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- Parent Category: Nanotechnology
- Category: Nanomaterials
Single layers of carbon atoms, called graphene sheets, are lightweight, strong, electrically semi-conducting -- and notoriously difficult and expensive to make.
Now, a Cornell research team has invented a simple way to make graphene electrical devices by growing the graphene directly onto a silicon wafer. The work was published online Oct. 27 in the journal Nano Letters.
Read more: Researchers Find Reliable, Mess-free Way to Grow Graphene
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- Parent Category: Nanotechnology
- Category: Medical
by Emil Venere
Researchers at Purdue University have discovered a new approach for repairing damaged nerve fibers in spinal cord injuries using nano-spheres that could be injected into the blood shortly after an accident.
The synthetic "copolymer micelles" are drug-delivery spheres about 60 nanometers in diameter, or roughly 100 times smaller than the diameter of a red blood cell.
Read more: Finding Shows Nanomedicine Promising for Treating Spinal Cord Injuries
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- Parent Category: Nanotechnology
- Category: Nanomaterials
by John Toon
Converting sunlight to electricity might no longer mean large panels of photovoltaic cells atop flat surfaces like roofs.
Using zinc oxide nanostructures grown on optical fibers and coated with dye-sensitized solar cell materials, researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology have developed a new type of three-dimensional photovoltaic system. The approach could allow PV systems to be hidden from view and located away from traditional locations such as rooftops.
Read more: Nanostructures on Optical Fiber Produce 'Hidden' Photovoltaic Cells
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- Parent Category: Nanotechnology
- Category: Medical
ANN ARBOR, Mich.—Brain implants that can more clearly record signals from surrounding neurons in rats have been created at the University of Michigan. The findings could eventually lead to more effective treatment of neurological disorders such as Parkinson's disease and paralysis.
Neural electrodes must work for time periods ranging from hours to years. When the electrodes are implanted, the brain first reacts to the acute injury with an inflammatory response. Then the brain settles into a wound-healing, or chronic, response.
Read more: A Step Toward Better Brain Implants Using Conducting Polymer Nanotubes
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- Parent Category: Nanotechnology
- Category: Nanomaterials
ANN ARBOR, Mich.—University of Michigan physicists have created the first atomic-scale maps of quantum dots, a major step toward the goal of producing "designer dots" that can be tailored for specific applications.
Quantum dots—often called artificial atoms or nanoparticles—are tiny semiconductor crystals with wide-ranging potential applications in computing, photovoltaic cells, light-emitting devices and other technologies. Each dot is a well-ordered cluster of atoms, 10 to 50 atoms in diameter.
Read more: U-M Physicists Create First Atomic-scale Map of Quantam Dots
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- Parent Category: Nanotechnology
- Category: Nanomaterials
Highly Engineered Materials May Solve One of Science’s Toughest Problems
Researchers from UT Dallas, Clemson University and Yale University are using science on the nanoscale to address one of the most elusive challenges in physics—the discovery of room temperature superconductivity. With that as the ultimate goal, the team is working to develop superconducting wires made from nanotubes that carry high currents at the temperature of liquid nitrogen, or higher.
With a $3 million research grant from the Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR), the team has embarked on a five-year project to invent new superconducting wires based on highly engineered nanomaterials, each component thousands of times smaller than a human hair. Such wires would be used for applications ranging from magnets for Magnetic Resonance Imaging to replacing energy-wasting copper in power transmission lines.
Read more: Race for New Superconductors Shrinks to Nanoscale