Category: Nanoscale Bulk Technologies

from the intriguing-possibilities dept.
According to a press release, researchers at the University of Houston in Texas have found subtle signs of superconductivity in multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MNTs). The researchers did not see zero resistance in their bundles. They think this is because the connections between the tiny tubes never become superconducting. But they did see more subtle signs of superconductivity within the tubes themselves. The work is preliminary, and other possible explanations need to be eliminated.

According to a press release, researchers at North Carolina State University and the University of Delaware have discovered a new method of growing microscopic wires that can conduct electricity in a liquid environment. The study shows that colloidal nanoparticles ñ dispersed particles ranging in size from 15 to 30 nanometers ñ can spontaneously self-assemble into wires when placed under the force of an alternating (AC) electric field, a process known as dielectrophoresis. The microwires are about a micrometer, or one-millionth of a meter, in diameter, and up to a few millimeters long. The formation of these microwires can be controlled and used in rudimentary electrical circuits. The research was published 2 November 2001 issue of Science. An interesting point noted in the press release is that making electrical circuits in wet environments may lead to a host of bioelectrical uses, such as providing electrical connections to living cells and tissues.

from the sharper-image dept.
DARPA's Defense Sciences Office (DSO), part of the U.S. Department of Defense, is soliciting proposals for the development of imaging technologies for the characterization of molecules, nanostructures and exotic materials (e.g., nanotubes). The new technologies should provide real-time, 3D, static images of molecules and nanostructures with atomic level resolution, or dynamic images of complex biomaterials at room temperature in aqueous media. Deadline for applications is 25 October 2001. Additional details and contact information are available on the web.

from the fun-in-the-sun dept.
Patrick Underwood writes: "Here is an article from newscientist.com on self-assembling solar cells ("Self-assembling solar cells developed", by Ian Sample, 9 August 2001). Reminds me of Unbounding the Future. This comes pretty close to the idea in that book of paving streets with solar collectors."

The New Scientist article describes solar cells that "self assemble" from a liquid developed by scientists at the University of Cambridge. The method could make it cheap and easy to cover large areas, like roofs, with efficient, ultra-thin solar cell coatings.
Related research is being conducted at the University of Arizona, as described in this detailed press release from 28 August 2001. UA researchers have received nearly US$ 1 million from two separate federal grants to develop organic molecules that "self assemble," or self-organize, from liquid into efficient solar cell coatings. Some of the UA researchers had previously collaborated with the U Cambridge team.