Nanomaterials news

Researchers Find Better Way To Manufacture Fast Computer Chips

Mar 31, 2009 | 4.1 / 5 (14) | 1

(PhysOrg.com) -- Engineers at Ohio State University are developing a technique for mass producing computer chips made from the same material found in pencils.

Carbon Nanotube Artificial Muscles for Extreme Temperatures

Nanotechnology / Nanomaterials

Mar 20, 2009 | 4.8 / 5 (18) | 6

(PhysOrg.com) -- Researchers at the UT Dallas Alan G. MacDiarmid NanoTech Institute have demonstrated a fundamentally new type of artificial muscle, which can operate at extreme temperatures where no other ...

Hydrophobic Sand Could Combat Desert Water Shortages

Nanotechnology / Nanomaterials

Feb 16, 2009 | 3.8 / 5 (12) | 12

(PhysOrg.com) -- Water scarcity is a major problem for people living in desert areas, including much of the Middle East and Africa. According to the United Nations, more than 1.6 million people die every year ...

Going platinum: New catalyst could boost cleaner fuel use

Nanotechnology / Nanomaterials

May 14, 2009 | 4.1 / 5 (23) | 5

(PhysOrg.com) -- Material scientists at Washington University in St. Louis have developed a technique for a bimetallic fuel cell catalyst that is efficient, robust and two to five times more effective than ...

DNA-Based Assembly Line for Nano-Construction of New Biosensors, Solar Cells (w/Video)

Nanotechnology / Nanomaterials

Mar 30, 2009 | 5 / 5 (9) | 3

(PhysOrg.com) -- Building on the idea of using DNA to link up nanoparticles — particles measuring mere billionths of a meter — scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Brookhaven National Laboratory have ...

Ultra-Long Carbon Nanotubes Could Serve as Future Transmission Lines

Nanotechnology / Nanomaterials

Nov 10, 2009 | 4.9 / 5 (28) | 15

(PhysOrg.com) -- When it comes to carbon nanotubes, the majority of research so far has focused on small-scale applications. But now, a team of researchers from Rice University has created carbon nanotubes ...

Ancient diatoms lead to new technology for solar energy

Nanotechnology / Nanomaterials

Apr 08, 2009 | 4.5 / 5 (13) | 1

Engineers at Oregon State University have discovered a way to use an ancient life form to create one of the newest technologies for solar energy, in systems that may be surprisingly simple to build compared to existing silicon-based ...

Nanotubes find niche in electric switches

Nanotechnology / Nanomaterials

Mar 10, 2009 | 1 / 5 (1) | 0

New research from Rice University and the University of Oulu in Oulu, Finland, finds that carbon nanotubes could significantly improve the performance of electrical commutators that are common in electric ...

Engineers revolutionize nano-device fabrication using amorphous metals

Nanotechnology / Nanomaterials

Feb 11, 2009 | 4.4 / 5 (7) | 1

Yale engineers have created a process that may revolutionize the manufacture of nano-devices from computer memory to biomedical sensors by exploiting a novel type of metal. The material can be molded like plastics to create ...

Self-cleaning, low-reflectivity treatment boosts efficiency for photovoltaic cells

Nanotechnology / Nanomaterials

Mar 24, 2009 | 4.4 / 5 (17) | 0

Using two different types of chemical etching to create features at both the micron and nanometer size scales, researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology have developed a surface treatment that boosts ...

Rice researchers unzip the future

Nanotechnology / Nanomaterials

Apr 15, 2009 | 5 / 5 (11) | 4

Scientists at Rice University have found a simple way to create basic elements for aircraft, flat-screen TVs, electronics and other products that incorporate sheets of tough, electrically conductive material.

Self-powered devices possible, researcher says

Nanotechnology / Nanomaterials

Dec 01, 2008 | 4.5 / 5 (71) | 11

Imagine a self-powering cell phone that never needs to be charged because it converts sound waves produced by the user into the energy it needs to keep running. It's not as far-fetched as it may seem thanks to the recent ...

New wonder material, one-atom thick, has scientists abuzz

Nanotechnology / Nanomaterials

Jul 13, 2009 | 4.1 / 5 (35) | 11

Imagine a carbon sheet that's only one atom thick but is stronger than diamond and conducts electricity 100 times faster than the silicon in computer chips. That's graphene, the latest wonder material coming out ...

Graphene may have advantages over copper for IC interconnects at the nanoscale

Nanotechnology / Nanomaterials

Jun 04, 2009 | 5 / 5 (8) | 0

The unique properties of thin layers of graphite - known as graphene - make the material attractive for a wide range of potential electronic devices. Researchers have now experimentally demonstrated the potential ...

Rresearchers achieves major step toward faster chips

Nanotechnology / Nanomaterials

May 07, 2009 | 3.8 / 5 (8) | 0

New research findings could lead to faster, smaller and more versatile computer chips. A team of scientists and engineers from Stanford, the University of Florida and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory is the first to ...