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

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

Researchers at Arizona State University have described a technique for using LEGO-like elements at the scale of a few nanometers. These design elements were able to self-assemble, with each piece identifying its proper mate and linking up in a precise sequence to complete the desired nanostructure. While the technique is simulated on computer, the strategy is applicable to self-assembly methods common to the field of DNA nanotechnology.

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

Researchers at Texas A&M University have created a novel plant-based energy storage device that could charge devices — even electric cars — within a few minutes. Supercapacitors have an internal architecture that is similar to basic capacitors. Both devices store charge on metal plates or electrodes. For their work, the researchers were attracted to manganese dioxide nanoparticles for designing one of the two supercapacitor electrodes.

(Funded by the National Science Foundation and the National Institutes of Health)

Researchers at the University of Maryland Baltimore County have, for the first time, demonstrated a method of biosynthesizing plasmonic gold nanoparticles within cancer cells, without the need for conventional bench-top lab methods. These nanoparticles generated within the cell can potentially be used in X-ray imaging and in therapy by destroying abnormal tissue or cells.

(Funded by the National Science Foundation and the National Institutes of Health)

Researchers at the University of Maryland Baltimore County have, for the first time, demonstrated a method of biosynthesizing plasmonic gold nanoparticles within cancer cells, without the need for conventional bench-top lab methods. These nanoparticles generated within the cell can potentially be used in X-ray imaging and in therapy by destroying abnormal tissue or cells.

(Funded by the National Institutes of Health)

Combining their expertise in protein engineering and synthetic DNA technology, scientists at the Wistar Institute in Philadelphia have successfully delivered nanoparticle antitumor vaccines that stimulated robust T cell immunity and controlled melanoma growth in preclinical models. The vaccines, which displayed 60 copies of protein parts derived from melanoma-specific antigens, were tested in mouse models of melanoma and resulted in prolonged survival that depended on T cell activation.

(Funded by the National Institutes of Health)

Combining their expertise in protein engineering and synthetic DNA technology, scientists at the Wistar Institute in Philadelphia have successfully delivered nanoparticle antitumor vaccines that stimulated robust T cell immunity and controlled melanoma growth in preclinical models. The vaccines, which displayed 60 copies of protein parts derived from melanoma-specific antigens, were tested in mouse models of melanoma and resulted in prolonged survival that depended on T cell activation.

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

Vehicles powered by polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) are energy-efficient and eco-friendly, but despite increasing public interest in PEMFC-powered transportation, current performance of materials that are used in fuel cells limits their widespread commercialization. Scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy's Argonne National Laboratory led a team to investigate reactions in PEMFCs, and their discoveries informed the design of a nanocatalyst that could bring fuel cells one step closer to realizing their full market potential.

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

Vehicles powered by polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) are energy-efficient and eco-friendly, but despite increasing public interest in PEMFC-powered transportation, current performance of materials that are used in fuel cells limits their widespread commercialization. Scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy's Argonne National Laboratory led a team to investigate reactions in PEMFCs, and their discoveries informed the design of a nanocatalyst that could bring fuel cells one step closer to realizing their full market potential.

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

Researchers at Texas A&M University have created a novel plant-based energy storage device that could charge devices — even electric cars — within a few minutes. Supercapacitors have an internal architecture that is similar to basic capacitors. Both devices store charge on metal plates or electrodes. For their work, the researchers were attracted to manganese dioxide nanoparticles for designing one of the two supercapacitor electrodes.

(Funded by the National Institute of Standards and Technology)

By shining white light on a glass slide stippled with millions of tiny titanium dioxide nanopillars, researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology and collaborators have reproduced with astonishing fidelity the luminous hues and subtle shadings of "Girl With a Pearl Earring," Dutch artist Johannes Vermeer's masterpiece. The approach has potential applications in improving optical communications and making currency harder to counterfeit.