http://phys.org/nanotech-news/ en-us PhysOrg Team Phys.org provides the latest news on nanotechnology, nanoscience, nanoelectronics, science and technology. Updated Daily. (Phys.org) -- In the phenomenon of superlubricity, two solid surfaces can slide past each other with almost no friction. The effect occurs when the solid surfaces have crystalline structures and their lattices are rotated in such a way as to cancel out the friction force. A bit like stacking two egg cartons, if the lattices are aligned, they lock in to each other and it is hard to slide one over the other. But rotate one egg carton a bit, and it no longer locks in this way. http://phys.org/news258017893.html Nanotechnology 2012-06-04T09:30:01-07:00 (Phys.org) -- Researchers at the Center for Nanophysics and Advanced Materials of the University of Maryland have developed a new type of hot electron bolometer a sensitive detector of infrared light, that can be used in a huge range of applications from detection of chemical and biochemical weapons from a distance and use in security imaging technologies such as airport body scanners, to chemical analysis in the laboratory and studying the structure of the universe through improved telescopes. http://phys.org/news258016919.html Nanotechnology 2012-06-04T08:22:15-07:00 (Phys.org) -- Iron nanoparticles encapsulated in a rust-preventing polymer coating could hold incredible potential for cleaning up groundwater contaminated with toxic chemicals, a leading water expert says. http://phys.org/news258015403.html Nanotechnology 2012-06-04T07:56:50-07:00 Using a technique known as “nucleic acid origami,” chemical engineers have built tiny particles made out of DNA and RNA that can deliver snippets of RNA directly to tumors, turning off genes expressed in cancer cells. http://phys.org/news258007956.html Nanotechnology 2012-06-04T05:53:26-07:00 (Phys.org) -- Similar to how tighter stiches make for a better quality quilt, the "stitching" between individual crystals of graphene affects how well these carbon monolayers conduct electricity and retain their strength, Cornell researchers report. http://phys.org/news257752391.html Nanotechnology 2012-06-01T06:53:26-07:00 A laboratory test used to detect disease and perform biological research could be made more than 3 million times more sensitive, according to researchers who combined standard biological tools with a breakthrough in nanotechnology. http://phys.org/news257703005.html Nanotechnology 2012-05-31T17:10:17-07:00 UCLA biochemists have designed specialized proteins that assemble themselves to form tiny molecular cages hundreds of times smaller than a single cell. The creation of these miniature structures may be the first step toward developing new methods of drug delivery or even designing artificial vaccines. http://phys.org/news257690097.html Nanotechnology 2012-05-31T14:00:07-07:00 (Phys.org) -- Sometimes to answer big questions, you need to start small-very small. Scientists from Pacific Northwest National Laboratory's Chemical Imaging Initiative did just that when they analyzed cadmium selenide, or CdSe, quantum dots. Quantum dots are nanometer-sized particles that have different optical and electronic properties than their bulk materials. The team showed how size and environment unexpectedly alter the dots' structure. Understanding the chemistry involved in these tiny transformations has applications in hybrid solar cells, where improving the electron mobility can ultimately enhance their overall efficiency and ability to contribute to the nation's energy needs. http://phys.org/news257673073.html Nanotechnology 2012-05-31T09:30:03-07:00 (Phys.org) -- For more than three decades scientists have been investigating magnetic nanoparticles as a method of drug delivery. Now by combining three metals - iron, gold and platinum - pharmacists at the University of Sydney believe they have discovered a method for magnetically directing drugs through the body. http://phys.org/news257674059.html Nanotechnology 2012-05-31T09:08:12-07:00 Graphene has caused a lot of excitement among scientists since the extremely strong and thin carbon material was discovered in 2004. Just one atom thick, the honeycomb-shaped material has several remarkable properties combining mechanical toughness with superior electrical and thermal conductivity. http://phys.org/news257616598.html Nanotechnology 2012-05-30T17:10:15-07:00 Harvard University scientists on Wednesday said they had created Smileys, Chinese characters and card-game symbols at scales of billionths of a metre using strands of DNA. http://phys.org/news257603280.html Nanotechnology 2012-05-30T13:28:18-07:00 Researchers at the Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard University have developed a method for building complex nanostructures out of short synthetic strands of DNA. Called single-stranded tiles (SSTs), these interlocking DNA "building blocks," akin to Legos, can be programmed to assemble themselves into precisely designed shapes, such as letters and emoticons. Further development of the technology could enable the creation of new nanoscale devices, such as those that deliver drugs directly to disease sites. http://phys.org/news257590618.html Nanotechnology 2012-05-30T13:00:04-07:00 European scientists studied electron flow in systems of organic photosensitive dyes and titanium-based materials. Results are particularly relevant to increasing the efficiency of a cost-effective class of solar cells and have potential broad application to nanotechnology and clean energy science. http://phys.org/news257593402.html Nanotechnology 2012-05-30T10:44:02-07:00 A research group headed by MANA Scientist Dr. Qingmin Ji of the National Institute for Materials Science (Japan), in joint study with Prof. Frank Caruso of the University of Melbourne, developed a new elastic capsule using an inorganic nanometer-thickness flake-shaped material (nanosheets). Tests of the new capsule demonstrated that the release duration of anticancer drugs and other drugs can be controlled freely and can also be extended by several times by using the newly-developed capsule. http://phys.org/news257588409.html Nanotechnology 2012-05-30T09:20:20-07:00 (Phys.org) -- Scientists at the Vienna University of Technology found a method to locate single gold atoms on a surface. This should pave the way to better and cheaper catalysts. http://phys.org/news257586456.html Nanotechnology 2012-05-30T08:47:41-07:00 (Phys.org) -- Fullerenes were first discovered back in 1985 by a team of physicists vaporizing graphite in helium gas, one class of which, the buckminsterfullerene (C60) named after Buckminster Fuller and his geodesic domes, forms into spherical, hollow cages that resemble soccer balls. Since that time, a lot of study has been done on and with so named buckyballs, yet no one has been able to figure out how exactly they form. Now, new research by one of the original discoverers of fullerenes, Harold Kroto and his team at Florida State University moves closer to that goal in finding that buckyballs grow larger when exposed to vaporized carbon. The team has written a paper describing their observations and have had it published in the journal Nature Communications. http://phys.org/news257577836.html Nanotechnology 2012-05-30T06:24:41-07:00 While the Statue of Liberty and old pennies may continue to turn green, printed electronics and media screens made of copper nanowires will always keep their original color. http://phys.org/news257525860.html Nanotechnology 2012-05-29T15:57:52-07:00 (Phys.org) -- Which pathways do nanomedicines take after they have been swallowed? Scientists find a recirculation pathway of polymeric micelles using multimodal nonlinear optical microscopy. http://phys.org/news257502894.html Nanotechnology 2012-05-29T09:35:11-07:00 (Phys.org) -- Researchers first observed graphene in 2004 by extracting the single-atom-thick sheets of carbon from bulk graphite. While graphene’s electrical and optical properties have proven to have extraordinary potential for many applications, creating atomically precise structures out of graphene remains challenging. In an effort to improve graphene’s usability, scientists have been searching for a way to fabricate artificial graphene, which could serve as a helpful structure where devices can be easily tested before their implementation with natural graphene. Now in a new study, scientists have identified all the main criteria required to make artificial graphene, which could provide a guide for experimentally realizing the material. http://phys.org/news257497866.html Nanotechnology 2012-05-29T09:20:01-07:00 Using Center for Nanoscale Materials (CNM) expertise in the design and fabrication of micro- and nanoscale devices, a new strategy for engineering low-frequency noise oscillators capitalizes on the intrinsic nonlinear phenomena of micro- and nanomechanical resonators. A fundamental limitation of such resonators was addressed by a team of researchers from the Nanofabrication & Devices Group working with CNICT, Argentina. http://phys.org/news257412971.html Nanotechnology 2012-05-28T08:50:10-07:00 (Phys.org) -- Graphene is the wonder material that could solve the problem of making ever faster computers and smaller mobile devices when current silicon microchip technology hits an inevitable wall. Graphene, a single layer of carbon atoms in a tight hexagonal arrangement, has been highly researched because of its incredible electronic properties, with theoretical speeds 100 times greater than silicon. But putting the material into a microchip that could outperform current silicon technology has proven difficult. http://phys.org/news257400658.html Nanotechnology 2012-05-28T05:34:48-07:00 Scientists have created and imaged the smallest possible five-ringed structure – about 100,000 times thinner than a human hair – and you'll probably recognise its shape. http://phys.org/news257317217.html Nanotechnology 2012-05-27T19:00:01-07:00 Multi-walled carbon nanotubes riddled with defects and impurities on the outside could replace some of the expensive platinum catalysts used in fuel cells and metal-air batteries, according to scientists at Stanford University. Their findings are published in the May 27 online edition of the journal Nature Nanotechnology. http://phys.org/news257319327.html Nanotechnology 2012-05-27T13:03:24-07:00 EU researchers extensively characterised the self-organisation of nanotubes and developed novel compositions particularly appropriate to solar energy conversion applications. http://phys.org/news257155272.html Nanotechnology 2012-05-25T09:50:01-07:00 EU researchers developed polymer blends and processing techniques facilitating recovery of scrap from industrial processes. Advances in this area have the potential to decrease costs and waste while protecting the environment. http://phys.org/news257155239.html Nanotechnology 2012-05-25T09:00:46-07:00 (Phys.org) -- Tiny particles of cerium oxide do not burn or change in the heat of a waste incineration plant. They remain intact on combustion residues or in the incineration system, as a new study by Swiss researchers from ETH Zurich reveals. http://phys.org/news257152593.html Nanotechnology 2012-05-25T08:16:53-07:00 Chinese researchers have designed and tested simulations of a "nanoclutch," a speed regulation tool for nanomotors. http://phys.org/news257100379.html Nanotechnology 2012-05-24T18:00:02-07:00 Porous ceramic water filters are often coated with colloidal silver, which prevents the growth of microbes trapped in the micro- and nano-scale pores of the filter. Other metals such as copper and zinc have also been shown to exhibit anti-microbial activity. http://phys.org/news257099976.html Nanotechnology 2012-05-24T17:39:47-07:00 (Phys.org) -- Researchers are edging toward the creation of new optical technologies using "nanostructured metamaterials" capable of ultra-efficient transmission of light, with potential applications including advanced solar cells and quantum computing. http://phys.org/news257092260.html Nanotechnology 2012-05-24T15:31:15-07:00 In the growth of crystals, do nanoparticles act as "artificial atoms" forming molecular-type building blocks that can assemble into complex structures? This is the contention of a major but controversial theory to explain nanocrystal growth. A study by researchers at the DOE's Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) may resolve the controversy and point the way to energy devices of the future. http://phys.org/news257078986.html Nanotechnology 2012-05-24T14:00:16-07:00