Nanotechnology News – Latest Headlines

Atomically thick metal membranes

For the first time researchers have shown that freestanding metal membranes consisting of a single layer of atoms can be stable under ambient conditions.

Mar 13th, 2014

Roomy cages built from DNA (w/video)

Move over, nanotechnologists, and make room for the biggest of the small. Scientists at the Wyss Institute have built a set of self-assembling DNA cages one-tenth as wide as a bacterium. The structures are some of the largest and most complex structures ever constructed solely from DNA.

Mar 13th, 2014

Nanoscale 'earthquakes' move light along a nanowire

Researchers have succeeded in moving light from one end of a semiconducting nanowire to the other by means of surface acoustic waves, a kind of nanoscale earthquakes.

Mar 13th, 2014

Researchers destroy cancer with cryoablation and nanoparticle-encapsulated anticancer drug

Combining nanodrug-based chemotherapy and cryoablation provides an effective strategy to eliminate cancer stem-like cells the root of cancer resistance and metastasis, which will help to improve the safety and efficacy of treating malignancies that are refractory to conventional therapies.

Mar 13th, 2014

Magnetic attraction: Physicists pay homage to the SQUID at 50

From humble beginnings in a series of accidental discoveries, SQUIDs - short for superconducting quantum interference devices - have invaded and enhanced many areas of science and medicine.

Mar 13th, 2014

Assessing the chemical composition of a metal-organic framework (MOF) with nanoscale resolution

Researchers have applied a novel microscopy technique to characterize metal-organic framework (MOF) materials, potentially opening a pathway for engineering the chemical properties of these materials at the nanoscale.

Mar 13th, 2014

Guides for increasing the efficiency of organic solar cells

Scientists calculated the theoretical limit of the photoelectric conversion efficiency of organic solar cells, which have gained attention as a new generation of solar cells.

Mar 13th, 2014

Heat-based technique offers new way to measure microscopic particles

Researchers have developed a new heat-based technique for counting and measuring the size of microscopic particles. The technique is less expensive than light-based techniques and can be used on a wider array of materials than electricity-based techniques.

Mar 13th, 2014

Nanofoods - European parliament objects to new nanomaterial labelling laws

The European Parliament rejected on Wednesday (12 March) the European Commission's proposed definition of nanomaterials added to food products.

Mar 13th, 2014

Colloidal silicon quantum dots: synthesis and luminescence tuning from the near-UV to the near-IR range

This review article on high-quantum yield silicon nanoparticles summarizes the peculiarities of their emission, which depends on the preparation method and surface chemistry.

Mar 13th, 2014

Ultracold molecules promising for quantum computing, simulation

Researchers have created a new type of 'ultracold' molecule, using lasers to cool atoms nearly to absolute zero and then gluing them together, a technology that might be applied to quantum computing, precise sensors and advanced simulations.

Mar 12th, 2014

Quantum chaos in ultracold gas discovered

Researchers have discovered that even simple systems, such as neutral atoms, can possess chaotic behavior, which can be revealed using the tools of quantum mechanics. The ground-breaking research opens up new avenues to observe the interaction between quantum particles.

Mar 12th, 2014

Can material rivaling graphene be mined out of rocks? Yes, if...

Will one-atom-thick layers of molybdenum disulfide, a compound that occurs naturally in rocks, prove to be better than graphene for electronic applications? There are many signs that might prove to be the case. But physicists have shown that the nature of the phenomena occurring in layered materials are still ill-understood and require further research.