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.
  • With these nanoparticles, a simple urine test could diagnose bacterial pneumonia
    November 29, 2018
    (Funded by the National Institutes of Health)

    Researchers have developed a nanoparticle-based technology that could be used to improve the speed of diagnosis for pneumonia. 

  • Light triggers gold in unexpected way
    November 29, 2018
    (Funded by the National Science Foundation)

    Researchers have discovered a fundamentally different form of light-matter interaction in their experiments with gold nanoparticles. The discovery may become useful in the development of next-generation, ultrasmall optical components for computers and antennas.

  • Pitt Researchers Discover Surface of “Ultra-smooth” Nanomaterial Steeper than Austrian Alps
    November 29, 2018
    (Funded by the National Science Foundation)

    Researchers have measured an ultrananocrystalline diamond coating prized for its hard yet smooth properties and have shown that it is far rougher than previously believed. Their findings could help researchers better predict how surface topography affects surface properties for materials used in diverse environments from microsurgery and engines to satellite housings or spacecraft.

  • Scripps Research scientists unveil promising new HIV vaccine strategy
    November 26, 2018
    (Funded by the National Institutes of Health)

    A new candidate HIV vaccine surmounts technical hurdles that stymied previous vaccine efforts and stimulates a powerful anti-HIV antibody response in animal tests. The new vaccine strategy is based on the HIV envelope protein, a complex, shape-shifting molecule that has been notoriously difficult to produce in vaccines in a way that induces useful immunity to HIV.

  • Simulations suggest graphene can stretch to be a tunable ion filter
    November 26, 2018
    (Funded by the National Institute of Standards and Technology)

    Researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology have conducted simulations suggesting that graphene, in addition to its many other useful features, can be modified with special pores to act as a tunable filter or strainer for ions (charged atoms) in a liquid. 

  • Researchers create new ‘smart’ material with potential biomedical, environmental uses
    November 21, 2018
    (Funded by the National Science Foundation)

    Researchers have shown a way to use graphene oxide to add some backbone to hydrogel materials made from alginate, a natural material derived from seaweed that is currently used in a variety of biomedical applications.

  • Faster-charging, safer batteries
    November 21, 2018
    (Funded by the U.S. Department of Energy and the National Science Foundation)

    Imagine a world where cell phones and laptops can be charged in a matter of minutes instead of hours, rolled up and stored in your pocket, or dropped without sustaining any damage. To make this world a reality, scientists have patented an idea to improve battery performance by introducing tapers into the polymer membrane electrolytes that allow the lithium ions inside the battery to travel back and forth faster.

  • Meta-surface corrects for chromatic aberrations across all kinds of lenses
    November 19, 2018
    (Funded by the Air Force Office of Scientific Research and the National Science Foundation)

    Researchers have developed a single-layer surface of nanostructures that can correct chromatic aberrations (which cause lenses to focus different wavelengths of light in different spots) across the visible spectrum and can be incorporated into commercial optical systems, from simple lenses to high-end microscopes. 

  • ‘Magnetic topological insulator’ makes its own magnetic field
    November 19, 2018
    (Funded by the National Science Foundation and the U.S. Department of Energy)

    Physicists have found the first evidence of a two-dimensional material that can become a magnetic topological insulator even when it is not placed in a magnetic field.

  • Treated Superalloys Demonstrate Unprecedented Heat Resistance
    November 16, 2018
    (Funded by the U.S. Department of Energy)

    Researchers have discovered how to extend the useful life of "superalloys" by thousands of hours. The discovery could improve materials performance for electrical generators and nuclear reactors.

Pages