Technology Update

Physicists at the CNRS and the Université Paris-Sud say they have observed the Hong-Ou-Mandel effect with atoms for the first time. This effect, first observed in an experiment nearly 30 years ago for photons, occurs when two individual but identical light particles enter the two arms of a “beam splitter” at the same time. The […]

A new type of magnetometer based on diamond impurities has been unveiled by physicists in the US. The device is about 1000 times more sensitive than previous diamond-based sensors because it uses an optical cavity to concentrate laser light in the vicinity of the impurities. Although the new device cannot yet reach the sensitivity of some […]

Nanoparticles could reduce inflammation in atherosclerotic plaques, according to new experiments by researchers in the US and the Netherlands. The nanoparticles, which target the white blood cells present in the plaques, could be used to treat patients that have had a heart attack or stroke…… http://nanotechweb.org/cws/article/tech/60803 Statin-loaded HDL nanoparticles reduce plaque inflammation

Researchers at the University of Montreal, Polytechnique Montréal and CHU Sainte-Justine have used magnetic nanoparticles to open the blood brain barrier and deliver chemical molecules directly into the brain. Although the technique has not yet been tested on humans, the research is important since 98% of modern-day therapeutics are unable to cross this barrier. The […]

A new carbon-foam-based catalyst for rechargeable zinc-air batteries that performs as well or better than most previously reported catalysts, including platinum/metal oxide-based ones. This is what researchers at Case Western Reserve University and the University of North Texas say they have made. The new carbon nanostructure, which is cheap, easy to make and environmentally friendly, […]

Researchers at the California NanoSystems Institute and the Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center say they have developed a new way to treat pancreatic tumours using a mesoporous silica nanobubble containing not one but two chemotherapy drugs that work together in synergy. The treatment appears to work as well (in mice with the disease) as the current […]

It is possible to modulate the nanoscale morphology of “supramolecular” self-assemblies of small organic molecules by simply changing the nature of the light that triggers the self-assembly process itself, say researchers in France and Germany. Although this type of process is known to occur in metallic nanoparticles, this is the first time that it has […]

“Non-filling” carbon-coated porous silicon microparticles might be used to make an ultrahigh performance lithium-ion battery anode material, according to new experiments by researchers at Stanford University and the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory in California. An electrode fabricated from the microparticles has a high reversible specific capacity of around 1500 mAh/g over 1000 cycles thanks to […]

When carbon nanotubes are made, a mixture of single-, double- and multi-walled nanotubes are produced. The nanomaterials are also produced as a mix of both metallic and semiconducting tubes. This is a real problem when trying to make electronic devices from these structures because, ideally, either semiconducting or metallic tubes are needed depending on the […]

A single atomic layer of “wrinkled” graphene deposited upon a polyester film is not as stiff as flat graphene on the same substrate, according to new experiments by researchers at the University of Manchester in the UK. This new result is vital for understanding how wrinkled graphene deforms since the material is increasingly being used […]

Fractal patterns that arise when healthy human cells turn cancerous have been observed for the first time by scientists in the US. Using an atomic force microscope (AFM), Igor Sokolov and colleagues at Tufts University and Clarkson University saw the patterns while studying the surfaces of cervical epithelial cells at nanometre resolution. The work could […]

Hot spots can occur in devices made from carbon nanotube arrays, according to new experiments by researchers at IBM in the US and Brazil and Northwestern University. The highly localized thermal centres, which can be much hotter than 400 K, can irreversibly degrade device performance and so need to be better controlled….. http://nanotechweb.org/cws/article/tech/60497 Hot spots in […]

A new “bullseye”-shaped grating has allowed researchers to efficiently collect photons with specific spins from the diamond nitrogen-vacancy (NV) colour centre. The number of photons collected reached nearly three million per second, which is the highest ever value reported to date for a single NV. The result could have important implications for a number of […]

The notion that surface structure may affect friction and adhesion between interfaces is not new. But until recently there had been no experiments with nanoparticles to test this relationship. Now researchers in Korea have made gold nanoparticles of different shapes to identify how atomic packing density at the surface affects their tribological properties….. http://nanotechweb.org/cws/article/tech/60516 Friction […]

Surface enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) is able to identify molecules at very low concentrations and so can be put to good use in many analytical applications, such as forensics, medical diagnostics and identifying new drugs. However, the technique suffers from continuous background photoluminescence, the origin of which is still poorly understood. This background makes it […]