Nanoparticles liberate flexible solar cells

A stumbling block for developing flexible solar cells has been the need for a smooth growth substrate to ensure high device efficiency. While glass is readily available, smooth and non-porous, it is also brittle, which makes the flexible properties of the other materials in the device redundant. Now researchers at the Institute of Photonic Sciences […]

Engineered quantum dots convert low-intensity IR light into visible light

Auger up-conversion processes can allow photovoltaic devices to harvest low-energy solar photons that are not normally absorbed. A team of researchers from the Los Alamos Laboratory in New Mexico in the US has now demonstrated such a process in thick-shell lead selenide/cadmium selenide semiconducting quantum dots in which two low-energy, core-based excitons (electron-hole pairs) are […]

‘Butterfly’ magnetoresistance seen in nonmagnetic Dirac material

Researchers in the US and Germany have observed an unusual “butterfly”-shaped and extremely large angular magnetoresistance in the nonmagnetic Dirac material zirconium silicon sulphide (ZrSiS) that they can control using an applied magnetic field. The new findings could help in the development of “fermitronic” devices for high-speed electronics and optics……. http://nanotechweb.org/cws/article/tech/67344 Stuart Parkin

Researchers Develop Simple Method for Producing Fluorescent Carbon Quantum Dots from Sugarcane Bagasse

Indian researchers pioneer an alternate use for sugarcane waste. This schematic representation illustrates the process of turning bagasse into carbon quantum dots. (Credit: Elsevier) From Britain to Mexico, countries are considering sugar taxes to reduce consumption and curb the global obesity epidemic. In 2014, about 600 million people, roughly double the population of the United […]

Semiconducting polymers could make good e-skin

Researchers at Stanford University in the US have developed new, stretchable and self-healing thin-film polymeric semiconductors. The materials, which contain dynamic intermolecular hydrogen bonds that can be easily broken and reformed, might be used to make advanced organic electronic films that mimic human skin….. http://nanotechweb.org/cws/article/tech/66996 An intrinsically stretchable and healable organic semiconductor

‘GrapheneQ’ makes first commercial loudspeaker

Researchers at ORA in Montreal, Canada, say they have developed the first consumer-ready loudspeaker from graphene oxide. The technology is compatible with current speaker and audio systems and could find its way into many commercial products in the not too distant future, says company co-founder Xavier Cauchy….. http://nanotechweb.org/cws/article/tech/67016 Prototype speaker membrane

Gold supraspheres for host-guest chemistry

Gold nanoparticle-based supraspheres, which are analogues of supramolecular cages and containers, can be used to perform classical host-guest chemistry, according to new experiments by researchers in Israel and Switzerland. Although real-world applications may be a way off, at the laboratory level these materials may be used as soluble systems for better understanding phenomena associated with […]

CMOS-compatible SiC qualifies for quantum technology

Exploiting the quirks of quantum mechanics in real-world technologies – such as quantum communication – requires material systems that enable the transfer and exchange of quantum entanglement between different systems. Now, calculations by researchers in the US indicate that defects in silicon carbide (SiC) – which is CMOS-compatible – may have winning attributes to fit […]

Nanoparticle conjugates could help treat flu

A new way to treat influenza using nanoparticle dendrimers containing sialic acid has been developed by a team of researchers in the US and Korea. The influenza virus binds to these nanoparticles and is thus unable to infect lung tissue. Although only tested on mice so far, the technique might help in the design of […]

NV centres for long-term 3D data storage

The nitrogen vacancy (NV) centre can be used for long-term information storage. So say researchers at City University of New York–City College of New York who have used optical microscopy to read, write and reset information in a diamond crystal defect. The 2D bit density in this system is comparable to present-day DVD technology but […]

Atom assembler makes defect-free arrays

Researchers at the Institut d’Optique Graduate School at the CNRS and Université Paris-Saclay in France have developed a new way to rearrange cold atoms one by one in a fully ordered array. Their technique could be used to simulate quantum systems using neutral atoms trapped in optical tweezers….. http://nanotechweb.org/cws/article/tech/66812 Order from disorder

Engineered spinach detects explosives

By embedding plant leaves with carbon nanotubes, researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have transformed a plant into a living sensor that can detect chemicals like explosives and then wirelessly relay this information to a handheld device like a smartphone. Engineering electronics into plants is a new and upcoming field of research called nanobionics […]

1 2 3 6