News from the NNI Community - Research Advances Funded by Agencies Participating in the NNI

Researchers at the University of Michigan have shown, for the first time, how a nanoscale thermal switch can be built by using nanoscale effects that arise when heat is transferred between a hot and cold nanoscale-thick membrane via thermal radiation. Compared to the vast array of devices, such as transistors and diodes, that are available to control the flow of electricity, there are few proposals for controlling the flow of heat, especially at the nanoscale. This research was performed to overcome this challenge.

Researchers at the University of Michigan have shown, for the first time, how a nanoscale thermal switch can be built by using nanoscale effects that arise when heat is transferred between a hot and cold nanoscale-thick membrane via thermal radiation. Compared to the vast array of devices, such as transistors and diodes, that are available to control the flow of electricity, there are few proposals for controlling the flow of heat, especially at the nanoscale. This research was performed to overcome this challenge.

Scientists at Rice University, the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, and Oak Ridge National Laboratory have created laser-induced graphene with a very small visible beam mounted to a scanning electron microscope (SEM). The SEM-mounted laser was used to burn the top five microns of polyimide, a commercial polymer, writing graphene features as small as 12 microns. The features of this laser-induced graphene are more than 60% smaller than the macro version and almost 10 times smaller than typically achieved with infrared laser. This discovery could lead to wider commercial production of flexible electronics and sensors.

Scientists at Rice University, the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, and Oak Ridge National Laboratory have created laser-induced graphene with a very small visible beam mounted to a scanning electron microscope (SEM). The SEM-mounted laser was used to burn the top five microns of polyimide, a commercial polymer, writing graphene features as small as 12 microns. The features of this laser-induced graphene are more than 60% smaller than the macro version and almost 10 times smaller than typically achieved with infrared laser. This discovery could lead to wider commercial production of flexible electronics and sensors.

A team of researchers at Northwestern University has developed a new method to view the dynamic motion of atoms in atomically thin two-dimensional materials. The imaging technique, which reveals the underlying cause behind the performance failure of a widely used two-dimensional material, could help researchers develop more stable and reliable materials for future wearables and flexible electronic devices.

A team of researchers at Northwestern University has developed a new method to view the dynamic motion of atoms in atomically thin two-dimensional materials. The imaging technique, which reveals the underlying cause behind the performance failure of a widely used two-dimensional material, could help researchers develop more stable and reliable materials for future wearables and flexible electronic devices.

Researchers have found that a material shaped like a one-dimensional DNA helix, encapsulated in a nanotube made of boron nitride, helps build a field-effect transistor with a diameter of two nanometers. Transistors on the market are made of bulkier silicon and range between 10 and 20 nanometers in scale. The work was performed by engineers at Purdue University in collaboration with Michigan Technological University, Washington University in St. Louis, and the University of Texas at Dallas.

Researchers have found that a material shaped like a one-dimensional DNA helix, encapsulated in a nanotube made of boron nitride, helps build a field-effect transistor with a diameter of two nanometers. Transistors on the market are made of bulkier silicon and range between 10 and 20 nanometers in scale. The work was performed by engineers at Purdue University in collaboration with Michigan Technological University, Washington University in St. Louis, and the University of Texas at Dallas.

A team led by researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology has cultured the human blood-brain barrier on a chip, re-creating its physiology more realistically than predecessor chips. In testing related to drug delivery, nanoparticles moved through this “blood-brain-barrier-on-a-chip” after engaging endothelial cell receptors, which caused these cells to engulf the nanoparticles and then transport them to what would be inside the human brain in a natural setting.

A team led by researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology has cultured the human blood-brain barrier on a chip, re-creating its physiology more realistically than predecessor chips. In testing related to drug delivery, nanoparticles moved through this “blood-brain-barrier-on-a-chip” after engaging endothelial cell receptors, which caused these cells to engulf the nanoparticles and then transport them to what would be inside the human brain in a natural setting.