Press Releases: Research Funded by Agencies Participating in the National Nanotechnology Initiative

The following press releases describe the results of research activities that are funded by Federal agencies that participate in the National Nanotechnology Initiative.
  • Crystal with a twist: Scientists grow spiraling new material
    June 20, 2019
    (Funded by the U.S. Department of Energy)

    Scientists have created new inorganic crystals made of stacks of atomically thin sheets that unexpectedly spiral like a nanoscale card deck. The surprising structures may yield unique optical, electronic and thermal properties, including superconductivity, the researchers say.

  • OU Physicists Shed Light on Novel Mott State Observed in Twisted Graphene Bilayers at the ‘Magic Angle’
    June 20, 2019
    (Funded by the National Science Foundation)

    Physicists shed light on a novel Mott state observed in twisted graphene bilayers at the “magic angle.” The novel Mott state favors ferromagnetic alignment of the electron spins, meaning that the spins of pairs of electrons are aligned parallel to each other, even though these electrons strongly repel each other – a phenomenon unheard of in conventional Mott insulators, in which the spins of two electrons sitting next to each other are anti-parallel.

  • Electron-behaving nanoparticles rock current understanding of matter
    June 20, 2019
    (Funded by the U.S. Department of Energy, the Air Force Office of Scientific Research, the Office of Naval Research and the National Science Foundation)

    Researchers have made a strange and startling discovery: Nanoparticles that are engineered with DNA in colloidal crystals behave just like electrons. Not only has this finding upended the current, accepted notion of matter, it also opens the door for new possibilities in materials design.

  • A forest of nano-mushroom structures keeps this plastic clean and stain-free
    June 19, 2019
    (Funded by the National Science Foundation)

    Solar panels and light-emitting diodes (LEDs) require a cover material that repels water, dirt, and oil while still letting plenty of light through. Researchers have created a flexible optical plastic that has all of those properties, finding inspiration in a surprising place: the shape of Enoki mushrooms.

  • Researchers Find Cause of Rare, Fatal Disease that Turns Babies’ Lips and Skin Blue
    June 19, 2019
    (Funded by the National Institutes of Health)

    Scientists have used a gene editing method to generate mice that mimic a fatal respiratory disorder in newborn infants that turns their lips and skin blue. The new laboratory animal model allowed researchers to pinpoint the ailment's cause and develop a potential nanoparticle-based treatment.

  • A New Manufacturing Process for Aluminum Alloys
    June 19, 2019
    (Funded by the U.S. Department of Energy)

    Researchers have demonstrated an advanced manufacturing process that produces, in a single step, nanostructured rods and tubes directly from high-performance aluminum alloy powder while also achieving a significant increase in product ductility (how far a material can stretch before it breaks). This is good news for sectors such as the automotive industry, where the high cost of manufacturing has historically limited the use of high-strength aluminum alloys made from powders.

  • You Don’t Have to Be Perfect for TMDCs to Shine Bright
    June 18, 2019
    (Funded by the U.S. Department of Energy)

    Atomically thin semiconductors known as transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDCs) could lead to devices that operate more efficiently than conventional semiconductors in light-emitting diodes, lasers, and solar cells. Now scientists have discovered that when they applied an electrical voltage to TMDCs made of molybdenum disulfide and tungsten disulfide, their efficiency increases significantly.

  • ‘Hot spots’ increase efficiency of solar desalination
    June 18, 2019
    (Funded by the National Science Foundation and the Air Force Office of Scientific Research)

    Researchers have shown they could boost the efficiency of a nanotechnology-enabled solar membrane desalination system by more than 50% by adding inexpensive plastic lenses to concentrate sunlight into 'hot spots.’ The solar desalination system reduces production costs, and engineers are working to scale it up for applications in remote areas that have no access to electricity.

  • Laser Destroys Cancer Cells Circulating in the Blood
    June 17, 2019
    (Funded by the National Institutes of Health and the National Science Foundation)

    Researchers have developed a technology that uses a laser beam to detect and destroy tumor cells in the veins of patients with melanoma, a deadly form of skin cancer. The research team was able to kill a high percentage of the cancer-spreading cells, in real time, as they raced through the veins of the participants. If developed further, the tool could give doctors a harmless, noninvasive, and thorough way to hunt and destroy cancer cells before those cells can form new tumors in the body.

  • iPhone plus nanoscale porous silicon equals cheap, simple home diagnostics
    June 13, 2019
    (Funded by the Army Research Office and the National Science Foundation)

    Engineers have developed a simple home medical test consisting of various silicon chips coated in a special film. One chip could detect drugs in the blood, another could detect proteins in the urine indicating infection, and another could detect bacteria in water. The engineers imagine a user picking the bodily fluid to test, taking a picture with a smartphone, and an app would indicate if there is a problem.

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