Technology Update

A new type of hydrogel could make for high-performance energy-storage electrodes and biosensors.

Capsules made from “polyrotaxanes” could make for a new type of non-toxic and efficient drug-delivery vehicle, according to researchers at the University of Melbourne in Australia.

Researchers at the University of Florida in Gainesville have succeeded in fabricating the most efficient graphene-based solar cells ever by adding an organic dopant to the graphene layer in the devices.

A team of researchers at the University of Maryland in the US have unveiled a new, highly sensitive, bolometer made from graphene that can detect infrared light.

Researchers at the University of Toronto have put forward a new set of general design rules for making multijunction solar cells. The rules could help make more efficient photovoltaic devices and can be applied to a variety of solution-processed solar cells, including colloidal quantum dot and organic photovoltaics. http://nanotechweb.org/cws/article/tech/49951

For most manufacturers, cracks are usually something to be avoided – and the semiconductor industry is no exception.

An unusual parameter – low-frequency electronic noise – could be exploited to make selective and highly sensitive gas sensors based on pristine graphene.

Graphene has once again shown itself to be a promising material for photonics applications because it can emit infrared light when excited with very short (35  femtosecond) laser pulses.

A new material made from several layers of graphene is an effective shield for terahertz and microwave radiation, while letting visible light through.

Researchers have created an undersea vehicle inspired by the common jellyfish that runs on renewable energy and could be used in ocean rescue and surveillance missions.

Pressure-treated wood is great stuff, but the chemicals used to preserve it from decay can leach out, where they can be toxic to insects, fungi and other creatures.

Gold nanoparticles can help identify Salmonella in five minutes, which is considerably faster than the 12-24 hours required to grow a reliable culture in a lab.

Researchers in the US and Korea have imaged growing nanocrystals on the atomic scale for the first time.

Researchers in China and Australia have observed superlubricity – the dropping of friction to near zero – on length scales much larger than before.

A new way to fabricate 3D nanostructures from gallium nitride using a focused ion beam (FIB) has been developed by researchers in Moldova, Australia, Germany and France.

Researchers at Oregon State University have tapped into the extraordinary power of carbon nanotubes to increase the speed of biological sensors. This technology might one day allow a doctor to routinely perform lab tests in minutes, speeding diagnosis and treatment while reducing costs. 

Research by University of Brighton scientists on the use of silver nanoparticles to decontaminate mercury-contaminated water has been highlighted by ‘Science’.

Chemists at Brown University have created a triple-headed metallic nanoparticle that reportedly performs better and lasts longer than any other nanoparticle catalyst studied in fuel-cell reactions. The key is the addition of gold: It yields a more uniform crystal structure while removing carbon monoxide from the reaction.

A new, single-step method of fabricating microcapsules, which have potential commercial applications in industries including medicine, agriculture and diagnostics, has been developed by researchers at the University of Cambridge.

This unprecedented atomic accuracy may yield the elementary building block for a future quantum computer with unparalleled computational efficiency.

Copper-iodide nanoparticles have long-lasting antiviral activity against the 2009 pandemic H1N1 influenza virus, according to a paper in the February issue of the journal Applied and Environmental Microbiology.