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. (PhysOrg.com) -- Look at the tip of that old pencil in your desk drawer, and what you'll see are layers of graphite that are thousands of atoms thick. Use the pencil to draw a line on a piece of paper, and the mark you'll see on the page is made up of hundreds of one-atom layers. http://phys.org/news251716489.html Nanotechnology Fri, 23 Mar 2012 11:00:01 EST news251716489 The physical property of magnetism has historically been associated with metals such as iron, nickel and cobalt; however, graphite – an organic mineral made up of stacks of individual carbon sheets – has baffled researchers in recent years by showing weak signs of magnetism. http://phys.org/news246807001.html Physics Thu, 26 Jan 2012 19:00:01 EST news246807001 Graphene is the thinnest material known to science. The nanomaterial is so thin, in fact, water often doesn't even know it's there. http://phys.org/news246547650.html Nanotechnology Mon, 23 Jan 2012 13:27:39 EST news246547650 Scientists from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and the company Dioxide Materials have demonstrated that randomly stacked graphene flakes can make an effective chemical sensor. http://phys.org/news246040152.html Nanotechnology Tue, 17 Jan 2012 16:29:24 EST news246040152 A team of engineers and physicians have made a surprising discovery that offers a target for designing new materials for hip implants that are less susceptible to the joint's normal wear and tear. http://phys.org/news243778834.html Chemistry Thu, 22 Dec 2011 14:00:14 EST news243778834 (PhysOrg.com) -- A group of UK scientists has created a graphene ink that can be used to ink-jet print electronic devices such as thin film transistors. http://phys.org/news241420999.html Nanotechnology Fri, 25 Nov 2011 07:30:01 EST news241420999 Startup Lytro unveiled a camera that lets people adjust the focus on photos after they take them. http://phys.org/news238298699.html Electronics Thu, 20 Oct 2011 03:05:27 EST news238298699 An amorphous diamond – one that lacks the crystalline structure of diamond, but is every bit as hard – has been created by a Stanford-led team of researchers. http://phys.org/news237553983.html Physics Tue, 11 Oct 2011 12:13:10 EST news237553983 Scientists have used a new method to precisely simulate the phase transition from graphite to diamond for the first time. Instead of happening concerted, all at once, the conversion evidently takes place in a step by step process involving the formation of a diamond seed in the graphite, which is then transformed completely at high pressure. http://phys.org/news235824509.html Physics Wed, 21 Sep 2011 12:20:03 EST news235824509 Turning graphite oxide (GO) into full-fledged supercapacitors turns out to be simple. But until a laboratory at Rice University figured out how, it was anything but obvious. http://phys.org/news231429164.html Nanotechnology Mon, 01 Aug 2011 15:30:01 EST news231429164 A combination of two ordinary materials – graphite and water – could produce energy storage systems that perform on par with lithium ion batteries, but recharge in a matter of seconds and have an almost indefinite lifespan. http://phys.org/news229945708.html Nanotechnology Fri, 15 Jul 2011 10:48:42 EST news229945708 (PhysOrg.com) -- In yet another novel use for graphene, researchers from Seoul University have devised a method of creating transparent loudspeakers by printing them onto a special kind of plastic, using an ordinary inkjet printer. Jyongsik Jang and coworkers describe the process in Chemical Communications. http://phys.org/news229683682.html Nanotechnology Tue, 12 Jul 2011 10:01:44 EST news229683682 Anticipating forthcoming experiments, a CNST team has shown that few layer graphene stacks have favorable transport properties that could enable engineering of novel electronic devices. http://phys.org/news228028342.html Nanotechnology Thu, 23 Jun 2011 06:12:59 EST news228028342 Scientists from NPL, in collaboration with Linkoping University, Sweden, have shown that regions of graphene of different thickness can be easily identified in ambient conditions using Electrostatic Force Microscopy (EFM). http://phys.org/news225018091.html Nanotechnology Thu, 19 May 2011 10:01:49 EST news225018091 (PhysOrg.com) -- Single molecule electronics is a division of nanotechnology utilizing single molecules as electronic components and its study has the ultimate goal of reducing the size of common electrical circuits. Since 1974, when Mark Ratner and Arieh Aviram from IBM first described how a single molecule was capable of working as a diode in passing current in one direction, research has moved forward in trying to develop a way to use single molecule electronics. http://phys.org/news224515144.html Nanotechnology Fri, 13 May 2011 14:19:33 EST news224515144 (PhysOrg.com) -- University of Technology, Sydney scientists have reported remarkable results in developing a composite material based on graphite that is a thin as paper and ten times stronger than steel. http://phys.org/news222507972.html Nanotechnology Wed, 20 Apr 2011 08:48:20 EST news222507972 (PhysOrg.com) -- Did you know that pencil lead may just end up changing the world? Graphene is the material from which graphite, the core of your No. 2 pencil, is made. It is also the latest "wonder material," and may be the electronics industry’s next great hope for the creation of extremely fast electronic devices. Researchers at North Carolina State University have found one of the first roadblocks to utilizing graphene by proving that its conductivity decreases significantly when more than one layer is present. http://phys.org/news222332591.html Nanotechnology Mon, 18 Apr 2011 08:07:10 EST news222332591 Using minute graphite particles 1000 times smaller than the width of a human hair, mechanical engineers at Arizona State University hope to boost the efficiency -- and profitability -- of solar power plants. http://phys.org/news221194786.html Nanotechnology Tue, 05 Apr 2011 04:00:49 EST news221194786 (PhysOrg.com) -- Just when it seemed that microchips couldn't get any tinier, a technique developed by researchers here at the University of Cambridge Engineering Department could lead to chips which are not only smaller, but can support electrical current densities five times greater than the current technology. http://phys.org/news220529600.html Nanotechnology Mon, 28 Mar 2011 11:50:03 EST news220529600 Materials scientists and engineers from six UK universities are joining forces to forecast the life expectancy of nuclear power reactors. http://phys.org/news217158329.html Technology Thu, 17 Feb 2011 10:00:07 EST news217158329 A new scientific discovery could have profound implications for nanoelectronic components. Researchers from the Nano-Science Center at the Niels Bohr Institute, University of Copenhagen, in collaboration with Japanese researchers, have shown how electrons on thin tubes of graphite exhibit a unique interaction between their motion and their attached magnetic field – the so-called spin. The discovery paves the way for unprecedented control over the spin of electrons and may have a big impact on applications for spin-based nanoelectronics. The results have been published in the prestigious journal Nature Physics. http://phys.org/news215010715.html Physics Sun, 23 Jan 2011 13:12:08 EST news215010715 (PhysOrg.com) -- It's a mainstay in biological molecules, but carbon isn't the kind of element you'd expect to find in a permanent magnet. Until now. Not only does carbon become magnetized with a little doctoring, as discovered in 2007, but new findings show this behavior comes naturally—no special treatment required—at the surface of a carbon-based material called graphite. http://phys.org/news211799568.html Physics Fri, 17 Dec 2010 09:13:03 EST news211799568 Who ever would have guessed that the business end of Dixon Ticonderoga No. 2 pencils would someday be the next big thing? John Jaszczak, perhaps. http://phys.org/news211439251.html Nanotechnology Mon, 13 Dec 2010 05:20:01 EST news211439251 (PhysOrg.com) -- In a video that communicates science achievements to people of all backgrounds, physicist and TV presenter Jonathan Hare explains how to make graphene from a graphite pencil and a piece of Scotch tape. The simple experiment shows how, in addition to being Nobel Prize-worthy material, graphene is also easily accessible for anyone with a scientific curiosity. http://phys.org/news210914467.html Nanotechnology Tue, 07 Dec 2010 03:40:01 EST news210914467 (PhysOrg.com) -- A timely review analyzing the correlation of synthesis methods and physical properties of single-layer and few-layered graphene flakes. http://phys.org/news208441386.html Nanotechnology Mon, 08 Nov 2010 13:10:06 EST news208441386 (PhysOrg.com) -- An experiment in 2003 formed what was believed to be a new form of carbon, but the findings were controversial. Now two teams of scientists have used different means to identify a three-dimensional network structure called "bct-carbon," which they say could have been the structure formed in 2003. http://phys.org/news208416365.html Nanotechnology Mon, 08 Nov 2010 06:50:01 EST news208416365 (PhysOrg.com) -- When it comes to tests of strength, graphite -- actually layered sheets of carbon atoms -- fares badly. Subject it to ultra-high pressure, though, and graphite becomes diamond, the hardest substance known, and a uniquely useful material in a variety of applications. http://phys.org/news206808985.html Nanotechnology Wed, 20 Oct 2010 15:56:49 EST news206808985 (PhysOrg.com) -- New findings from the laboratory of University of Illinois researcher Joe Lyding are providing valuable insight into graphene, a single two-dimensional layer of graphite with numerous electronic and mechanical properties that make it attractive for use in electronics. http://phys.org/news204371022.html Nanotechnology Wed, 22 Sep 2010 10:44:27 EST news204371022 Technology developed at the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory that extends the life of light-emitting diode lamps has been licensed to LED North America. http://phys.org/news202148545.html Technology Fri, 27 Aug 2010 17:22:36 EST news202148545 Rice scientists have found a way to synthesize graphene oxide in bulk in an environmentally friendly way, eliminating toxic and explosive chemicals from the process. They have also found a class of common bacteria breaks down graphene oxide into environmentally benign graphene. http://phys.org/news199036234.html Nanotechnology Thu, 22 Jul 2010 16:51:44 EST news199036234