Nanomaterials news

In new hybrid chip, molecules are memories

Nanotechnology / Nanomaterials

Aug 08, 2006 | 4.1 / 5 (46) | 0

As scientists strive to satisfy the growing demand of the digital era for faster, smaller, and cheaper electronics, one of the most promising technologies is hybrids. Hybrid ICs (integrated circuits) consist ...

Genetic Engineering Fuses Spider Silk and Silica

Nanotechnology / Nanomaterials

Jun 27, 2006 | 4.3 / 5 (44) | 0

Bioengineers at Tufts University have created a new fusion protein that for the first time combines the toughness of spider silk with the intricate structure of silica. The resulting nanocomposite could be used in medical ...

IBM researchers quell nanoscale interference

Nanotechnology / Nanomaterials

Mar 07, 2008 | 4.7 / 5 (40) | 1

IBM researchers have discovered a way to use graphite effectively in building nanoelectonic circuits vastly smaller than those in silicon-based computer chips.

Molecules spontaneously form honeycomb network featuring pores of unprecedented size

Nanotechnology / Nanomaterials

Aug 17, 2006 | 4.3 / 5 (44) | 0

UC Riverside researchers have discovered a new way in which nature creates complex patterns: the assembly of molecules with no guidance from an outside source. Potential applications of the finding are paints, ...

'Wiring up' enzymes for producing hydrogen in fuel cells

Nanotechnology / Nanomaterials

Nov 19, 2007 | 4.3 / 5 (43) | 0

Researchers in Colorado are reporting the first successful “wiring up” of hydrogenase enzymes. Those much-heralded proteins are envisioned as stars in a future hydrogen economy where they may serve as catalysts ...

Nanosoccer debuts at RoboCup 2007

Nanotechnology / Nanomaterials

Jun 29, 2007 | 4.5 / 5 (40) | 0

Imagine a mechanical Pelé or David Beckham six times smaller than an amoeba playing with a “soccer ball” no wider than a human hair on a field that can fit on a grain of rice. Purely science fiction? Not anymore.

Nano scientists to develop next-generation LEDs

Nanotechnology / Nanomaterials

Mar 19, 2007 | 4.2 / 5 (42) | 0

Nanotechnology may unlock the secret for creating highly efficient next-generation LED lighting systems, and exploring its potential is the aim of several projects centered at Oak Ridge National Laboratory.

Perfecting a solar cell by adding imperfections

Nanotechnology / Nanomaterials

Jun 16, 2008 | 4.6 / 5 (38) | 0

Nanotechnology is paving the way toward improved solar cells. New research shows that a film of carbon nanotubes may be able to replace two of the layers normally used in a solar cell, with improved performance at a lower ...

Protection built to scale -- fish scale, that is

Nanotechnology / Nanomaterials

Jul 27, 2008 | 4.3 / 5 (41) | 10

(PhysOrg.com) -- Scientists seeking to protect the soldier of the future can learn a lot from a relic of the past, according to an MIT study of a primitive fish that could point to more effective ways of designing ...

New nanocomposite processing technique creates more powerful capacitors

Nanotechnology / Nanomaterials

Apr 26, 2007 | 4.4 / 5 (40) | 0

A new technique for creating films of barium titanate (BaTiO3) nanoparticles in a polymer matrix could allow fabrication of improved capacitors able to store twice as much energy as existing devices. The impro ...

Nanomaterials with a Bright Future

Nanotechnology / Nanomaterials

Sep 11, 2007 | 4.4 / 5 (39) | 0

An innovative and inexpensive way of making nanomaterials on a large scale has resulted in novel forms of advanced materials that pave the way for exceptional and unexpected optical properties. The new fabrication ...

Nature’s frugal glues provide insight for optimized adhesives

Nanotechnology / Nanomaterials

Jan 11, 2007 | 4.2 / 5 (41) | 0

In trying to create a “glue” that would hold right up to the breaking point of the material being glued, scientists have found that such an ideal adhesive already exists—in bone, abalone shells, and spider ...

Researchers target tumors with tiny 'nanoworms'

Nanotechnology / Nanomaterials

May 07, 2008 | 4.5 / 5 (38) | 3

Scientists at UC San Diego, UC Santa Barbara and MIT have developed nanometer-sized “nanoworms” that can cruise through the bloodstream without significant interference from the body’s immune defense system ...

DNA is blueprint, contractor and construction worker for new structures

Nanotechnology / Nanomaterials

Jan 30, 2008 | 4.8 / 5 (36) | 3

DNA is the blueprint of all life, giving instruction and function to organisms ranging from simple one-celled bacteria to complex human beings. Now Northwestern University researchers report they have used DNA as the blueprint, ...

Nanotech could make solar energy as easy and cheap as growing grass

Nanotechnology / Nanomaterials

Sep 17, 2007 | 3.8 / 5 (45) | 0

Scientists are working to produce cheap, sustainable solar energy by imitating nature. Nanotechnology researchers like California Institute of Technology professor Nate Lewis are exploring nanoscale materials that mimic the ...