Buckle up for fast ionic conduction

Material engineers found that the performance of ion-conducting ceramic membranes that are so important in industry depends largely on their strain and buckling profiles. For the first time, scientists can now selectively manipulate the buckling profile, and thus the physical properties, allowing new technical applications of these membranes.

Researchers develop a new type of gecko-like gripper

Researchers are developing a new kind of gripper, motivated by the ability of animals like the gecko to grip and release surfaces, that is perfectly suited for the delicate work involved in semiconductor manufacturing.

Scientists see elements transform at atomic scale

Byproduct of research may lead to new way to irradiate cancer with gold-bonded isotopes.

World's thinnest lightbulb - graphene gets bright (w/video)

Engineers create bright, visible light emission from one-atom thick carbon.

Measuring discrete quantum states of metallic nanoparticles

A newly develped method only requires a single electrode to be in direct contact with a nanoparticle or molecule, thus significantly simplifying fabrication. Researchers achieved this by embedding nanoparticles on a substrate in an electric resonant circuit and sending a radio-frequency signal to the device.

A bright light for ultrafast snapshots of materials

Researchers develop a bright, high-repetition-rate laser source in the extreme UV for studies of ultrafast materials dynamics.

Researchers develop the first flexible phase-change random access memory

Researchers have developed the first flexible PRAM enabled by self-assembled block copolymer (BCP) silica nanostructures with an ultralow current operation (below one quarter of conventional PRAM without BCP) on plastic substrates.