News for October 2010

News Archive

Frog peptides spawn bacterial sensor Frog peptides spawn bacterial sensor

An electronically readable bacterial sensor, which is also wildlife friendly.

Spring 2011 MRS Symposium Y: Functional Two-Dimensional Layered Materials

Call for papers

Multiple personalities of the graphene amplifier Multiple personalities of the graphene amplifier

A new amplifier which can change operation mode in situ.

Sensing single spins in silicon Sensing single spins in silicon

Researchers have managed to electronically read an individual electron's spin in silicon.

Measuring the electrical properties of nano-crystals

UK scientists help to create standards for measuring electric materials on the nanoscale

Battery behavior at the nanoscale Battery behavior at the nanoscale

As industries and consumers increasingly seek improved battery power sources, cutting-edge microscopy is providing an unprecedented perspective on how lithium-ion batteries function.

New aluminium alloy New aluminium alloy

Lightweight and corrosion-resistant, aluminum alloys could provide an excellent alternative to steel or titanium—except for one problem.

Nanopaper Nanopaper

Researchers from Stockholm University, [Olsson, et al., nature nanotech 2010) doi: 10.1038/NNANO.2010.155 together with colleagues from KTH, have modified bacterial cellulose with magnetic nanoparticles to produce a hybrid nanocomposite that can be used as a magnetic hydrogel, aerogel, or compress to a stiff nanopaper.

Excited inorganic nanocrystals give a peak performance Excited inorganic nanocrystals give a peak performance

Colloidal manganese-doped semiconductor nanocrystals capable of pronounced intrinsic high-temperature dual emission have been developed by researchers at the University of Washington in the US [Vlaskin et al., Nano Lett (2010) doi: 10.1021/nl102135k].

Magical BEANS Magical BEANS

The ability of phase-change materials to readily and swiftly transition between different phases has made them valuable as a low-power source of non-volatile or “flash” memory and data storage.

They do it with mirrors They do it with mirrors

In a step towards the manipulation of atoms, researchers have designed a nanomagnetic atom mirror that can be switched on or off, depending on whether a magnetic field is applied in parallel or perpendicular to the mirror [Hayward et al., J App Phys (2010) 108, 043906].

Controlling chemical reactions mechanically

UCLA physicists have taken a significant step in controlling chemical reactions mechanically, an important advance in nanotechnology, UCLA physics professor Giovanni Zocchi and colleagues report. [Tseng, et al., EPL (2010) doi: 10.1209/0295-5075/91/18005].

Stretched Janus material Stretched Janus material

A thin film of europium titanate stretched across a substrate of dysprosium scandate is the strongest simultaneously ferroelectric and ferromagnetic material synthesised since 1966.

Watching paint dry Watching paint dry

A team led by Yale University researchers has come up with a new technique to study the mechanics of coatings as they dry and peel, and has discovered that the process is far from mundane.

Clever coatings for medical implants Clever coatings for medical implants

A new study has shown how the connection between titanium joint-replacement implants and the bones of a patient can be strengthened by manipulating the signals that cells use to encourage growth.

Neutrons help unlock secrets to cheaper ethanol Neutrons help unlock secrets to cheaper ethanol

New insight into the structure of switchgrass and poplars is fueling discussions that could result in more efficient methods to turn biomass into biofuel.

The darkest forest The darkest forest

US researchers have used the world’s darkest material to develop an infrared detector. The coating is made from a forest of carbon nanotubes and the electric-field poling of lithium tantalate and reflects almost no visible light.

Hydrogen fuel for thought Hydrogen fuel for thought

New research by Rice University scientists suggests that a class of material known as metallacarborane could store hydrogen at or better than benchmarks set by the United States Department of Energy (DOE) Hydrogen Program for 2015.

University of Manchester scientists win the Nobel Prize for physics

Two scientists who discovered graphene at The University of Manchester have today been awarded the Nobel Prize for Physics.