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)—Using the power of the sun and ultrathin films of iron oxide (commonly known as rust), Technion-Israel Institute of Technology researchers have found a novel way to split water molecules into hydrogen and oxygen. The breakthrough, published this week in Nature Materials could lead to less expensive, more efficient ways to store solar energy in the form of hydrogen-based fuels. This could be a major step forward in the development of viable replacements for fossil fuels. http://phys.org/news272011984.html Chemistry Tue, 13 Nov 2012 07:10:05 EST news272011984 (Phys.org)—Researchers at the University of Twente's MESA+ Institute for Nanotechnology have succeeded in producing ultrathin films with an unusual combination of properties. At room temperature they do not conduct electricity, but they are magnetic. This would be extremely useful in applications that require fast magnetic switching, such as new types of memory, for example. http://phys.org/news269767862.html Physics Thu, 18 Oct 2012 09:00:01 EST news269767862 (Phys.org)—Read heads in hard drives, lasers in DVD players, transistors on computer chips, and many other components all contain ultrathin films of metal or semiconductor materials. Stresses arise in thin films during their manufacture. These influence the optical and magnetic properties of the components, but also cause defects in crystal lattices, and in the end, lead to component failure. As researchers in the department of Eric Mittemeijer at the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems in Stuttgart have now established, enormous stresses in the films are created by a quantum-mechanical mechanism that has been unknown until now, based on an effect by the name of quantum confinement. This effect can cause stresses equivalent to one thousand times standard atmospheric pressure, dependent of thickness. Knowledge of this could be helpful in controlling the optical and mechanical properties of thin-film systems and increase their mechanical stability. Additionally, very sensitive sensors might also be developed on the basis of this knowledge. http://phys.org/news266754395.html Nanotechnology Thu, 13 Sep 2012 11:27:20 EST news266754395 (Phys.org)—A new "nano machine shop" that shapes nanowires and ultrathin films could represent a future manufacturing method for tiny structures with potentially revolutionary properties. http://phys.org/news265477152.html Nanotechnology Wed, 29 Aug 2012 16:39:20 EST news265477152 (PhysOrg.com) -- Using precision techniques for making superconducting thin films layer-by-layer, physicists at the U.S. Department of Energy's Brookhaven National Laboratory have identified a single layer responsible for one such material's ability to become superconducting, i.e., carry electrical current with no energy loss. The technique, described in the October 30, 2009, issue of Science, could be used to engineer ultrathin films with "tunable" superconductivity for higher-efficiency electronic devices. http://phys.org/news176045082.html Physics Thu, 29 Oct 2009 14:25:20 EST news176045082