After being severely and quasi-plastically distorted, shape memory materials (SMMs) are able to recover their original shape at the presence of the right stimulus. 07 July 2010
Porphyrins show unique binding properties that are widely exploited in nature to accomplish essential functions for life; the potential mimic of these functions with synthetic counterparts has provided the basis of many kinds of chemical sensors. 07 July 2010
It is almost a decade since the first presentation of metal oxide nanowires as chemical sensors. 07 July 2010
Immunosensing technology is taking advantage of the lastest developments in materials science and inparticular from the nanomaterials field. 07 July 2010
For the past decade, we have been investigating strategies to develop ways to provide chemical sensing platforms capable of long-term deployment in remote locations. 07 July 2010
The recent earthquake in Haiti has focused worldwide attention on the need for improved water purification materials and systems. 15 June 2010
Block copolymers self-assemble on nanometer length scales, making them ideal for emerging nanotechnologies. 15 June 2010
Mix a drop of water into a vial of oil. With some surfactant and a vigorous shake, that one droplet has become thousands, and the total interfacial area has increased by an order of magnitude or more. 15 June 2010
The nanoscale dimensions, sensitive electronic control, and flexible architecture of new generations of nanomaterials and nanofabrication techniques hold immense promise not only for electronic devices, but also biological interfaces. 15 June 2010
Audiences for science and technology news in traditional news outlets are shrinking, and recent data suggest that citizens increasingly turn to online sources for information about emerging technologies, such as nanotechnology(ref.1). 18 May 2010
Cross-links are nowadays recognized to play a key role in the overall mechanical strength of buckypapers, nanotube or graphene based materials; material scientists or chemists are thus developing new nanomaterials with denser and stronger cross-links in order to maximize their mechanical strength. 20 March 2010
The first issue that we address and justify in this paper is the pejorative and provocative tone of the title; the contradictory data on the toxic effects of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNT) make us believe that it is appropriate and necessary. 16 February 2010
Are you on Facebook? Twitter, perhaps? Maybe LinkedIn? What about a social networking site dedicated to materials science? If you are not, you may be more alone than you think… 16 February 2010
Development of biodegradable metal implants is a complex problem because it combines engineering and medical requirements for a material. This article discusses the development of sensing and corrosion control techniques that can help in the design of biodegradable metallic implants. 28 October 2009
Recent advances in sub-millimeter scale engineering suggest the possibility for constructing miniaturized tetherless medical tools for in vivo diagnostics and therapeutics. We review the challenges associated with the design and implementation of small, remotely controlled or autonomous surgical devices. Two key milestones are the creation of tiny mimics of macroscopic surgical devices with chemical, mechanical and electronic functionalities; and wireless strategies to control them or enable independent decision making (autonomous actuation). We summarize early results obtained in this area and discuss possible solutions with a focus on the challenges that can be addressed by innovations in materials science and engineering. 26 October 2009
Atomic force microscopy (AFM) relies on an ultra sharp tip to interact with and physically measure a sample surface. The technology for the fabrication of AFM probe tips is undergoing rapid evolution with the application of new nanotechnology techniques. AFM probes with new qualities, advanced materials, and improved performance are becoming readily available. This new class of AFM probe tools has the potential to dramatically change scanning probe microscopy technology and techniques. 26 October 2009
The fabrication of miniaturized, low-cost, flexible sensors based on organic electronics via high-throughput techniques (e.g. printing) is expected to provide important benefits for applications in chemical and biological detection. The rapid maturation of synthetic methodology in the field of organic electronics has lead to the creation of new materials at an incredible rate and an increased understanding of semiconductor-analyte interactions. 25 September 2009
Rapid progress in materials science and electrical engineering has led to the development of miniature electronic platforms that have devices and components as small as the main components of live cells. 25 September 2009
Surface immobilization of functional receptors on microfabricated cantilever arrays offers a new paradigm for the development of biosensors based on nanomechanics. Microcantilever-based systems are capable of real-time, multiplexed detection of unlabeled disease markers in extremely small volumes of samples. Currently available fabrication technology will allow the integration of electronic readout and sample introduction into a single unit, decreasing the device size, detection time, and cost. 25 September 2009
Nature is the best example of a system functioning on the nanometer scale, where the involved materials, energy consumption and data handling are optimized. Opening the doors to the nanoworld the emergence of the scanning tunneling microscope in 1982 and the atomic force microscope in 1986 led to a shift of paradigm in the understanding and perception of matter at its most fundamental level. 24 August 2009
scanning probe microscopy has undergone rapid development to become an invaluable metric in the physical, biological, and materials sciences. One of the most exciting advances has been the integration of scanning probe techniques with optical microscopy. This paper will describe some of the basics of scanning probe and optical microscopy as well as some of the technical design challenges present when fusing these two imaging modalities. Examples of research problems solved with these combined techniques will be presented, with an emphasis on the advantages that each modality brings to the experiment. 14 August 2009
Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have been well studied theoretically and experimentally. Perfect CNTs have a crystalline structure formed by hexagonal network; defects cause the tubule to curve. CNTs with different tubule morphologies have their own special properties and potential applications. So far, many different shapes, such as straight, waved, coiled, and branched, are predicted, observed, and target synthesized. This article reviews CNTs in different shapes formed during growth, their morphologies and their possible applications. 27 June 2009
Materials take on exceptional properties as we enter the nanodomain and Electromaterials: those that transport and/or transfer charge are no exception. As such the ability to impart nanostructure to electrodes is having a dramatic effect on areas such as energy conversion and storage. 27 June 2009
Programming three dimensional nanostructures into materials is becoming increasingly important given the need for ever more highly functional solids. Applications for materials with complex programmed structures include solar energy harvesting, energy storage, molecular separation, sensors, pharmaceutical agent delivery, nanoreactors and advanced optical devices. Here we discuss examples of molecular and optical routes to program the structure of three-dimensional nanomaterials with exquisite control over nanomorphology and the resultant properties and conclude with a discussion of the opportunities and challenges of such an approach. 27 June 2009
Nanoporous and nanostructured films have become increasingly important to the microelectronics and photonics industries. 27 June 2009
Soft nanotechnology is a rapidly developing area of research that exploits principles such as self-assembly, entropy, swelling and collapse transitions, and polymeric building blocks to emulate actuation principles observed in natural systems. Unlike lithographically fabricated devices, soft nanotechnology uses much less regularly structured and largely organic materials, deriving their energy from chemical reactions and with macroscopic functionality arising from nanoscale conformational changes. In this review, some recent developments in nanostructured polymer gels and polymer brushes are discussed, which provide promising new directions for exploiting soft materials as nanoactuators. 20 June 2009
The self-assembly paradigm in chemistry, physics and biology has matured scientifically over the past two-decades to a point of sophistication that one can begin to exploit its numerous attributes in nanofabrication. In what follows we will take a brief look at current thinking about self-assembly and with some recent examples taken from our own work examine how nanofabrication has benefited from self-assembly. 26 May 2009
Molecular self-assembly strategies involve the formation of nanometer scale objects and materials in the absence of significant external control. One increasingly popular self-assembly approach makes use of the unique properties of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) including its diminutive size and high capacity for information storage. For many applications, DNA stands alone as the top choice for the programmable construction of supramolecular materials due to its specific and well-understood base-pairing interactions. In this review, we will discuss recent advances in the fabrication of materials via DNA based self-assembly. 26 May 2009
Nanowires of a diverse range of compositions with tailored physical properties can be produced through synthetic means. These structures have been used as key components in flexible electronics, electronic logic gates, renewable energy technologies, and biological or gas sensing applications. Integrating these nanostructures into device or technology platforms will complement existing nanofabrication procedures by broadening the types of nanostructured materials that are utilized in device fabrication. This integration requires an ability to assemble these nanowires as controllable building blocks. Techniques are being developed that can quickly manipulate large quantities of nanowires through parallel processes. 26 May 2009
Nanofabrication via self-assembly of hybrid materials into well-defined architectures is essential for the next generation of miniaturized devices. This paper describes our group's achievements towards the development of multifunctional nanostructures via self-assembly of hybrid systems based on the block copolymer PS-b-P4VP and inorganic nanoparticles (NPs) into 0D, 1D, 2D and complex 3D periodic nanostructures. The morphologies of these architectures are adjusted to gain functions via structural control at different dimensions. 26 May 2009
Metal oxide nanoparticles are finding increasing application in the preparation of new nanocrystalline materials, with metal oxide composites being used to confer new electronic, magnetic and optical properties into material structures. Often these materials are formulated and processed as slurries or aqueous suspensions. One key parameter in controlling the properties of such colloidal nanoparticle systems is their particle size. Light scattering techniques are widely used for its determination. 26 May 2009
Over 600 products in the consumer market alone use nanomaterials with a further 1,500 patented. 26 May 2009
Success would require an enormous effort to get the word out and rally people around a set of difficult and abstract-seeming concepts. 26 May 2009
Nanoscience and nanotechnology are closely intertwined subjects that are attracting ever-increasing attention, both in the scientific world and in the marketplace. Major developments in growth and synthesis methods mean that atoms can nowadays be manipulated in a controlled fashion to produce novel properties that are often not found in bulk materials. 21 January 2009
Recent results have demonstrated the feasibility of video-rate scanning tunneling microscopy and video-rate atomic force microscopy. The further development of this technology will enable the direct observation of many dynamic processes that are impossible to observe today with conventional Scanning Probe Microscopes (SPMs). 21 January 2009
Dynamic transmission electron microscopy allows observation of changes in both the structure and properties of materials at resolutions from the nanometer to the Ångström. Here I review four significant developments in instrumentation and technique that are pushing the boundaries of these experiments, including new optics, new experimental geometries, new ways of imaging solids in liquid and gaseous environments, and developments in ultrafast imaging. These advances will significantly improve our understanding in many areas of materials science, nanoscience, and biological function. 21 January 2009
Electrical bias-induced phase transitions underpin a wide range of applications from data storage to energy generation and conversion. 27 November 2008
Detailed knowledge of the atomic-scale structure is needed to understand and predict properties of materials. 27 November 2008
Nanocontainers with a shell possessing controlled release properties can be used to fabricate a new family of active coatings that can respond quickly to changes in the coating environment or the coating's integrity. 26 September 2008
The first wave of nanotechnology has concerned itself with what is in effect an incremental continuation of long-existing trends in materials science, in which ever-greater control over the nanoscale structure of materials leads to better properties and more functionality. Modern materials rely on being able to control both interfacial structure and grain boundaries in order to develop improved properties. Functional materials for electronics and photonics are changing the way we live and modern materials can enhance our lives further through medical applications of nanotechnology. What is now at issue is the form a second wave of nanotechnology might take – one in which attention is focused, beyond simple materials, to fully functional nanoscale devices. 20 June 2008
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