| Electronics that need very little energy? Nanotechnology used to help cool electrons with no external sources Posted: 10 Sep 2014 10:25 AM PDT A team of researchers has discovered a way to cool electrons to minus 228 degrees Celsius without external means and at room temperature, an advancement that could enable electronic devices to function with very little energy.  |
| Advancing understanding of graphene's friction properties Posted: 10 Sep 2014 09:05 AM PDT On the macroscale, adding fluorine atoms to carbon-based materials makes for water-repellant, non-stick surfaces, such as Teflon. However, on the nanoscale, adding fluorine to graphene had been reported to vastly increase the friction experienced when sliding against the material. Through a combination of physical experiments and atomistic simulations, scientists have discovered the mechanism behind this surprising finding, which could help researchers better design and control the surface properties of new materials.  |
| How skin falls apart: Pathology of autoimmune skin disease revealed at the nanoscale Posted: 10 Sep 2014 09:04 AM PDT Researchers studying a rare, blistering disease have discovered new details of how autoantibodies destroy healthy cells in skin. The research has the potential to help clinicians identify who may be at risk for developing Pemphigus vulgaris (PV), an autoimmune skin disorder, by distinguishing pathogenic (disease-causing) autoimmune antibodies from other nonpathogenic autoimmune antibodies.  |
| First 500 GHz photon switch built Posted: 10 Sep 2014 06:32 AM PDT The work took nearly four years to complete and it opens a fundamentally new direction in photonics -- with far-reaching potential consequences for the control of photons in optical fiber channels.  |
| First graphene-based flexible display produced Posted: 10 Sep 2014 05:33 AM PDT A flexible display incorporating graphene in its pixels' electronics has been successfully demonstrated, the first time graphene has been used in a transistor-based flexible device.  |
| Nanostructured coatings for aircraft turbines developed Posted: 10 Sep 2014 05:33 AM PDT A group of specialists have developed nanostructured coatings capable of withstanding temperatures exceeding 1000 degrees Celsius, which are used in aviation turbine components.  |
| Graphene gets a 'cousin' in the shape of germanene Posted: 09 Sep 2014 04:21 PM PDT Scientists have successfully synthesized the 2-D material germanene. Dubbed a 'cousin of graphene', the material, which is made up of just a single layer of germanium atoms, is expected to exhibit impressive electrical and optical properties and could be widely integrated across the electronics industry in the future.  |
| 'Pick 'n' Mix' chemistry to grow cultures of bioactive molecules Posted: 08 Sep 2014 06:37 AM PDT A new method to build large libraries of bioactive molecules has been developed by researchers, which can be used directly for biological assays by simply mixing a small number of building blocks in water.  |
