Single-molecule diode may change Moore’s ’law’ of microchip memory

Using the power of modern computing combined with innovative theoretical tools, an international team of researchers has determined how a one-way electrical valve, or diode, made of only a single molecule does its job.

Diodes are critical components within computer, audio equipment and countless other electronic devices. If designers can swap existing diodes with the single-molecule one,

Electro-optical characterization of in-situ indium doped CdS thin films by chemical bath

As the world becomes increasingly aware of global warming and climate change, the need for alternative energy sources is generating greater demand. Electricity generated from solar cells is often quoted as being the solution to our climate problems. Unfortunately, this method of energy generation is quite inefficient. Overcoming this inefficiency is key to the widespread commercial acceptan

Textural properties as a function of the starting mineral particle size

Development of new clean technologies in accordance with increasingly demanding environmental legislation requires new catalysts, adsorbents and/or catalyst supports. Clays have been identified as a promising materials resource for this application.
More specifically, Pillared Inter-Layered Clays (PILCs) have been identified as suitable for these purposes. However, their widespread use has been delayed by d

EUREKA project E! 1493 ULTIMATE has led to the development of a highly sophisticated simulator to improve car design and increase road safety in Europe using novel mechanical, display and software technology.

Simulators can make a major contribution to vehicle design and the study of human driving factors. However, they have been of more limited value for road vehicles due to the large linear motion needed (for e.g. when turning corners or during braking). As a result, the cost o

Results essential to optimize materials for diverse applications

Steadily increasing the length of a purified conducting polymer vastly improves its ability to conduct electricity, report researchers at Carnegie Mellon University, whose work appeared March 22 in the Journal of the American Chemical Society. Their study of regioregular polythiophenes (RRPs) establishes benchmark properties for these materials that suggest how to optimize their use for a new generation of diverse mat

A Duke University engineer is “herding” tiny lenses with magnetic ferrofluids, precisely aligning them so that they focus bursts of light to excavate patterns of cavities on surfaces.

Such photolithographically produced “nanocavities” -– each only billionths of a meter across – might serve as repositories for molecules engineered as chemical detectors, said Benjamin Yellen, an assistant professor of mechanical engineering and materials science at Duke’s Pratt School of Engin

When Michael Furey, professor of mechanical and biomedical engineering, at Virginia Tech, met Czeslaw Kajdas, then with the Radom Technical University in Poland, at a conference in Europe in 1981, they had differing views on how to form polymer films on surfaces to reduce wear. The result of their eventual collaboration has been fundamental discoveries in surface chemistry and dozens of compounds that reduced wear in metals, advanced alloys, and ceramics. These include ashless antiwear additiv

Mesoporous nanospheres focus of Ames Laboratory research

Delivering a dose of chemotherapy drugs to specific cancer cells without the risk of side affects to healthy cells may one day be possible thanks to a nanoscale drug delivery system being explored by researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Ames Laboratory.

Using tiny silica particles call mesoporous nanospheres to carry drugs inside living cells, Ames Laboratory chemist Victor Lin is studying different metho

Huge reductions in heating bills, safer surgery and the next generation of miniaturised computers are among the potential benefits of new nanotechnology developed at Leeds.

By suspending nanoparticles in water or other liquids, Professor Richard Williams and Dr Yulong Ding have created ‘nanofluids’ which can transfer heat up to 400% faster than other liquids. In a central heating system, nanofluids could increase efficiency without the need to use a more powerful pump, so saving energy and

A jet fuel comparable to Jet A or military JP 8, but derived from at least 50 percent bituminous coal, has successfully powered a helicopter jet engine, according to a Penn State fuel scientist.

“Because the fuel is 50 percent derived from coal, it could reduce our use of imported petroleum for this purpose by half,” says Dr. Harold H. Schobert, professor of fuel science and director of Penn State’s Energy Institute. “We have shown in tests that the mix can go to at least 75

To live we need to breathe. Prior to being born we carry this activity out through the placenta and subsequently by means of our lungs. In normal development, the lungs of the foetus are filled with amniotic liquid and, on being born, the first cry activates this respiration surface. But the main problem that premature babies have is that their lungs are not well formed. Moreover, they often lack surfactant, a compound formed by proteins and lipids that avoids the lungs folding in on themselves

Chemists and materials scientists often study “nanotubes” — capsule-shaped molecules only a few billionths of a meter (nanometers) in width. In nanotube form, many materials take on useful, unique properties, such as physical strength and excellent conductivity. Carbon nanotubes are the most widely investigated variety. Now, in pioneering research, scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Brookhaven National Laboratory have created and investigated the properties of nanotubes made of

As science enters the world of the very small, researchers will be searching for new ways to study nanoparticles and their properties. For the past several years, scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Brookhaven National Laboratory have been experimenting with new methods for preparing nanoparticles on metal supports, with the aim of creating model catalyst systems to better study the special reactivity of nano-sized catalyst particles.

Brookhaven’s Jan Hrbek will review

Applications for homeland security, emergency planning

Engineers at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Argonne National Laboratory, using an emerging sensing technology, have developed a suite of sensors for national security applications that can quickly and effectively detect chemical, biological, nuclear and explosive materials.

“We can use this technology to detect chemical and biological agents and also to determine if a country is using its nuclear reactors to pro

… organized jointly with the 10th Shipbuilding Day of Mecklenburg – Western Pomerania

Innovative ship designs and optimized production techniques are key factors for the success of European shipbuilders in the market for complex one-of-a-kind ships. German and European shipyards benefited significantly from the worldwide increase in orders, resulting in order books well filled for the coming years.

Maintaining and improving this market position requires developing s

The U.S. Navy needs lighter materials so ships will go further faster. One way to do that is to use new composite materials. But how will these materials respond to fire — one of the most critical safety concerns on a ship? Virginia Tech material scientists have developed models to test composites for fire resistance – and have a recommendation.

John Bausano, a doctoral student in the chemistry-engineering interdisciplinary Macromolecular Science and Infrastructure Engineering program at