Trapped molecules forced to reveal their movements
CHARACTERIZATION
Scientists have obtained atomically resolved force data for individual metallofullerene molecules confined within single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs).
June 25, 2008

Entangled view of vacancies
ELECTRONIC MATERIALS
Researchers believe that they may have resolved the long standing debate between physicists and chemists about what happens to a vacancy created by a high-energy photon.
June 25, 2008

Magnetic lab-on-a-drop
NANOMATERIALS
Researchers from the Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology in Singapore have developed a handheld diagnostic system that is able to perform sample preparation and analysis on the same chip.
June 25, 2008

C60 molecules show atom-like states Characterization
Atom-like molecular electronic orbitals can be found bound to the hollow core of buckminsterfullerene (C60) cages.
May 30, 2008

Color-coded nanotubes Fabrication and Processing
Indium tin oxide is a popular choice as a transparent, conductive coating for devices. However, this material is expensive, brittle, and has limited optical tuning and chemical stability.
May 30, 2008

Polymer electrolyte improves fuel cell performance Energy
The high ionic conductivity of novel polymer electrolyte thin films developed by scientists at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) promises much...
May 30, 2008

Nanolithography goes high-speed
Fabrication and processing
Turning nanoimprint lithography into a roll-to-roll technique makes printing 20 times faster.
May 8, 2008

Researchers turn gold black
Optical materials
A team from Spain, France, and the UK has created nanostructured metal surfaces that absorb light from all directions.
May 8, 2008

Polymer electrolyte improves fuel cell performance
Energy
The high ionic conductivity of novel polymer electrolyte thin films promises much for fuel cells, batteries, and solar cells.
May 8, 2008

Writing electrical circuits using an AFM
Electronic materials
Nanoscale wires can be simply written and erased in oxide materials using a conducting atomic force microscope (AFM) tip.
April 22, 2008

Ru-Pt nanoparticles clean up hydrogen
Catalysis
Chemists have synthesized nanoparticles that could cleanse commercially produced H₂ streams of CO for use in fuel cells.
April 22, 2008

Surface structure of nanocrystals revealed
Characterization
A new method for probing the surface atomic structure of nanocrystals has been developed.
April 3, 2008

Nanostructuring greatly improves thermoelectric material
Energy
A nanocrystalline form of a standard thermoelectric material shows significantly improved performance.
April 3, 2008

Just add water to change nanocomposite stiffness
Composites
The sea cucumber can change the rigidity of its skin. A new nanocomposite mimics this behavior with a stiffness modulated by adding or removing water.
April 3, 2008

Patterning without a mask
Optical/electronic materials
White organic light-emitting devices have been made using a new technique that allows printing of separate red, green, and blue components.
March 20, 2008

Hopalong atom gets to work
Characterization
Scientists have measured experimentally the forces needed to move an atom on a surface.
March 7, 2008

Adding a new flexibility to metallic glasses
Mechanical behavior
Caltech researchers have made designer bulk metallic glass materials with massively increased tensile ductilities
March 7, 2008

Gas storage materials made easy
Fabrication and processing
New framework materials show promise for CO₂ capture.
March 7, 2008

Nanoparticles help paint resist germs
Nanotechnology
Researchers have created antimicrobial paints that contain Au or Ag nanoparticles, which totally resist the growth of bacteria.
February 20, 2008

Dark-field X-rays shed new light on structure
Characterization
Dark-field X-ray images have been obtained using conventional X-ray tubes, paving the way to revealing microcracks in aircraft or identifying explosives.
February 20, 2008

DNA the link in nanoparticle construction
Nanotechnology
Researchers have used DNA sequences to guide nanoparticles to crystallize in different structures.
February 8, 2008

Spoof breakthrough for sensing
Optical materials
A metamaterial has been created that maintains tight control of terahertz electromagnetic modes, a region of the spectrum that is important in sensing.
February 8, 2008

Porous material exceeds expectations
Porous materials
A new microporous metal-organic framework has broken the US Department of Energy target for methane storage.
February 8, 2008