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) -- Custom modifications of equipment are an honored tradition of the research lab. In a recent paper, two materials scientists at the National Institute of Standards and Technology describe how a relatively simple mod of a standard scanning electron microscope (SEM) enables a roughly 10-fold improvement in its ability to measure the crystal structure of nanoparticles and extremely thin films. By altering the sample position, they are able to determine crystal structure of particles as small as 10 nanometers. The technique, they say, should be applicable to a wide range of work, from crime scene forensics to environmental monitoring to process control in nanomanufacturing. http://phys.org/news246703679.html Physics Wed, 25 Jan 2012 08:48:08 EST news246703679 The Bren School-based authors of a study published Jan. 20 in the journal PLoS ONE have observed toxicity to marine organisms resulting from exposure to a nanoparticle that had not previously been shown to be toxic under similar conditions. http://phys.org/news246640787.html Nanotechnology Tue, 24 Jan 2012 15:20:38 EST news246640787 One of the ways in which cancer cells evade anticancer therapy is by producing a protein that pumps drugs out of the cell before these compounds can exert their cell-killing effects. A research team at Northwestern University has found that biocompatible iron oxide-titanium dioxide nanoparticles can bypass this pump and enable DNA-damaging anticancer drugs to reach the cell nucleus. http://phys.org/news246269157.html Nanotechnology Fri, 20 Jan 2012 08:06:58 EST news246269157 The world population is estimated to be seven billion and all these mouths need feeding. With fears about overfishing and the sustainability of fish stocks in our seas fish farming is becoming big business. As with all farming there are issues about maintaining the health of stock and how to prevent bacterial infection. New research published in BioMed Central's open access journal BMC Microbiology demonstrates that a prototype water purification reactor containing a thin film of titanium dioxide (TiO2) is able to enhance the sun's natural disinfection properties This device could reduce the need for expensive antibiotics or poisonous chemicals. http://phys.org/news245607105.html Biology Thu, 12 Jan 2012 19:30:01 EST news245607105 Imagine jeans, sweats or socks that clean and de-odorize themselves when hung on a clothesline in the sun or draped on a balcony railing. Scientists are reporting development of a new cotton fabric that does clean itself of stains and bacteria when exposed to ordinary sunlight. Their report appears in ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces. http://phys.org/news243081336.html Chemistry Wed, 14 Dec 2011 11:10:01 EST news243081336 (PhysOrg.com) -- A breakthrough in components for next-generation batteries could come from special materials that transform their structure to perform better over time. http://phys.org/news239529714.html Nanotechnology Thu, 03 Nov 2011 09:30:02 EST news239529714 (PhysOrg.com) -- There are many ways to generate hydrogen, such as water electrolysis and steam reforming of gas, but the hydrogen produced by these methods tends to be combined with other byproduct and residual gases. For this reason, a second step to purify the hydrogen is usually required after it is produced. Now in a new study, scientists have developed a method for generating hydrogen with a purity of more than 99% within a single membrane, eliminating the need for a separate purification step. http://phys.org/news237184495.html Physics Fri, 07 Oct 2011 07:40:01 EST news237184495 (PhysOrg.com) -- When synthesizing specialized materials for energy-packed batteries, the problem is the template. The pattern for self-assembling the highly desired nanometer-sized spheres falls apart, producing irregular metal oxide clumps. Scientists at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory determined how to keep the template intact. The answer is as simple as adding salt to the process. http://phys.org/news236330789.html Nanotechnology Tue, 27 Sep 2011 08:27:18 EST news236330789 Batteries could get a boost from an Oak Ridge National Laboratory discovery that increases power, energy density and safety while dramatically reducing charge time. http://phys.org/news234714668.html Chemistry Thu, 08 Sep 2011 15:31:33 EST news234714668 (PhysOrg.com) -- Yanbiao Liu and his colleagues from Shanghai Jiao Tong University, have succeeded in building a device capable of both cleaning wastewater and producing electricity from it. Using light as an energy source the team created a photo-catalytic fuel cell that used a titanium dioxide nanotube-array anode and a cathode based on platinum. The light energy degrades the organic material found in the wastewater and in the process generates electrons which pass through the cathode converting it into electricity. The team has published its results on Water Science & Technology. http://phys.org/news232964413.html Chemistry Fri, 19 Aug 2011 09:20:24 EST news232964413 Mention catalyst and most people will think of the catalytic converter, an emissions control device in the exhaust system of automobiles that reduces pollution. http://phys.org/news231731955.html Chemistry Fri, 05 Aug 2011 03:02:22 EST news231731955 (PhysOrg.com) -- A team of researchers from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), George Mason University and the University of Maryland has made nano-sized sensors that detect volatile organic compounds -- harmful pollutants released from paints, cleaners, pesticides and other products -- that offer several advantages over today's commercial gas sensors, including low-power room-temperature operation and the ability to detect one or several compounds over a wide range of concentrations. http://phys.org/news227935695.html Nanotechnology Wed, 22 Jun 2011 04:28:45 EST news227935695 (PhysOrg.com) -- The process of splitting water into pure oxygen and clean-burning hydrogen fuel has long been the Holy Grail for clean-energy advocates as a method of large-scale energy storage, but the idea faces technical challenges. Stanford researchers may have solved one of the most important ones. http://phys.org/news227856384.html Chemistry Tue, 21 Jun 2011 06:26:45 EST news227856384 (PhysOrg.com) -- What causes a magnet to be a magnet, and how can we control a magnet's behavior? These are the questions that University at Buffalo researcher Igor Zutic, a theoretical physicist, has been exploring over many years. http://phys.org/news225696243.html Physics Fri, 27 May 2011 06:26:26 EST news225696243 (PhysOrg.com) -- While current cigarettes are made with a filter created from cellulose acetate which absorbs things like nicotine, tar, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, Chinese researchers have discovered that nanomaterials from titanium dioxide (TiO2) can be used to reduce the harmful chemicals. http://phys.org/news223704964.html Nanotechnology Wed, 04 May 2011 07:50:01 EST news223704964 (PhysOrg.com) -- Titanium oxide doped with cobalt produces magnetic properties at room temperature via a newly discovered mechanism. http://phys.org/news223709101.html Physics Wed, 04 May 2011 06:25:37 EST news223709101 The exploitation and utilization of new energy sources are considered to be among today's major challenges. Solar energy plays a central role, and its direct conversion into chemical energy, for example hydrogen generation by water splitting, is one of its interesting variants. Titanium oxide-based photocatalysis is the presently most efficient, yet little understood conversion process. In cooperation with colleagues from Germany and abroad, scientists of the KIT Institute for Functional Interfaces (IFG) have studied the basic mechanisms of photochemistry by the example of titania and have presented new detailed findings. http://phys.org/news222006183.html Physics Thu, 14 Apr 2011 13:23:12 EST news222006183 Could electronic components made from human blood be the key to creating cyborg interfaces? Circuitry that links human tissues and nerve cells directly to an electronic device, such as a robotic limb or artificial eye might one day be possible thanks to the development of biological components. http://phys.org/news220694423.html Technology Wed, 30 Mar 2011 09:00:39 EST news220694423 (PhysOrg.com) -- A little disorder goes a long way, especially when it comes to harnessing the sun’s energy. Scientists from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) jumbled the atomic structure of the surface layer of titanium dioxide nanocrystals, creating a catalyst that is both long lasting and more efficient than all other materials in using the sun’s energy to extract hydrogen from water. http://phys.org/news215443913.html Nanotechnology Fri, 28 Jan 2011 13:32:22 EST news215443913 A simple technique to make a common virus-killing material significantly more effective is a breakthrough from the Rice University labs of Andrew Barron and Qilin Li. http://phys.org/news214030431.html Chemistry Wed, 12 Jan 2011 04:54:10 EST news214030431 (PhysOrg.com) -- Over years of meticulous research into the popular, prototypical catalyst titanium dioxide, a clear view of the atomic-level interactions has emerged, but many of the answers lead to more questions. Three scientists at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory were recently invited to take on the challenge of gathering, analyzing, and summarizing the latest answers and examining the questions about titanium dioxide, specifically the rutile form. Their analysis appears in Progress in Surface Science. http://phys.org/news211476069.html Chemistry Mon, 13 Dec 2010 15:21:22 EST news211476069 Materials with de-polluting and de-soiling properties are used in, for example, pavement blocks. These materials contain titanium dioxide nanoparticles (TiO2 NPs). Could these TiO2 NPs be released into the environment and if so, could they have a negative impact? http://phys.org/news209902206.html Nanotechnology Thu, 25 Nov 2010 10:10:25 EST news209902206 More research is needed to understand how nanoparticles could impact the environment. When it comes to the size of nanoparticles moving contaminants in water, the jury’s still out. That’s what Moira Ridley, a professor at Texas Tech University’s Department of Geosciences, found out with several experiments involving strontium and nanoparticles of titanium dioxide – one of the most widely produced nanoparticles used in everything from cosmetics and sunscreen to automotive paint. http://phys.org/news207667971.html Nanotechnology Sat, 30 Oct 2010 14:33:18 EST news207667971 The concentrations of toxic nitrogen oxide that are present in German cities regularly exceed the maximum permitted levels. That’s now about to change, as innovative paving slabs that will help protect the environment are being introduced. Coated in titanium dioxide nanoparticles, they reduce the amount of nitrogen oxide in the air. http://phys.org/news200758660.html Space & Earth Wed, 11 Aug 2010 15:17:50 EST news200758660 Drive through the University of Tennessee in Knoxville on a sunny day, and you may see a man on the side of the road pruning the English ivy. http://phys.org/news200072206.html Nanotechnology Tue, 03 Aug 2010 16:37:12 EST news200072206 When Mingjun Zhang was watching his son play in the yard, he was hit with a burning question: "What makes the ivy in his backyard cling to the fence so tightly?" http://phys.org/news198771967.html Nanotechnology Mon, 19 Jul 2010 16:00:23 EST news198771967 A new report from the American Cancer Society and other world-leading health groups identifies gaps in research for 20 suspected carcinogens whose potential to cause cancer is as yet unresolved. The report is designed to prioritize agents for additional research, and to lead to well-planned epidemiologic or mechanistic studies leading to more definitive classification of these agents. http://phys.org/news198425769.html Medicine & Health Thu, 15 Jul 2010 15:50:04 EST news198425769 Conventional solar cell efficiency could be increased from the current limit of 30 percent to more than 60 percent, suggests new research on semiconductor nanocrystals, or quantum dots, led by chemist Xiaoyang Zhu at The University of Texas at Austin. http://phys.org/news195995540.html Nanotechnology Thu, 17 Jun 2010 14:00:09 EST news195995540 (PhysOrg.com) -- To produce "green" fuels, some scientists are looking for a little help from above. Sunlight is the key ingredient in photocatalytic water splitting, a process that breaks down water into oxygen and, most importantly, hydrogen, which could be used in future energy technologies like fuel cells. The problem is that the most effective photocatalysts, like pure titanium dioxide, are only activated by ultraviolet light. http://phys.org/news195926828.html Physics Wed, 16 Jun 2010 17:08:35 EST news195926828 (PhysOrg.com) -- To settle down on the surface of titanium dioxide, oxygen atoms need a few electrons. The source of these electrons has been under debate: do the electrons come from the surface or from deep down within? Now, scientists from Pacific Northwest National Laboratory have proven that the electrons come from the surface of the titanium dioxide. The needed electrons are left by oxygen atoms that pack up and move to other locations. http://phys.org/news195837768.html Chemistry Tue, 15 Jun 2010 16:23:21 EST news195837768