicted and created new two-dimensional electrocatalysts to extract hydrogen from water with high performance and low cost.

Scientists watch artificial atoms assemble into perfect lattices with many uses

A serendipitous discovery lets researchers spy on this self-assembly process for the first time. What they learn will help them fine-tune precision materials for electronics, catalysis and more.

New research could make dew droplets so small, they're invisible

By better understanding the behavior of water in its smallest form, researchers could be improving the efficiency of removing condensation in a major way.

One-nanometer trimetallic alloy particles created

A research group succeeded in developing precisely controlled alloy nanoparticles 'multimetallic nanoclusters (MNCs)' made of three metals: copper, platinum, and gold. They also discovered that MNCs show catalytic activity that is 24 times greater than commercially available carbon-supported platinum catalysts in the oxidization of hydrocarbons using oxygen in the air.

Wood is made into an electrical conductor by turning its surface into graphene

Scientists used a laser to blacken a thin film pattern onto a block of pine. The pattern is laser-induced graphene.

Novel technique uses graphene to create solar cells to be mounted on surfaces

Researchers develop a novel technique using graphene to create solar cells they can mount on surfaces ranging from glass to plastic to paper and tape.

Metal instability achieves energy-efficient nanotechnology

Researchers show their nanowire resonators can be used to miniaturize energy-efficient electronics.

Amplification on a chip: Research raises hope for erbium-based integrated photonics device

The discovery attains a decades-long goal in the field of photonic integration, in which different small optical components are tightly combined for better performance and ease of fabrication.

Single molecular layer and thin silicon beam enable nanolaser operation at room temperature

For the first time, researchers have built a nanolaser that uses only a single molecular layer, placed on a thin silicon beam, which operates at room temperature.

New light-activated catalyst grabs CO2 to make ingredients for fuel

New study shows potential for new crystalline material to advance clean fuel technology while reducing greenhouse gas.

Brain-like computing comes closer in big artificial intelligence retina project

Nanomaterials for neuromorphic computing in artificial intelligence retina receives major funding.

Scientists discover new magnet with nearly massless charge carriers

The recent discoveries of topological materials hold great promise for use in energy saving electronics.

MOF nanomaterials show promise for chillers

New research may ultimately help lower energy consumption for air conditioning by engineering tiny porous materials to hold onto a large amount of refrigerant gases.

Broadband light sources with liquid core

Scientists generate supercontinuum light source using liquid core optical fibers and reveal a new type of soliton dynamics.

On-chip pumps achieve high-speed sorting of large cells

Scientists developed a high-speed cell sorting method of large cells with high-viability using dual on-chip pumps.

Killing cancer in the heat of the moment

Researchers have developed a new method that modifies the surface of nanorods, making them more efficient in transporting cancer-killing genes into cells.

Powerful new photodetector can enable optoelectronics advances

In a nanoscale photodetector that combines a unique fabrication method and light-trapping structures, a team of engineers has overcome obstacles to increasing performance in optoelectronic devices - like camera sensors or solar cells - without adding bulk.

Researchers develop tumor-targeting MRI contrast based on human protein

Researchers have designed a human protein-based, tumor-targeting magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) contrast that can be easily cleared by the body.

Scientists have demonstrated the shape memory effect in gold particles for the first time

Achieved through defects-mediated diffusion in the particle, the discovery could one day lead to development of micro- and nano-robots capable of self-repair; mechanically stable and damage-tolerant components and devices; and targeted drug delivery.

Nanoscale forces measured in aortic smooth muscle cells tell story of disease

Researchers have employed a novel nanoscale fibrous system that can measure the tiny forces exerted by and upon individual cells with extreme precision.

Fundamental breakthrough in the future of designing materials

Researchers have made a breakthrough in the area of material design - one that challenges the commonly held view on how the fundamental building blocks of matter come together to form materials.

Researchers seek to improve solar cell technology using new materials and nanowires

Team works to improve how sun's power is captured on solar cells and converted to usable energy for today's electronic devices.

Ultracold molecules hold promise for quantum computing

New approach yields long-lasting configurations that could provide long-sought 'qubit' material.

New method promises easier nanoscale manufacturing

Scientists have discovered a new way to precisely pattern nanomaterials that could open a new path to the next generation of everyday electronic devices.

Observing electron beam etching atom by atom

Researchers have utilized electron beam irradiation to in situ etch CaO in a TEM, which permits simultaneous fabrication and imaging with atomic resolution.

A new twist on electrosprays

Saturn-shaped drops generate millions of microscopic, uniform particles.

Novel thermal ablation system for transdermal drug delivery

Researchers used a combination of transparent gel patches, gold nanorods, and near-infrared light to create a unique thermal ablation system for transdermal drug delivery.

Reality check for topological insulators

So far, topological insulators have not quite lived up to the expectations fueled by theoretical studies. Physicists now have an idea bout why.

Reusable, carbon nanotube-reinforced filters clean toxins from water

Carbon nanotubes immobilized in a tuft of quartz fiber have the power to remove toxic heavy metals from water.

Physicists turn a crystal into an electrical circuit

Transparent, 3-D electronics can be configured and erased like an Etch A Sketch.

Living computers: RNA circuits transform cells into nanodevices (w/video)

New research demonstrates how living cells can be induced to carry out computations in the manner of tiny robots or computers.

Physicists design ultrafocused pulses

Physicists have devised a new simple scheme to theoretically generate arbitrarily short and focused electromagnetic fields. This new tool could be used for precise sensing and in microscopy.

High-speed FM-AFM and simulation reveal atomistic dissolution processes of calcite in water

Recently, the dissolution mechamism of calcite attracts much attention because of its importance in geologic carbon sequestration technology to capture carbon dioxide from the air and to store it underground.

Atomic movies may help explain why perovskite solar cells are more efficient

Experiments with a powerful 'electron camera' have discovered that light whirls atoms around in perovskites, potentially explaining the high efficiency of these next-generation solar cell materials and providing clues for making better ones.

Programming cells with computer-like logic

Novel RNA nano-devices in living cells can sense and analyze multiple complex signals for future synthetic diagnostics and therapeutics.

Atomic discovery opens door to greener, faster, smaller electronic circuitry

Scientists find way to correct communication pathways in silicon chips, making them perfect.

Triple-layer catalyst does double duty

Scientists produce robust nanocatalyst to split water into hydrogen, oxygen.

Physicists gain new insights into nanosystems with spherical confinement

Theoretical physicists have used computer simulations to study the arrangement of stiff polymers in spherical cavities. These confined systems play an important role for a wide range of applications, such as the fabrication of nanoparticles for targeted drug delivery and for tailored nanomaterials.

Compact Brillouin devices through hybrid integration on silicon

Researchers demonstrate a range of unique capabilities in optical and microwave signal processing and generation have been demonstrated using stimulated Brillouin scattering.

Liquid electrolyte contacts for advanced characterization of resistive switching memories

A new methodology to study resistive switching memories, based on the combination of ionic liquid gating experiments plus conductive atomic force microscopy.

A hybrid nanoporous material to spot organic contaminants in the atmosphere

Chemists have obtained a type of hybrid material made up of organic and inorganic components and which is highly porous, a feature of interest for industrial sectors such as the pharmaceutical, automotive and electronic sectors.

Graphene touch sensor for wearable electronics

Researchers have developed a wearable and stretchable mutual capacitance touch sensor based on graphene electrodes that is capable of multitouch sensing as well as 3D sensing in a highly deformed state.

Color-shifting electronic skin could have wearable tech and prosthetic uses

Researchers have developed a new type of user-interactive electronic skin, with a colour change perceptible to the human eye, and achieved with a much-reduced level of strain.