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.
  • Stretchable wireless sensor could monitor healing of cerebral aneurysms
    August 29, 2019
    (Funded by the National Science Foundation)

    Scientists have demonstrated a wireless sensor small enough to be implanted in the blood vessels of the human brain, so it could help clinicians evaluate the healing of aneurysms -- bulges that can cause death or serious injury if they burst.

  • High-tech gel aids delivery of drugs
    August 29, 2019
    (Funded by the National Institutes of Health)

    Drugs that help prevent the formation of unwanted or harmful proteins are currently being developed to treat a number of diseases, including cancer. The drugs are based on small interfering RNA (siRNA), which are pieces of nucleic acids that interfere with the production of proteins. But getting these drugs to the right target remains challenging because siRNAs can degrade rapidly in the body. Researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago and colleagues report on a hydrogel-based carrier that can deliver siRNAs directly to where they are needed.

  • MIT engineers build advanced microprocessor out of carbon nanotubes
    August 28, 2019
    (Funded by the National Science Foundation and the Air Force Research Laboratory)

    Scientists at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have created the biggest computer chip yet made from carbon nanotubes: rolled up sheets of atom-thick graphene that conduct electricity at super-fast speeds. Some researchers hope that carbon nanotubes could be used in future computers, because they conduct electricity faster and more efficiently than silicon.

  • Gold Nanostars Help Design New Nanomedicines
    August 27, 2019
    (Funded by the National Institutes of Health and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration)

    Researchers from Northwestern University have developed a novel way to track how nanoparticles interact with cancer cells and whether they reach their targets. The team’s work shows that if a nanoparticle targets cancer cells, it undergoes more rotational and translational movement compared to nanoparticles that cannot target cancer cells effectively.

  • Self-Rolling Sensor Measures Electrical Activity of Heart Organoids
    August 27, 2019
    (Funded by the National Science Foundation, the Office of Naval Research, and the National Institutes of Health)

    Researchers from Carnegie Mellon University and Nanyang Technological University in Singapore have developed a new microfabricated sensor array that performs 3D electrophysiology of cellular organoids. Their work demonstrates that the device can be designed to wrap around small organoids and measure voltage changes across the surface of the organoids without leading to significant loss of viability of the cells.

  • Enhancing materials for hi-res patterning to advance microelectronics
    August 27, 2019
    (Funded by the U.S. Department of Energy)

    Scientists at Brookhaven National Laboratory have created “resists”—materials that are used as templates for transferring circuit patterns into device-useful substrates such as silicon – that combine the organic polymer poly(methyl methacrylate), or PMMA, with inorganic aluminum oxide. These “hybrid” organic-inorganic resists enable the patterning of high-resolution silicon nanostructures with a high aspect ratio.

  • Sticker makes nanoscale light manipulation easier to manufacture
    August 27, 2019
    (Funded by the Air Force Office of Scientific Research and the National Science Foundation)

    Human pathogens have molecular fingerprints that are difficult to distinguish. To better detect these pathogens, sensors in diagnostic tools need to manipulate light on a nanoscale. To manufacture these light-manipulation devices without damaging the sensors, Purdue University engineers have integrated light-manipulation devices onto peelable films that can stick to any surface.

  • Graphene shield shows promise in blocking mosquito bites
    August 27, 2019
    (Funded by the National Institutes of Health and the National Science Foundation)

    Researchers have shown that multilayer graphene can provide a two-fold defense against mosquito bites. The ultra-thin yet strong material acts as a barrier that mosquitoes are unable to bite through. At the same time, experiments showed that graphene also blocks chemical signals mosquitoes use to sense that a blood meal is near, blunting their urge to bite in the first place.

  • Promising approach to reducing plaque in arteries
    August 27, 2019
    (Funded by the National Institutes of Health)

    Researchers have revealed previously unknown factors that contribute to the hardening of arteries and plaque growth, which cause heart disease. Their insight is the basis for a promising therapeutic approach to halt and potentially reverse plaque buildup and the progression of disease, the researchers said.

  • Physicists Demonstrate Silicon’s Energy-Harvesting Power in Study
    August 26, 2019
    (Funded by the National Science Foundation)

    A physicist at the University of Texas at Dallas has teamed with Texas Instruments Inc. to design a better way for electronics to convert waste heat into reusable energy. The collaborative project has demonstrated that silicon’s ability to harvest energy from heat can be greatly increased while remaining mass-producible.

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