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

Six innovative battery manufacturing projects led by the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Argonne National Laboratory were recently awarded funding through DOE’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE). The projects, which span a range of essential components for energy storage, are among 13 battery manufacturing research efforts at national laboratories that earned combined funding of almost $15 million over three years. One of these projects will bring the synthesis of graphene monoxide for next-generation lithium-ion battery anodes out of the academic lab and into a pre-commercial scaled-up process.

Researchers at the University of Houston have designed and produced a smart electronic skin and a medical robotic hand that can assess vital diagnostic data by using a newly invented rubbery semiconductor with high carrier mobility. Previous stretchable semiconductors have had drawbacks, including low carrier mobility — the speed at which charge carriers can move through a material. According to the researchers, adding minute amounts of metallic carbon nanotubes to the rubbery semiconductor improved carrier mobility.

Researchers at the University of Houston have designed and produced a smart electronic skin and a medical robotic hand that can assess vital diagnostic data by using a newly invented rubbery semiconductor with high carrier mobility. Previous stretchable semiconductors have had drawbacks, including low carrier mobility — the speed at which charge carriers can move through a material. According to the researchers, adding minute amounts of metallic carbon nanotubes to the rubbery semiconductor improved carrier mobility.

Researchers at the University of Chicago have demonstrated the use of charged nanoscale metal-organic frameworks for generating free radicals using X-rays within tumor tissue to kill cancer cells directly. The nanoscale metal-organic frameworks also can deliver immune signaling molecules to activate the immune response against tumor cells. By combining these two approaches into one easily administered "vaccine," this new technology may provide better treatment of difficult-to-treat cancers.

Researchers at the University of Chicago have demonstrated the use of charged nanoscale metal-organic frameworks for generating free radicals using X-rays within tumor tissue to kill cancer cells directly. The nanoscale metal-organic frameworks also can deliver immune signaling molecules to activate the immune response against tumor cells. By combining these two approaches into one easily administered "vaccine," this new technology may provide better treatment of difficult-to-treat cancers.

Physicists at the University of Arkansas have developed a circuit that can capture graphene's thermal motion and convert it into an electrical current, an achievement thought to be impossible. The physicists also discovered that their design increased the amount of power delivered and that the relatively slow motion of graphene induces current in the circuit at low frequencies, which is important from a technological perspective because electronics function more efficiently at lower frequencies.

Physicists at the University of Arkansas have developed a circuit that can capture graphene's thermal motion and convert it into an electrical current, an achievement thought to be impossible. The physicists also discovered that their design increased the amount of power delivered and that the relatively slow motion of graphene induces current in the circuit at low frequencies, which is important from a technological perspective because electronics function more efficiently at lower frequencies.

A team of scientists led by the U.S. Department of Energy's Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory has gained new insight into electrons' role in the harvesting of light in systems made of light-absorbing gold nanoparticles attached to a semiconductor film of titanium dioxide nanoparticles. The scientists said their study can help researchers develop more efficient material combinations for the design of high-performance solar fuel devices.

A team of scientists led by the U.S. Department of Energy's Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory has gained new insight into electrons' role in the harvesting of light in systems made of light-absorbing gold nanoparticles attached to a semiconductor film of titanium dioxide nanoparticles. The scientists said their study can help researchers develop more efficient material combinations for the design of high-performance solar fuel devices.

The National Science Foundation (NSF) currently invests $250 million per year in advanced manufacturing research. From advances in computer-aided design to driving development of 3D printing and sustained advanced nanomaterials, NSF’s decades-long investment in fundamental research has transformed manufacturing, resulting in products modern society has come to depend on. Recently, NSF made awards to 24 projects in future manufacturing that will build upon this legacy and develop approaches that will impact society just as profoundly for years and decades to come. Bringing together partners throughout the United States, each project pursues breakthroughs across one of three primary areas: eco-manufacturing, biomanufacturing and cybermanufacturing.