http://phys.org/ en-us Phys.org internet news portal provides the latest news on science including: Physics, Nanotechnology, Life Sciences, Space Science, Earth Science, Environment, Health and Medicine. (Phys.org) —In a process one researcher compares to squeezing an elephant through a pinhole, researchers at Missouri University of Science and Technology have designed a way to engineer atoms capable of funneling light through ultra-small channels. http://phys.org/news286448106.html Physics Mon, 29 Apr 2013 09:55:19 EST news286448106 (Phys.org) —The macroscopic effects of certain nanoparticles on human health have long been clear to the naked eye. What scientists have lacked is the ability to see the detailed movements of individual particles that give rise to those effects. http://phys.org/news286095232.html Nanotechnology Thu, 25 Apr 2013 08:10:01 EST news286095232 (Phys.org) —An imaging technique conceived 50 years ago has been successfully demonstrated at SLAC's Linac Coherent Light Source, where it is expected to improve results in a range of experiments, including studies of extreme states of matter formed by shock waves. http://phys.org/news285410360.html Physics Wed, 17 Apr 2013 09:50:01 EST news285410360 Not all liquids are mixable. Researchers from the Institute of Experimental and Applied Physics of Kiel University (CAU) have investigated chemical processes with atomic resolution at the interface between two such liquids and have made an exciting discovery. During an experiment carried out at Germany's largest accelerator centre DESY (Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron) in Hamburg, they observed the formation of an ordered crystal of exactly five atomic layers between the two liquids, which acts as a foundation for growing even bigger crystals. The experiment was performed in cooperation with scientists from Israel, the USA, and DESY. The results have just been published in the renowned scientific journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Science. They may result in new semiconductor and nano-particle production processes. http://phys.org/news284885362.html Physics Thu, 11 Apr 2013 07:49:32 EST news284885362 (Phys.org) —Jumping silicon atoms are the stars of an atomic scale ballet featured in a new Nature Communications study from the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory. http://phys.org/news284219291.html Nanotechnology Wed, 03 Apr 2013 14:48:29 EST news284219291 Using a new type of camera that makes extremely fast snapshots with an extremely high resolution, it is now possible to observe the behaviour of magnetic materials at the nanoscale. This behaviour is more chaotic than previously thought, as reported in Nature Materials on 17 March. The observed behaviour changes our understanding of data storage, says Theo Rasing, one of the authors of the article. http://phys.org/news282898701.html Nanotechnology Tue, 19 Mar 2013 07:58:29 EST news282898701 (Phys.org)—Cornell researchers have resolved a longstanding theoretical debate about the electronic structure of iron-based superconductors by directly observing it at the atomic scale. The work is reported in the Feb. 24 online edition of the journal Nature Physics. http://phys.org/news280657672.html Physics Thu, 21 Feb 2013 08:28:06 EST news280657672 (Phys.org)—The atomic structure of a zinc-based material has a surprising amount in common with the tentacles of an octopus, Oxford University researchers have found. http://phys.org/news278235983.html Chemistry Thu, 24 Jan 2013 07:46:36 EST news278235983 (Phys.org)—Using graphene – either as an alternative to, or most likely as a complementary material with – silicon, offers the promise of much faster future electronics, along with several other advantages over the commonly used semiconductor. However, creating the one-atom thick sheets of carbon known as graphene in a way that could be easily integrated into mass production methods has proven difficult. http://phys.org/news277470053.html Nanotechnology Tue, 15 Jan 2013 11:02:01 EST news277470053 (Phys.org)—A new method for creating very thin layers of materials at the atomic scale, reported in the latest issue of the journal Science, could "unlock an important new technology" for creating nanomaterials, according to nanomaterials expert Dr. Jay A. Switzer of Missouri University of Science and Technology in the journal. http://phys.org/news274038693.html Nanotechnology Thu, 06 Dec 2012 17:52:33 EST news274038693 A team led by Prof. Masatomo Yashima from the Graduate School of Science and Engineering, Tokyo Institute of Technology and Prof. Tatsumi Ishihara from the International Institute for Carbon-Neutral Energy Research and the Faculty of Engineering of Kyushu University has discovered the origin of the high oxygen permeability in praseodymium nickel oxides containing gallium and copper, Pr2(Ni0.75Cu0.25)0.95Ga0.05O4+δ. http://phys.org/news270814527.html Chemistry Tue, 30 Oct 2012 11:40:02 EST news270814527 IBM scientists have demonstrated a new approach to carbon nanotechnology that opens up the path for commercial fabrication of dramatically smaller, faster and more powerful computer chips. For the first time, more than ten thousand working transistors made of nano-sized tubes of carbon have been precisely placed and tested in a single chip using standard semiconductor processes. These carbon devices are poised to replace and outperform silicon technology allowing further miniaturization of computing components and leading the way for future microelectronics. http://phys.org/news270719800.html Nanotechnology Mon, 29 Oct 2012 08:57:10 EST news270719800 (Phys.org)—It is possible to make gold wires so thin that there is not even enough room for electrons to pass one another. It's as if they were driving down a one-lane motorway, this has a major impact on traffic flow. But exactly what path do the electrons take? Measurements made by researchers at the University of Twente's MESA+ Institute for Nanotechnology supplied the answer. Surprisingly, it was found that the electrons do not move through the nanowires themselves, but through the "troughs" between them. The researchers demonstrated this in a recent article published in the prestigious journal Nature Physics. http://phys.org/news270313177.html Nanotechnology Wed, 24 Oct 2012 16:00:02 EST news270313177 Pathogenic bacteria bristle with surface proteins that help them to infect their host. From chemical hooks that anchor the bacteria in place to cloaking proteins that hide them from their host's immune system, each protein is clipped into place by an enzyme called sortase. Kei Moritsugu and his colleagues at the RIKEN Research Cluster for Innovation in Wako have now shown, in atomic detail, how this enzyme functions. The work could lead to new antibiotics that work by disrupting these functions. http://phys.org/news269247953.html Chemistry Fri, 12 Oct 2012 08:06:00 EST news269247953 (Phys.org)—Engineering faculty and students at the University of Colorado Boulder have produced the first experimental results showing that atomically thin graphene membranes with tiny pores can effectively and efficiently separate gas molecules through size-selective sieving. http://phys.org/news268991472.html Nanotechnology Tue, 09 Oct 2012 08:51:25 EST news268991472 (Phys.org)—An international team of scientists, including University of Nebraska-Lincoln physicist Evgeny Tsymbal, has discovered a new class of materials that could prove to be very useful in developing new methods of creating computer memory. http://phys.org/news267164828.html Physics Tue, 18 Sep 2012 05:27:22 EST news267164828 Light changes matter in ways that shape our world. Photons trigger changes in proteins in the eye to enable vision; sunlight splits water into hydrogen and oxygen and creates chemicals through photosynthesis; light causes electrons to flow in the semiconductors that make up solar cells; and new devices for consumers, industry, and medicine operate with photons instead of electrons. But directly measuring how light manipulates matter on the atomic scale has never been possible, until now. http://phys.org/news265459255.html Physics Wed, 29 Aug 2012 13:00:20 EST news265459255 (Phys.org) -- Knowing the position of missing oxygen atoms could be the key to cheaper solid oxide fuel cells with longer lifetimes. New microscopy research from the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory is enabling scientists to map these vacancies at an atomic scale. http://phys.org/news264870287.html Physics Wed, 22 Aug 2012 16:04:53 EST news264870287 (Phys.org) -- A simple new improvement to an essential microscope component could greatly improve imaging for researchers who study the very small, from cells to computer chips. http://phys.org/news260782906.html Nanotechnology Fri, 06 Jul 2012 08:42:07 EST news260782906 Experienced anglers know that choppy waters make for difficult fishing, so they try not to rock the boat. Thanks to a new microscopy technique, cell biology researchers can heed that same advice. http://phys.org/news258898409.html Nanotechnology Thu, 14 Jun 2012 13:27:23 EST news258898409 (Phys.org) -- In experiments resembling an atomic-scale shooting gallery, researchers are pioneering a new method for chemical analysis by zapping the innermost electrons out of atoms with powerful X-ray laser pulses from SLAC’s Linac Coherent Light Source (LCLS). http://phys.org/news258788368.html Physics Wed, 13 Jun 2012 06:39:38 EST news258788368 University of Alberta researchers have made breakthrough use of 3-D magnetic resonance technology to map the structure of a common fungus that is potentially deadly for individuals with impaired immune function. The work could pave the way for development of an effective vaccine. http://phys.org/news257687394.html Chemistry Thu, 31 May 2012 12:50:23 EST news257687394 They won't be coming soon to a multiplex near you, but movies showing the growth of platinum nanocrystals at the atomic-scale in real-time have blockbuster potential. A team of scientists with the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) and the University of California (UC) Berkeley has developed a technique for encapsulating liquids of nanocrystals between layers of graphene so that chemical reactions in the liquids can be imaged with an electron microscope. With this technique, movies can be made that provide unprecedented direct observations of physical, chemical and biological phenomena that take place in liquids on the nanometer scale. http://phys.org/news254058688.html Nanotechnology Thu, 19 Apr 2012 13:10:01 EST news254058688 Electron microscopy, conducted as part of the Shared Research Equipment (ShaRE) User Program at the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory, has led to a new theory to explain intriguing properties in a material with potential applications in capacitors and actuators. http://phys.org/news253547162.html Physics Fri, 13 Apr 2012 14:47:11 EST news253547162 Using a new ultrafast camera, researchers have recorded the first real-time image of two atoms vibrating in a molecule. http://phys.org/news250346864.html Physics Wed, 07 Mar 2012 13:00:01 EST news250346864 Researchers at the University of Sheffield have revolutionised the electron microscope by developing a new method which could create the highest resolution images ever seen. http://phys.org/news250170225.html Physics Mon, 05 Mar 2012 11:44:00 EST news250170225 (PhysOrg.com) -- A surprising atomic-scale wiggle underlies the way a special class of materials reacts to light, according to research that may lead to new devices for harvesting solar energy. http://phys.org/news249719195.html Physics Wed, 29 Feb 2012 07:00:01 EST news249719195 Atomic-level defects in graphene could be a path forward to smaller and faster electronic devices, according to a study led by researchers at the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory. http://phys.org/news247236879.html Nanotechnology Tue, 31 Jan 2012 12:54:51 EST news247236879 Electronics are getting smaller and smaller, flirting with new devices at the atomic scale. However, many scientists predict that the shrinking of our technology is reaching an end. Without an alternative to silicon-based technologies, the miniaturization of our electronics will stop. One promising alternative is graphene — the thinnest material known to man. Pure graphene is not a semiconductor, but it can be altered to display exceptional electrical behavior. Finding the best graphene-based nanomaterials could usher in a new era of nanoelectronics, optics, and spintronics (an emerging technology that uses the spin of electrons to store and process information in exceptionally small electronics). http://phys.org/news244906602.html Nanotechnology Wed, 04 Jan 2012 13:50:01 EST news244906602 Just as a breeze causes leaves, branches and ultimately the tree to move, enzymes moving at the molecular level perform hundreds of chemical processes that have a ripple effect necessary for life. Protein complexes are often viewed as static entities with their biological functions understood in terms of direct interactions, but that isn't the case, as emphasized in a paper published November 8 in the online, open-access journal PLoS Biology. The work shows that the amount of flexibility in a protein may itself be an important feature of enzyme function. http://phys.org/news239997538.html Biology Tue, 08 Nov 2011 18:00:03 EST news239997538