Latest Nature Nanotechnology Stories
A microlaser no bigger than a pinprick can accurately detect and count individual viruses, the particles that jumpstart cloud formation or those that contaminate the air we breathe.By Diana Lutz, Washington University in St. LouisA tiny doughnut-shaped laser is the latest marvel of silicon microminiaturization, but instead of manipulating bits it detects very small particles. Small particles play a big "” and largely unnoticed "” role in our everyday lives. Virus particles make us sick,...
By Louis Bergeron, Stanford UniversityA new biosensor microchip that could hold more than 100,000 magnetically sensitive nanosensors could speed up drug development markedly, Stanford researchers say. The nanosensors analyze how proteins bond "“ a critical step in drug development. The ultrasensitive sensors can simultaneously monitor thousands of times more proteins than existing technology, deliver results faster and assess the strength of the bonds.Stanford researchers have...
A team from Pitt, UW-Madison, and HP Labs reports in Nature Nanotechnology a 1.5-nanometer single-electron transistor that could lead to long-lasting, ultradense computer memories, quantum computers, and advanced electronics A University of Pittsburgh-led team has created a single-electron transistor that provides a building block for new, more powerful computer memories, advanced electronic materials, and the basic components of quantum computers.The researchers report in Nature...
Researchers at Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e, Netherlands) have developed a replacement for indium tin oxide (ITO), an important material used in displays for all kinds of everyday products such as TVs, telephones and laptops, as well as in solar cells. Unfortunately indium is a rare metal, and the available supplies are expected to be virtually exhausted within as little as ten years. The replacement material is a transparent, conducting film produced in water, and based on...
Strong, nanostructured membrane enables scaling for practical clean-energy applicationsMaterials scientists at the Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS) and SiEnergy Systems LLC have demonstrated the first macro-scale thin-film solid-oxide fuel cell (SOFC).While SOFCs have previously worked at the micro-scale, this is the first time any research group has overcome the structural challenges of scaling the technology up to a practical size with a proportionally higher power...
With the first observation of thermoelectric effects at graphene contacts, University of Illinois researchers found that graphene transistors have a nanoscale cooling effect that reduces their temperature.Led by mechanical science and engineering professor William King and electrical and computer engineering professor Eric Pop, the team will publish its findings in the April 3 advance online edition of the journal Nature Nanotechnology.The speed and size of computer chips are limited by how...
The batteries in Illinois professor Paul Braun's lab look like any others, but they pack a surprise inside.Braun's group developed a three-dimensional nanostructure for battery cathodes that allows for dramatically faster charging and discharging without sacrificing energy storage capacity. The researchers' findings will be published in the March 20 advance online edition of the journal Nature Nanotechnology.Aside from quick-charge consumer electronics, batteries that can store a lot of...
Precision measurement in the world of nanoparticles has now become a possibility, thanks to scientists at UC Santa Barbara.The UCSB research team has developed a new instrument capable of detecting individual nanoparticles with diameters as small as a few tens of nanometers. The study is published online this week by Nature Nanotechnology, and will appear in the April print issue of the journal."This device opens up a wide range of potential applications in nanoparticle analysis,"...
By mimicking the structure of the silk moth's antenna, University of Michigan researchers led the development of a better nanopore"”a tiny tunnel-shaped tool that could advance understanding of a class of neurodegenerative diseases that includes Alzheimer's.A paper on the work is newly published online in Nature Nanotechnology. This project is headed by Michael Mayer, an associate professor in the U-M departments of Biomedical Engineering and Chemical Engineering. Also collaborating are...
In a complex feat of nanoengineering, a team of scientists at Kyoto University and the University of Oxford have succeeded in creating a programable molecular transport system, the workings of which can be observed in real time. The results, appearing in the latest issue of Nature Nanotechnology, open the door to the development of advanced drug delivery methods and molecular manufacturing systems.Resembling a monorail train, the system relies on the self-assembly properties of DNA origami...
