Nano News

Joseph DeSimone receives $250,000 Kabiller Prize in Nanoscience and Nanomedicine

Northwestern University's International Institute for Nanotechnology (IIN) announced that chemist Joseph M. DeSimone of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is the recipient of the inaugural $250,000 Kabiller Prize in Nanoscience and Nanomedicine. The Kabiller Prize and the $10,000 Kabiller Young Investigator Award in Nanoscience and Nanomedicine...

Brilliant colors from environmentally friendly quantum dots

Quantum dots have made it possible to substantially increase color quality in LCD displays. However, these cadmium-based nanocrystals have proven to be harmful to the environment. Fraunhofer researchers are working together with an industry partner to develop a promising alternative: quantum dots based on indium phosphide. Quantum dots make it possible...

Phoenix effect: Resurrected proteins double their natural activity

Proteins play a large role in sustaining life functions. These molecules ensure that vital reactions, such as DNA replication or metabolism catalysis, are carried out within cells. When proteins die, the so-called process of denaturation takes place, which is accompanied by the unfolding of the native...

New research puts us closer to do-it-yourself spray-on solar cell technology

In a 2014 study, published in the journal ("Fully solution processed all inorganic nanocrystal solar cells"), St. Mary's College of Maryland energy expert Professor Troy Townsend introduced the first fully solution-processed all-inorganic photovoltaic technology. While progress on organic thin-film photovoltaics is rapidly growing, inorganic devices...

New electrode gives micro-supercapacitor macro storage capacity

Micro-supercapacitors are a promising alternative to micro-batteries because of their high power and long lifetime. They have been in development for about a decade but until now they have stored considerably less energy than micro-batteries, which has limited their application. Now researchers in the Laboratoire d’analyse et d’architecture des systèmes...

Invisibility cloak might enhance efficiency of solar cells

Success of the energy turnaround will depend decisively on the extended use of renewable energy sources. However, their efficiency partly is much smaller than that of conventional energy sources. The efficiency of commercially available photovoltaic cells, for instance, is about 20%. Scientists of Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) have now published...

New processes in modern ReRAM memory cells decoded

Resistive memory cells or ReRAMs for short are deemed to be the new super information-storage solution of the future. At present, two basic concepts are being pursued, which, up to now, were associated with different types of active ions. But this is not quite correct, as Jülich researchers working together with their Korean, Japanese and American...