Nanotechnology News – Latest Headlines

Good solar cells from bad effects

Researchers used numerical simulations to demonstrate that energy dissipation and decoherence, which were thought to reduce solar cell efficiency, are counterintuitively helpful for the development of more efficient photovoltaics, offering a new guide to finding efficient photovoltaic materials.

Jan 20th, 2016

A graphene barrier to precisely control molecules for making nanoelectronics

Scientists have developed a sheet of graphene material with minuscule holes in it that they could then place on a gold substrate. The holes allow molecules to attach to the gold exactly where the scientists want them, creating patterns that control the physical shape and electronic properties of nanoscale devices.

Jan 20th, 2016

Researchers create gallium nitride power diode

Researchers built a GaN power-switching device, approximately one-fifth the width of a human hair, that could support 2,000 volts of electricity.

Jan 20th, 2016

A simple artificial material can influence the properties of visible light

Metamaterials can be used to manipulate light for a range of applications, but often require complicated three-dimensional structures with features as small as a few tens of nanometers. Now, researchers have constructed a simpler, two-dimensional metasurface for state-of-the-art high-transmission light manipulation.

Jan 20th, 2016

Holography: Nanoscale sieves snare would-be thieves

Bio-inspired algorithms enable a pattern of thousands of nanoscale holes into metal films for high-tech optical security.

Jan 20th, 2016

Sub-5 nanometer gaps provide a golden opportunity

Frequency conversion of light on a tiny scale is now possible thanks to a gold nanostructure containing miniscule gaps.

Jan 20th, 2016

Researchers theorize defects could improve solar cells

Scientists are studying what may seem paradoxical - certain defects in silicon solar cells may actually improve their performance.

Jan 19th, 2016

Converting solar energy into electric power via photobioelectrochemical cells

The design of photo-bioelectrochemical cells based on native photosynthetic reaction is attracting substantial recent interest as a means for the conversion of solar light energy into electrical power.

Jan 19th, 2016

Watching electrons cool in 30 quadrillionths of a second

Technique developed by researchers could have applications in visual displays, solar cells and photodetectors.

Jan 19th, 2016

Mechanical quanta see the light

Researchers have realized a nanomechanical device that converts individual particles of light, known as photons, into quantum-mechanical vibrations, known as phonons, and then back again.

Jan 19th, 2016

Bismuth-based nanoribbons show topological transport, potential for new technologies

Researchers have created nanoribbons of an emerging class of materials called topological insulators and used a magnetic field to control their semiconductor properties, a step toward harnessing the technology to study exotic physics and building new spintronic devices or quantum computers.

Jan 19th, 2016