Researchers at Berkeley Lab have discovered new rules for creating ultra-bright light-emitting crystals less than 10 nanometers in diameter, which should be a big asset for biological imaging. The discovery shows that factors known to increase brightness in bulk experiments lose importance at higher excitation powers.
Researchers at Purdue University and Macquarie University have developed a way to control the length of time light from luminescent nanocrystals lingers, exponentially boosting detection capabilities. This technology can identify thousands of different target molecules simultaneously, far surpassing current limits.
A team of researchers from Berkeley Lab and the Scripps Research Institute used a new technique to study the role of MutS in DNA's mismatch repair system, providing new insight into genome integrity. The study validated the 'beads-on-a-string' model of DNA repair and revealed details about MutS that could be valuable for drug design an...
Scientists at Brookhaven National Laboratory have created a high-performing nanocatalyst that transforms impure hydrogen into electricity, addressing challenges of carbon monoxide poisoning. The novel core-shell structure, combining ruthenium and platinum, exhibits perfect atomic ordering and superior performance parameters.
The discovery enables rapid localization and measurement of cells within living environments at the nanoscale, such as changes to a single cell in response to chemical signals. The ultra-sensitive nanoparticles, or SuperDots, can detect individual particles with thousand times more sensitivity than existing materials.
Berkeley Lab researchers observed direct size-dependence in metal nanocrystal phase transformations during reactions with hydrogen gas. This discovery holds key findings for optimizing commercial applications, including hydrogen storage systems, catalysts, fuel cells, and batteries.
Researchers have designed a new material that can dynamically modify sunlight as it passes through a window, maximizing both energy savings and occupant comfort. The coating provides selective control over visible light and heat-producing near-infrared (NIR) light.
Researchers used a revolutionary X-ray laser to freeze the motion of atoms in gold nanocrystals, revealing unusual supersonic vibrations. The new images support theoretical models for light interaction with metals and have potential applications in understanding material response after perturbation.
University of Illinois researchers created a novel approach to produce highly uniform Pt icosahedral nanocrystals using the hot injection-assisted GRAILS method. The synthesis results in high-purity products with ideal models for studying structure-property relationships.
Researchers used a microwave oven to produce a nanocrystal semiconductor for more efficient photovoltaic solar cells and LED lights, biological sensors, and systems to convert waste heat to electricity. The method produces the material quickly and uses less toxic metals than other semiconductors.
McGill researchers demonstrate ability to modulate light using laser-pulse inputs to manipulate quantum mechanical state of semiconductor nanocrystals. This breakthrough could lead to the development of optical transistors, which would enable faster and more efficient data processing in telecommunications networks.
Researchers developed a technique to measure the structure of gold nanocrystals under extremely high pressures, resolving distortion issues with X-ray beams. This breakthrough could lead to improvements in nanomaterials and a better understanding of planetary interiors.
Researchers have successfully imaged the changes in morphology of gold nanocrystals under pressures of up to 6.5 gigapascals, solving a long-standing problem in measuring nanomaterial structures. The study shows that the nanocrystals undergo plastic flow, becoming more fluid-like at high pressure, and reveals new insights into the beha...
Researchers at Georgia Institute of Technology and Purdue University developed efficient solar cells using natural substrates derived from trees, enabling quick recycling in water. The organic solar cells reach a power conversion efficiency of 2.7 percent, paving the way for a truly recyclable and sustainable solar cell technology.
Researchers from KIT and the University of Toronto have successfully manufactured highly efficient light-emitting diodes using silicon nanocrystals. The SiLEDs can produce light in various colors and have a surprising long-term stability, making them an attractive alternative to existing LEDs.
Boston College researchers create a yolk-shell nanocrystal structure with a porous 'skin' that can filter molecules based on size or chemical makeup, allowing greater selectivity in chemical reactions. The new catalyst exhibits unprecedented control and precision, paving the way for expanded applications of heterogeneous catalysis.
Researchers at the University of Chicago are developing 'designer atoms' through nanocrystal assembly, offering new opportunities for solar energy, quantum computing, and functional materials. By controlling electron correlation, they aim to create strongly correlated systems with unique properties.
A team of researchers at the University of Pennsylvania has developed flexible, low-voltage electronic circuits using cadmium selenide nanocrystals. The new technology offers improved performance and manufacturing cost compared to traditional silicon-based electronics, enabling potential biomedical and security applications.
UCF researchers have made a breakthrough in nanotechnology by developing nanoclusters that can diffuse high-energy laser beams. These tiny clusters of gold particles have the potential to protect pilots and sensitive equipment from destructive lasers, providing a new level of safety for these applications.
A new video protocol has been developed to synthesize durable nanocrystals that can harvest solar energy efficiently. The technique, published in JoVE, focuses on the liquid phase synthesis of two nanocrystals that produce hydrogen gas or electricity when exposed to light.
Researchers at MIT have developed a new process to create defect-free patterns of nanocrystal films with nanoscale resolution, enabling applications in electronic devices, solar cells, and biosensors. The electrical conductivity of the films is roughly 180 times greater than that of conventional methods.
Researchers from Brown University and ATMI Inc. report the best-ever transparency and conductivity performance for an ITO made using a chemical solution, potentially offering a low-cost method for manufacturers. The team created conductive films with 93% transparency and comparable conductivity to glass plates.
Researchers at Berkeley Lab observed nanoparticles forming winding polycrystalline chains that align and attach end-to-end to form nanorods with controlled length-to-thickness ratios. This process suggests a new understanding of how nano-sized particles assemble into hierarchical structures.
Researchers at Berkeley Lab directly observed the critical step of oriented attachment in nanocrystal growth, enabling a better understanding of forces driving this phenomenon. This breakthrough has potential applications in synthesizing new biomimetic materials and improving environmental restoration efforts.
A new prototype technology demonstrates all three primary laser colors coming from one material. This breakthrough could lead to making products such as high-performance digital displays that employ a variety of laser colors.
Scientists at USC have created a pathway to affordable solar cells made from tiny nanocrystals that can be printed onto clear surfaces. The new method overcomes a key challenge in liquid solar cell technology by stabilizing the nanocrystals and allowing for efficient electricity transmission.
A team of scientists has developed a technique to encapsulate liquids containing nanocrystals between layers of graphene, enabling the direct observation of chemical reactions at the atomic scale. This breakthrough allows for unprecedented studies of nanoscale phenomena in liquids.
Researchers have developed nanocrystal-coated glass fibers that can generate electricity when exposed to heat, potentially recovering 10% of the energy wasted in US industries. The technology also enables solid-state cooling without compressors or refrigerants, making it suitable for use in garments and industrial applications.
A team of researchers has created glass-based inorganic LEDs that produce light in the ultraviolet range, paving the way for implantable biomedical devices. The new devices are scalable, chemically stable, and can be used in harsh environments, making them suitable for applications such as medical diagnostics and treatment.
Paul Alivisatos, Berkeley Lab director, has won the Wolf Prize in Chemistry for his pioneering work on nanochemistry and artificial nanostructures. He shares the award with Charles Lieber of Harvard University, both recognized authorities on nanoscience and quantum dot technology.
Researchers at Berkeley Lab observed structural transformations within a single copper sulfide nanocrystal, revealing dynamics influenced by defects. The study provides new insights into phase transitions and their relevance to battery performance and solar energy harvesting.
This article covers various geological topics from August 2011, including microbial activity in banded-iron formations, the San Andreas fault system's deformation patterns, and earthquake hazards. Researchers also investigated porosity redistribution in crystal-rich magmas and boundaries conditions on laboratory models of simple shear.
Researchers at Berkeley Lab have discovered a unique luminescence property in tetrapod nanocrystals that breaks Kasha's rule. The cadmium-selenide/cadmium-sulfide core/shell tetrapods emit light from multiple excited states, showing promising potential for optical sensing and LED applications.
Researchers at Berkeley Lab have created bilayered nanocrystals with multiple catalytic sites, enabling sequential and selective catalytic reactions. This approach could improve design of high-performance nanostructured catalysts for multiple-step chemical reactions.
Researchers at Hebrew University have successfully doped semiconductor nanocrystals with impurity atoms, improving their electrical conductivity. This breakthrough could lead to the development of new electronic products, including nanolasers, solar cells, and sensors.
Researchers have gained a deeper understanding of how nanowires form, thanks to a new theoretical model. The discovery reveals that the shape of catalyst particles controls the growth of nanowires and their crystal structure.
Researchers use X-ray laser to determine 3D structures of proteins and capture single-shot images of viruses, paving the way for snapshots and movies of molecules and microbes in action. The technique has the potential to decipher tens of thousands of protein structures and study infectious diseases.
Researchers from Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory created a durable and efficient photocatalyst that can collect solar energy to extract hydrogen from water. The disorder-engineered nanocrystal absorbs infrared light, making it attractive for use in clean-energy technologies.
Researchers at NIST developed a surface-directed method for growing nanowires horizontally, producing nano-LEDs with improved properties. The technique enables easy localization of individual heterojunctions on the surface, making it suitable for various applications.
Researchers at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory have discovered a new class of phase-change materials, BEANs, that can switch between crystalline and amorphous states in nanoseconds. These nano-sized particles have the potential to revolutionize data storage and optical data storage technologies.
Researchers at Rice University have developed the first two-terminal memory chips using only silicon, which can be easily adapted to nanoelectronic manufacturing techniques. The new technology features high on-off ratios, excellent endurance and fast switching times, making it suitable for military and NASA applications.
A team of chemists, physicists and materials scientists at the University of Pennsylvania created a new method to rapidly grow centimeter-scale membranes of binary nanocrystal superlattices by crystallizing a mixture of nanocrystals on a liquid surface. The study demonstrates a new way to control nanocrystal size, shape and concentration.
Researchers at Berkeley Lab have developed a method to design nanocomposites with desired properties, using a mix-and-match approach to combine materials on the nanoscale. This process enables new possibilities for electronic and energy technologies, including improved battery electrodes, photovoltaics, and electronic data storage.
Scientists at UW-Madison have designed a method to harness small amounts of wasted energy to produce usable hydrogen fuel. The process uses the piezoelectric effect to split water molecules into hydrogen and oxygen, achieving an impressive 18% efficiency.
Researchers at Caltech have created a nanoscale crystal device that confines both light and sound vibrations in the same tiny space. This enables the manipulation of sound and light waves with frequencies as high as tens of gigahertz, opening up potential applications in lightwave communication systems, biosensors, and more.
Researchers at Berkeley Lab developed a technique to boost the electrical conductivity of nanorod crystals by 100,000 times using gold contacts. This method preserves the intrinsic semiconductor character of the starting nanocrystal, making it ideal for solar cells and energy production.
Researchers have observed single colloidal platinum nanocrystals growing in solution using liquid cell in situ transmission electron microscopy. The study reveals complex growth trajectories, including steady and spurt-like growth driven by coalescence events.
Researchers developed an electronic glue to overcome a hurdle in semiconductor nanocrystal manufacturing. The innovation increases electronic coupling between nanocrystals, paving the way for mass-produced, low-cost device applications.
Scientists have developed non-blinking semiconductor nanocrystals, overcoming a long-standing challenge in their applications. The discovery enables the use of nanocrystals in devices like low-threshold lasers and solar cells, as well as biological imaging and tracking.
Scientists have discovered a new type of non-blinking nanocrystal that can emit light continuously. The discovery, published in Nature, may lead to more affordable and versatile lasers, brighter LED lighting, and improved biological markers.
Researchers developed an imaging technique that can reveal the atomic structure of nanocrystals with a resolution of less than one angstrom. The technique combines images and diffraction patterns taken with the same electron microscope, allowing for accurate determination of atomic structures.
Researchers have created ultrathin polymer films made of nanocrystals using a novel production technique. The method, led by Stefan Mecking, produces films with a thickness of 50 nm using individual prefabricated nanocrystal building blocks.
A new technique, nano-area coherent electron diffraction, has been developed to study the atomic structure of gold and other nanocrystalline materials. The technique reveals striking differences in surface atoms' arrangement compared to bulk crystalline surfaces.
Researchers from Argonne National Laboratory have developed a method to characterize quantum dot blinking on faster time scales than before. The results provide new insight into the mechanism of quantum-dot blinking and may help control and suppress this flickering behavior.
Researchers have developed cellulose nanocrystals that can block cell receptors, potentially leading to new vaccine formulations. The crystals can also be used for targeted drug delivery and precise inkjet printing, overcoming safety concerns associated with traditional methods.
Researchers at University College London develop a novel method for obtaining full 3D images of nanocrystal interiors using coherent X-ray diffraction imaging. This technique allows for the assessment of defects in materials, which are essential for specific properties, and enables single-molecule imaging with X-ray free-electron lasers.
Researchers at Berkeley Lab have developed dual nanocrystal solar cells that are as cheap and easy to make as organic polymer-based solar cells. The new devices, comprising cadmium-selenide and cadmium-telluride, offer improved stability in air due to the absence of organic materials.
Penn physicists develop artificial solids from nanoscale crystals, enabling controlled changes in electrical properties. Their findings promise the creation of functional nanocrystal-based devices and circuits with potential applications in electronics.
Researchers discover 'doping' mechanism in semiconductor nanocrystals, enabling controlled incorporation of impurities. The findings overturn a common belief that nanocrystals are intrinsically difficult to dope due to self-purification.
Researchers at Los Alamos National Laboratory have successfully demonstrated electroluminescence from all-inorganic nanocrystal-based architecture. The new LEDs utilize colloidal quantum dots and emerging GaN manufacturing technologies to produce high-emission-efficiency, color-selectable light.