A giant increase in conductivity measured when a semiconductor is submitted to high pressure

Researchers obtain conductivity values for stroncium iridate 250 times higher than in normal conditions, just pressing with nanometric needles. The results where obtained thanks to the use of the atomic force microscope (AFM) showing that the material could become a good candidate for future applications in sensors and electronics.

Aptamers and their applications in nanomedicine

To construct ligand-directed ?active targeting? nanobased delivery systems, aptamer-equipped nanomedicines have been tested for in vitro diagnosis, in vivo imaging, targeted cancer therapy, theranostic approaches, sub-cellular molecule detection, food safety, and environmental monitoring.

A new technique for making graphene competitor molybdenum disulfide

Researchers have made an advance in manufacturing molybdenum disulfide. By growing flakes of the material around 'seeds' of molybdenum oxide, they have made it easier to control the size, thickness and location of the material.

Label-free electrochemical immunosensor based on functionalized vertical nanowires

Scientists in Australia propose a label-free electrochemical immunosensor based on functionalized vertical nanowire by means of a current patch clamp amplifi er which has not been previously reported.

Quantum glue

Researchers suggest a way of enormously enhancing the van der Waals and Csimir forces - until they become a sort of 'quantum glue' holding atoms together.

Improved fire detection with new ultra-sensitive, ultraviolet light nanowire sensor

Researchers manipulated zinc oxide, producing nanowires from this readily available material to create a ultra-violet light detector which is 10,000 times more sensitive to UV light than a traditional zinc oxide detector.

Improving energy efficiency one atom at a time

Molecular beam epitaxy systems enables scientists to control the properties of new crystals with exquisite precision, right down to the atomic level. They can grow nanomaterials with features just a few billionths of a meter across, and even control how many electrons they have inside them.