SEPARATING THE HYPE AND THE BUZZ - Wednesday, November 18, 2009

NEWSWORTHY

Nanomaterials on a space shuttle
Researchers from the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and the University of Florida have developed two types of nanomaterials to test their performance in space orbits. The materials will be carried by the space shuttle Atlantis to the International Space Station where they will be mounted to the station’s outer hull in a passive experiment carrier. The first type of nanomaterial comprises of nanoscale alumina particles and polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) and the second type is a conductive polymer nanocomposite. This development can lead to creating better cooling systems for spacecrafts and electronic systems. See AtoZ Nano, First Science, Nanotech Wire, and Nanowerk.

“Nano-colorsorter” devices
Researchers from the Berkley lab have created “bowtie-shaped” optical nano-antennas from four lithographically patterned equilateral triangles of gold to create a cross geometry that can act as “nano-colorsorters” able to capture, filter, and steer light at nano-scale. These devices can handle/manipulate/control light in extremely small confined areas of tiny photonic circuits. See AtoZ Nano, First Science, and Nano Letters.

Light produces nanoscale movement
Researchers at Cornell University have demonstrated the ability of light to move silicon structures up to 12 nanometers. They created a structure consisting of two thin, flat silicon nitride rings (30microns in diameter) fixed one above the other on a pedestal through thin spokes. The distance between the rings is 1micron and the ring waveguides are 3microns wide and 190nanometers thick. When light with a frequency of 1533.5 nm is focused on to the rings it produces a force in the rings to deform up to 12nm. See AtoZ Nano, Nanowerk, and Nature Nano.

Nanotechnology for the spinal cord
Researchers from Purdue University have discovered that the 60 nm diameter spheres known as “copolymer micelles,” can be used to treat spinal cord injuries. The micelles can be used to treat damaged fibers that transmit electrical impulses (axons) to the spinal cord. They found that treatment to spinal cord damages due to compression injuries using micelles boosted the recovery process by 60 percent. See AtoZ Nano, First Science, Nanotech Wire, and Nature Nano.

HONORABLE MENTIONS

Resilient silicon nanowires
North Carolina State University researchers have established that silicon nanowires are more resilient than their counterparts. Researchers used in-situ tensile testing inside a scanning electron microscope on silicon nanowires made from the vapor-liquid-solid process to test its properties. This result can provide better insights to other researchers dealing with nanoelectronics, nanosensors, and nanostructed solar cells. See AtoZ Nano, Nanotech Wire, and Nano Letters.

FinFETs
Researchers are making efforts to improve transistor efficiency to create fast and compact circuits and computer chips. The reduction of gate (an essential component) length can provide this required breakthrough, but decreasing it in silicon based semiconductors results in an electric “leak.” Researchers from Purdue University have created hafnium-dioxide finFETs to overcome this difficulty. See AtoZ Nano and First Science.

Light at nanoscale
Researchers at the University of Adelaide are squeezing light into smaller spaces within optical fibers than was possible before. These optical fibers carry and transmit light through the inside of their pipes and as the size of the pipe is reduced, light confines itself within roughly a few hundred nanometers in area. If this area is further reduced then light begins to spread, but the researchers have pushed this limit in area by a factor of two paving the way for future creation of nano-scale sensors. See AtoZ Nano, First Science, Nanotech Wire, and Nanowerk.

Nanoscale behavior in catalysts
Researchers from Rice and Lehigh Universities used aberration-corrected scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) and advanced optical microscopy and spectroscopy techniques to understand and evaluate the nanoscale behavior and nano structure of tungstated zirconia. This discovery will aid detailed catalytic analysis. See AtoZ Nano, First Science, and Nature Chemistry.