Molecules have an orientation, and scientists have a new way to measure it

Molecular orientation is key to designing better materials

12-Dec-2022 - In some materials, the molecules line up in a regular, repeating pattern. In others, they all point in random directions. But in many advanced materials used in medicine, computer chip manufacturing and other industries, the molecules arrange themselves in complex patterns that dictate the ...

Detecting light in a different dimension

Polymer nanostructures longer than wide make graphene a better light detector

14-Nov-2018 - Scientists from the Center for Functional Nanomaterials (CFN) have dramatically improved the response of graphene to light through self-assembling wire-like nanostructures that conduct electricity. The improvement could pave the way for the development of graphene-based detectors that can quickly ...

Small nanoparticles have surprisingly big effects on polymer nanocomposites

10-Mar-2017 - Polymer nanocomposites mix particles billionths of a meter (nanometers, nm) in diameter with polymers, which are long molecular chains. Often used to make injection-molded products, they are common in automobiles, fire retardants, packaging materials, drug-delivery systems, medical devices, ...

In Flow State

03-Mar-2017 - Ever wonder why you have to shake your bottle of ketchup or mustard before pouring? Or why, to get out of quicksand, you must move slowly? Or why you can run on the surface of a suspension of cornstarch in water, but you’d sink if you tried to walk on it? The common feature of all these ...

New device uses carbon nanotubes to snag molecules

23-Dec-2015 - Engineers at MIT have devised a new technique for trapping hard-to-detect molecules, using forests of carbon nanotubes. The team modified a simple microfluidic channel with an array of vertically aligned carbon nanotubes -- rolled lattices of carbon atoms that resemble tiny tubes of chicken wire. ...

A new wrinkle in the control of waves

Flexible materials could provide new ways to control sound and light

27-Jan-2014 - Flexible, layered materials textured with nanoscale wrinkles could provide a new way of controlling the wavelengths and distribution of waves, whether of sound or light. The new method, developed by researchers at MIT, could eventually find applications from nondestructive testing of materials to ...

New technology allows lenses to change color rapidly

UConn scientist's electrochromic lenses can be used in sunglasses and has captured the interest of the US military

15-Jul-2011 - A University of Connecticut scientist has perfected a method for creating quick-changing, variable colors in films and displays, such as sunglasses, that could lead to the next hot fashion accessory.The new technology also has captured the interest of the U.S. military as a way to assist soldiers ...

Pitt researchers harness carbon nanomaterials for drug delivery systems, oxygen sensors

Researchers describe carbon nanocapsules for drug and energy storage in Advanced Materials, creation of highly sensitive oxygen sensors in Nature Chemistry

19-Aug-2009 - Two nanoscale devices recently reported by University of Pittsburgh researchers in two separate journals harness the potential of carbon nanomaterials to enhance technologies for drug or imaging agent delivery and energy storage systems, in one case, and, in the other, bolster the sensitivity of ...

UGA researchers achieve breakthrough in effort to develop tiny biological fuel cells

23-Jun-2009 - University of Georgia researchers have developed a successful way to grow molecular wire brushes that conduct electrical charges, a first step in developing biological fuel cells that could power pacemakers, cochlear implants and prosthetic limbs. The journal Chemical Science calls the technique ...

World's brightest X-ray machine comes online at SLAC

The $420 million Linac Coherent Light Source will snap photos at the molecular level of everything from proteins to semiconductor materials

24-Apr-2009 - After years of design and construction, the world's brightest X-ray machine has come to life at the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, in the hills near Stanford University. The mile-long machine produces a laser beam made of X-rays instead of visible light. Its laser bursts are so bright and ...