nanomaterials
Graphene, a strong, lightweight carbon honeycombed structure that’s only one atom thick, holds great promise for energy research and development. Recently scientists with the Fluid Interface Reactions, Structures, and Transport (FIRST) Energy Frontier Research Center (EFRC), led by the US Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory, revealed graphene can serve as a proton-selective permeable membrane, providing a new basis for streamlined and more efficient energy technologies such as improved fuel cells.
Smaller, lighter electric car batteries that don't have to sacrifice longevity to be petite could be one benefit of basic research into lithium-ion battery nanomaterials at the University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH).
Nanostructured surface textures—with shapes inspired by the structure of moths' eyes—prevent the reflection of light off silicon, improving conversion of sunlight to electricity.
New family of materials produces "twin" electrical charges on single molecules, potentially paving the way for easy manufacture of more efficient solar devices.
Rust never sleeps. Whether a reference to the 1979 Neil Young album or a product designed to protect metal surfaces, the phrase invokes the idea that corrosion from oxidation—the more general chemical name for rust and other reactions of metal with oxygen—is an inevitable, persistent process. But a new study performed at the Center for Functional Nanomaterials (CFN) at the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Brookhaven National Laboratory reveals that certain features of metal surfaces can stop the process of oxidation in its tracks.
Drexel engineers improve strength, flexibility of atom-thick films.
Scientists use simple, low cost laser technique to improve properties and functions of nanomaterials.
Possible pathway to adjustable filters, surfaces with variable mechanical response, or even new ways to deliver genes for biomedical applications.
Scientists explore ways to synchronize spins for more powerful nanoscale electronic devices
