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

Date Published
(Funded by the U.S. Department of Defense)

Researchers at Virginia Commonwealth University are spinning liquid crystals into fibers that change color at different temperatures. These "smart fabrics" are made of soft, lightweight and elastic material, such as polymer nanomaterials made of plastics like nylon or polyethylene, and could be used in clothing such as camouflage or for detecting the presence of a pathogen like a virus.

(Funded by the U.S. Department of Energy)

Scientists at Washington State University have developed a method to detect biomarkers for Alzheimer's disease that is 10 times more sensitive than current blood testing technology. The researchers created an artificial enzyme using a single-atom architecture that was able to work as efficiently as natural enzymes. Their artificial enzyme, called a nanozyme, is made of single iron atoms embedded in nitrogen-doped carbon nanotubes.

(Funded by the U.S. Department of Energy)

Scientists at Washington State University have developed a method to detect biomarkers for Alzheimer's disease that is 10 times more sensitive than current blood testing technology. The researchers created an artificial enzyme using a single-atom architecture that was able to work as efficiently as natural enzymes. Their artificial enzyme, called a nanozyme, is made of single iron atoms embedded in nitrogen-doped carbon nanotubes.

(Funded by the U.S. Department of Defense, the National Science Foundation and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration)

Researchers at The University of Alabama in Huntsville have invented a new way to deposit thin layers of atoms as a coating onto a substrate material at near room temperatures. The researchers used an ultrasonic atomization technology to evaporate chemicals used in atomic layer deposition (ALD). ALD is a three-dimensional thin film deposition technique that plays an important role in microelectronics manufacturing.

(Funded by the U.S. Department of Defense, the National Science Foundation and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration)

Researchers at The University of Alabama in Huntsville have invented a new way to deposit thin layers of atoms as a coating onto a substrate material at near room temperatures. The researchers used an ultrasonic atomization technology to evaporate chemicals used in atomic layer deposition (ALD). ALD is a three-dimensional thin film deposition technique that plays an important role in microelectronics manufacturing.

(Funded by the National Science Foundation and the U.S. Department of Defense)

Researchers at Purdue University are taking cues from nature to develop 3D photodetectors for biomedical imaging. The researchers used some architectural features from spider webs to develop the technology. The assembly technique presented in this work enables the deployment of 2D deformable electronics in 3D architectures, which may foreshadow new opportunities to better advance the field of 3D electronic and optoelectronic devices.

(Funded by the National Science Foundation and the U.S. Department of Defense)

Researchers at Purdue University are taking cues from nature to develop 3D photodetectors for biomedical imaging. The researchers used some architectural features from spider webs to develop the technology. The assembly technique presented in this work enables the deployment of 2D deformable electronics in 3D architectures, which may foreshadow new opportunities to better advance the field of 3D electronic and optoelectronic devices.

(Funded by the National Institutes of Health)

Researchers at the University of Michigan Rogel Cancer Center and Michigan Medicine C.S. Mott Children's Hospital have demonstrated that a new liquid biopsy approach, which uses nanopore genetic sequencing technology, overcomes traditional barriers to quickly and efficiently diagnose and monitor high-grade pediatric gliomas. The nanopore system works by measuring changes in electrical current as biological molecules pass through tiny holes in a collection surface; different values correspond to different letters in the genetic code, thus allowing a DNA sequence to be read.

(Funded by the National Institutes of Health)

Researchers at the University of Michigan Rogel Cancer Center and Michigan Medicine C.S. Mott Children's Hospital have demonstrated that a new liquid biopsy approach, which uses nanopore genetic sequencing technology, overcomes traditional barriers to quickly and efficiently diagnose and monitor high-grade pediatric gliomas. The nanopore system works by measuring changes in electrical current as biological molecules pass through tiny holes in a collection surface; different values correspond to different letters in the genetic code, thus allowing a DNA sequence to be read.

(Funded in part by the National Institute of Standards and Technology)

Researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology have adapted a low-cost optical method of examining the shape of small objects so that it can detect certain types of nanocontaminants smaller than 25 nanometers in height. The researchers originally developed the technique to record the three-dimensional shape of small objects, not to detect nanocontaminants. But by optimizing both the wavelength of the light source and the alignment of an optical microscope, the team produced images with the sensitivity required to reveal the presence of nanocontaminants in a small sample of semiconductor material.