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

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.  

Bolometers, which are devices that measure the power of incident electromagnetic radiation through the heating of materials, are among the most sensitive detectors used for infrared radiation detection. An international team of researchers has been able to develop a graphene-based bolometer that can detect microwave photons at extremely high sensitivities and with fast response times. The team placed a sheet of graphene in between two layers of superconducting material to create a Josephson junction and, by passing microwave photons through the device, was able to reach unprecedented detection levels.

Bolometers, which are devices that measure the power of incident electromagnetic radiation through the heating of materials, are among the most sensitive detectors used for infrared radiation detection. An international team of researchers has been able to develop a graphene-based bolometer that can detect microwave photons at extremely high sensitivities and with fast response times. The team placed a sheet of graphene in between two layers of superconducting material to create a Josephson junction and, by passing microwave photons through the device, was able to reach unprecedented detection levels.

Chemists and physicists at the University of California, Berkeley, have created a metallic wire made entirely of carbon, setting the stage for a ramp-up in research to build carbon-based transistors and, ultimately, computers. The new carbon-based metal is a graphene nanoribbon – a narrow, one-dimensional strip of atom-thick graphene – that conducts electrons between semiconducting nanoribbons in all-carbon transistors.

Chemists and physicists at the University of California, Berkeley, have created a metallic wire made entirely of carbon, setting the stage for a ramp-up in research to build carbon-based transistors and, ultimately, computers. The new carbon-based metal is a graphene nanoribbon – a narrow, one-dimensional strip of atom-thick graphene – that conducts electrons between semiconducting nanoribbons in all-carbon transistors.

Scientists from Texas A&M University, Hewlett Packard Labs, and Stanford University have described a new nanodevice that acts almost identically to a brain cell. They have shown that these synthetic brain cells can be joined together to form intricate networks that can then solve problems in a brain-like manner. Also, the researchers have demonstrated proof of concept that their brain-inspired system can identify possible mutations in a virus, which is highly relevant for ensuring the efficacy of vaccines and medications for strains exhibiting genetic diversity.

Scientists from Texas A&M University, Hewlett Packard Labs, and Stanford University have described a new nanodevice that acts almost identically to a brain cell. They have shown that these synthetic brain cells can be joined together to form intricate networks that can then solve problems in a brain-like manner. Also, the researchers have demonstrated proof of concept that their brain-inspired system can identify possible mutations in a virus, which is highly relevant for ensuring the efficacy of vaccines and medications for strains exhibiting genetic diversity.

Researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology have developed a new method of 3D-printing gels and other soft materials that has the potential to create complex structures with nanometer-scale precision. So far, the method enabled the researchers to create gels with structures as small as 100 nanometers. Because many gels are compatible with living cells, the new method could jump-start the production of soft tiny medical devices, such as drug-delivery systems or flexible electrodes.

Researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology have developed a new method of 3D-printing gels and other soft materials that has the potential to create complex structures with nanometer-scale precision. So far, the method enabled the researchers to create gels with structures as small as 100 nanometers. Because many gels are compatible with living cells, the new method could jump-start the production of soft tiny medical devices, such as drug-delivery systems or flexible electrodes.

Researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles have created thermoelectric coolers that are only 100 nanometers thick. These coolers are made by sandwiching two different semiconductors between metalized plates. When heat is applied, one side becomes hot and the other remains cool; that temperature difference can be used to generate electricity. But that process can also be run in reverse: When an electrical current is applied to the device, one side becomes hot and the other cold, enabling it to serve as a cooler or refrigerator.