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

(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.

(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.

(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.

(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.

(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.

(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.

(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.

(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.

(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.

(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.