Science & Technology - Oct 26, 2010 9:54 - 1 Comment

Bendable LEDs as biomedical tattoos

U. ILLINOIS (US) — It may soon be possible to implant tiny light emitting diodes (LEDs) under the skin for a wide range of biomedical applications, including health monitors and drug delivery. (more…)

Science & Technology - Oct 22, 2010 9:16 - 0 Comments

Plastic solar cells let sun in for less

RUTGERS (US) — Newly discovered properties could lead to efficient and inexpensive plastic solar cells for pollution-free electricity production. (more…)

Science & Technology - Jul 6, 2010 10:35 - 0 Comments

First 3-D image of sub-nano pores

CORNELL (US)—In the quest for faster and cheaper computers, scientists have imaged pore structures in insulation material at sub-nanometer scales for the first time. (more…)

Science & Technology - Jun 21, 2010 15:21 - 2 Comments

Can quantum dots stop heat loss in solar cells?

U. MINNESOTA (US)—Researchers have cleared a major hurdle in the drive to build solar cells with potential efficiencies up to twice as high as current levels, which rarely exceed 30 percent. (more…)

Science & Technology - Jun 1, 2010 11:54 - 0 Comments

Efficient semiconductor chips for solar cells

U. ILLINOIS (US)—A novel manufacturing method that uses gallium arsenide (GaAs) instead of silicon to create semiconductor chips could greatly improve the efficiency and lower the cost of solar energy devices. (more…)

Science & Technology - May 25, 2010 12:46 - 0 Comments

Digging theoretical wells to mine quantum dots

RICE (US)—Graphane, which is modified graphene, is the material of choice for physicists on the cutting edge of materials science. Now researchers have discovered the strategic extraction of hydrogen atoms from a two-dimensional sheet of graphane naturally opens up spaces of pure graphene that look—and act—like quantum dots. (more…)

Science & Technology - Mar 12, 2010 12:32 - 2 Comments

Jumpy proteins repair DNA ‘potholes’

U. PITTSBURGH (US)—Repair proteins appear to efficiently scan the genome for errors by jumping like fleas between DNA molecules, sliding along the strands and perhaps pausing at suspicious spots. (more…)

Science & Technology - Feb 26, 2010 13:23 - 0 Comments

Taking hypothetical materials for a test drive

PRINCETON (US)—A breakthrough in an 80-year-old quandary in quantum physics could allow engineers to predict important characteristics of a new material before it’s been created. (more…)

Science & Technology - Feb 17, 2010 16:49 - 3 Comments

Flexible solar cells soak up the sun

CALTECH (US)—Scientists have created a new type of flexible solar cell that enhances the absorption of sunlight and efficiently converts its photons into electrons. The solar cell does all this using only a fraction of the expensive semiconductor materials required by conventional models. (more…)

Science & Technology - Feb 10, 2010 11:22 - 1 Comment

Waves of electrons on the verge

PRINCETON (US)—For the first time, scientists have observed electrons in a semiconductor on the brink of transitioning from a metal to an insulator—a phenomenon shrouded in mystery despite decades of examination. (more…)

Health & Medicine - Jan 22, 2010 12:37 - 1 Comment

Breath test: Ouch-free sensors

U. FLORIDA—A tiny sensor that analyzes breath and saliva may provide inexpensive—and painless—diagnosis and monitoring for a variety of diseases, including diabetes, asthma, and breast cancer. (more…)

Science & Technology - Dec 10, 2009 13:56 - 8 Comments

Tiny transistor may become conductor king

CORNELL (US)—A newly developed and extremely efficient transistor may soon replace silicon as the semiconductor of choice for power applications. (more…)

Science & Technology - Nov 18, 2009 12:55 - 2 Comments

Marveling over ‘molecular chicken wire’

VANDERBILT (US)—The hottest, thinnest, toughest new material in physics and nanotechnology is graphene: a remarkably flat molecule made of carbon atoms arranged in hexagonal rings much like molecular chicken wire. (more…)

Science & Technology - Sep 2, 2009 14:59 - 0 Comments

Honey, who shrunk the laser light?

A bright point of light from a single plasmon laser emanates from the optical setup used by UC Berkeley researchers. (Courtesy: Xiang Zhang Lab/UC Berkeley)

Science & Technology - Aug 24, 2009 4:00 - 0 Comments

Organic circuits (finally) have it both ways

An organic polymer circuit that transports both positive and negative charges. The circuit was created by solution casting of a newly developed material. (Courtesy: University of Washington)

Science & Technology - Aug 21, 2009 15:51 - 1 Comment

Solar cells nano-inked onto rooftops

A team of engineers is using nanoparticle “inks” (as shown here) to develop cheap solar cells. Lead researcher Brian Korgel says the inks, which are semitransparent, could help realize the prospect of having windows that double as solar cells.

Science & Technology - Aug 20, 2009 4:00 - 0 Comments

Quantum dots catch cancer early

In this illustration, quantum dots are depicted as gold spheres that attract DNA strands linked to cancer risks. When the quantum dots are exposed to certain types of light, they transfer the energy to fluorescent molecules, shown as pink globes, that emit a glow. This enables researchers to detect and count the DNA strands linked to cancer. (Credit: Yi Zhang/ Johns Hopkins University)

Science & Technology - Jul 30, 2009 14:41 - 0 Comments

Golden combo yields do-it-all nanotool

A quantum dot (red) encapsulated in a gold shell, combining two useful nanoparticles in one package. The total structure measures less than 20 nanometers across.

Posts Tagged ‘semiconductors’