Materials news, October 2014

Nanomotor lithography

Nanoengineers at the University of California, San Diego recently invented a new method of lithography.

Materials Today: Proceedings now online

Elsevier is delighted to announce that the first issue of Materials Today: Proceedings is now available.

Nanosafety research – the quest for the gold standard

Empa toxicologist Harald Krug has lambasted his colleagues in the journal Angewandte Chemie.

New evidence for exotic, predicted superconducting state

A research team has produced new evidence for an exotic superconducting state that can arise when a superconductor is exposed to a strong magnetic field.

Synthesis of a new lean rare earth permanent magnetic compound superior to Nd2Fe14B

High precision 3D printing of metals warms up

Metal components can now be printed in 3D with higher precision than ever before, thanks to US researchers.

Boron-doped diamond sends a clear signal to the brain

Boron-doped diamond could be an ideal material for devices that interface with neural tissue because it is highly stable and biocompatible.

Building 3D graphene structures layer by layer

Stacking graphene sheets into porous 3D structures.

Versatile bioink prints tissue scaffolds in 3D

New bioink could enable three-dimensional tissue scaffolds for cartilage repair to be printed at room temperature.

Doubling up on rechargeable ions

Magnesium-ion batteries better than expected.

Bioinspired graphene aerogel for oil spills

A graphene aerogel, inspired by marine mussel, could clean up oil spills or reduce the cost of electrochemical sensors.

The optimal particle size for anticancer nanomedicines

Nanomedicines consisting of nanoparticles for targeted drug delivery to specific tissues and cells offer new solutions for cancer diagnosis and therapy.

New catalyst could improve biofuels production

Washington State University researchers have developed a new catalyst that could lead to making biofuels cheaply and more efficiently.

DNA nano-foundries cast to form precise 3D nanomaterials

Researchers have unveiled a new method to form tiny 3D metal nanoparticles in prescribed shapes and dimensions using DNA as a construction mold.

Virtual Special Issue on the Nobel Prize for Physics 2014

Exclusive access to 11 article in the Virtual Special Issue on the Nobel Prize for Physics 2014.

Radical polymers promising for energy applications

esearchers have established the solid-state electrical properties of one such polymer, called PTMA.

Engineering a room-temperature multiferroic, in theory

New theoretical approach shows that the “holy grail” of data storage may lie with a new family of perovskite materials

Nanoparticles break the symmetry of light

Physicists have now managed to select the direction of the light using an unusual kind of coupling between spin and the direction of propagation.

Carbon nanotubes coated to reduce health risks

Coating multi-walled carbon nanotubes to help reduce risk of lung injury through inhalation.

Unconventional photoconduction

Researchers have discovered that in a special semiconductor, light can have the opposite effect, making the material less conductive instead.

Narrowing down a good light absorber

New absorber lights the way to more sensitive optical biosensors.

Reducing friction in nano machines

Fullerenes could act as ball bearings on the nanoscale, helping improve control of nano machines.

Prospect of silicon detectors for telecommunications

A team of researchers has demonstrated a breakthrough technique that offers the first tantalizing possibility of silicon detectors for telecommunications.

Stacks of nanoscopic coins pay the way for solar power

Nanoscopic grass stacks like coins for solar power.

Self-storage solar panel

Hybrid solar cell with inbuilt electrical storage.

Nano Energy Award winner 2014

Nano Energy Award winner 2014 is announced.

Award winners from the International Conference on Diamond and Carbon Materials 2014

Find out who won the awards at the International Conference on Diamond and Carbon Materials 2014.

Detecting acoustically “invisible” cracks

Mighty morphological porous polymers

Advancing SEM for the determination in porous polymers of morphology.

Playing seesaw at the nanoscale

Electrical engineering researchers have developed a unique nanoscale device that for the first time demonstrates mechanical transportation of light.

Graphene flaws key to hypersensitive electronic nose

Researchers have discovered a way to create a highly sensitive chemical sensor based on the crystalline flaws in graphene sheets.

Topological insulator unlocks potential for faster computing

Engineers discovered a way to create a special material that could lead to cost-effective, superfast computers.

Nuclear spins control current in plastic LED

Physicists read the subatomic “spins” in the centers or nuclei of hydrogen isotopes to control current that powered light in a cheap, plastic LED.

Top 10 Materials News from September 2014

The top news in the materials science world.

Edging towards silicon-free transistors

New samarium nickelate-based transistor matches silicon's switching abilities.