Lloyd's Register Foundation awards GBP9 million grants in nanotechnology

The Lloyd's Register Foundation has awarded grants totalling GBP 9 million to three international consortia in the field of nanotechnology. These grants support research and doctoral training that will support the Foundation?s aims to advance engineering-related education and research and support work that enhances safety of life at sea, on land and in the air.

Defects through the looking glass

Researchers characterize individual defects inside a bulk insulator using scanning tunneling microscopy.

Researchers identify behaviors of nanoparticle that shows promise as nanofertilizer

Rhave discovered unique behaviors of hydroxyapatite nanoparticles (HANPs) that show promise as a phosphorus nanofertilizer and could be used to help slow the release of phosphorous in soils.

Stick and slip

It has long been accepted that such a thin layer of lubrication between sliding surfaces alternates along with the cycles of sticking and slipping; it starts as a solid, turns to liquid in the slipping phase and then back to a solid when the surfaces stick once again. But a recent paper suggests this model is incorrect.

Single-beam two-dimensional spectroscopy

This new spectroscopy method is two-dimensional: It measures the response of the molecule to simultaneous illumination with two different wavelengths.

Squishy transistors: a device concept for fast, low-power electronics

Researchers have shown that a new device concept - a 'squishy' transistor - can overcome the predicted power bottleneck caused by CMOS (complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor) technology reaching its fundamental limits.

Light-emitting metallic gels

New family of luminescent materials could find broad uses in chemical and biological detectors.