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

Scientists at Arizona State University have developed a new type of nanostructure that mimics certain natural light-harvesting systems. The nanostructure serves as a bridge to move energy generated by light-absorbing molecules to light-emitting molecules. The transfer has almost no energy loss (less than 1%), which means the bridge can carry energy over distances of hundreds of nanometers. This research provides a new approach for transferring energy efficiently over long nanowires and has potential applications in photonic networks, which are widely used in communications and information processing.

Scientists at Arizona State University have developed a new type of nanostructure that mimics certain natural light-harvesting systems. The nanostructure serves as a bridge to move energy generated by light-absorbing molecules to light-emitting molecules. The transfer has almost no energy loss (less than 1%), which means the bridge can carry energy over distances of hundreds of nanometers. This research provides a new approach for transferring energy efficiently over long nanowires and has potential applications in photonic networks, which are widely used in communications and information processing.

Scientists at the University of California, Riverside have created a new film made of gold nanoparticles that changes color in response to movement. This new film could coat the surface of any object just as easily as applying spray paint on a house, and its unprecedented qualities could allow robots to mimic chameleons and octopuses.

Scientists at the University of California, Riverside have created a new film made of gold nanoparticles that changes color in response to movement. This new film could coat the surface of any object just as easily as applying spray paint on a house, and its unprecedented qualities could allow robots to mimic chameleons and octopuses.

Researchers at Purdue University have created a novel wearable patch with nanoneedles, enabling unobtrusive drug delivery through the skin for the management of skin cancers. The bioresorbable silicon nanoneedles are built on a thin, flexible, and water-soluble medical film that can be interfaced with the surface of the skin during the insertion of the nanoneedles. The silicon nanoneedles are biocompatible and dissolvable in tissue fluids, so they can be completely resorbed in the body over months in a harmless manner.

Researchers at Purdue University have created a novel wearable patch with nanoneedles, enabling unobtrusive drug delivery through the skin for the management of skin cancers. The bioresorbable silicon nanoneedles are built on a thin, flexible, and water-soluble medical film that can be interfaced with the surface of the skin during the insertion of the nanoneedles. The silicon nanoneedles are biocompatible and dissolvable in tissue fluids, so they can be completely resorbed in the body over months in a harmless manner.

In 2018, scientists discovered that two layers of graphene that are twisted one with respect to the other by a very small, well-defined angle show a variety of interesting quantum phases, including superconductivity, magnetism, and insulating behaviors. Now, a team of researchers from MIT and the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel have discovered that these quantum phases come from a previously unknown high-energy “parent state,” with an unusual breaking of symmetry.

In 2018, scientists discovered that two layers of graphene that are twisted one with respect to the other by a very small, well-defined angle show a variety of interesting quantum phases, including superconductivity, magnetism, and insulating behaviors. Now, a team of researchers from MIT and the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel have discovered that these quantum phases come from a previously unknown high-energy “parent state,” with an unusual breaking of symmetry.

Scientists at Rice University have identified a small set of two-dimensional compounds that, when placed together, allow excitons to form spontaneously. Excitons are quasiparticles that exist when electrons and holes briefly bind; they generally happen when energy from light or electricity boosts electrons and holes into a higher state. But in a few of the combinations predicted by the scientists, excitons were observed stabilizing at the materials' ground state. The discovery shows promise for electronic, spintronic, and quantum computing applications.

Scientists at Rice University have identified a small set of two-dimensional compounds that, when placed together, allow excitons to form spontaneously. Excitons are quasiparticles that exist when electrons and holes briefly bind; they generally happen when energy from light or electricity boosts electrons and holes into a higher state. But in a few of the combinations predicted by the scientists, excitons were observed stabilizing at the materials' ground state. The discovery shows promise for electronic, spintronic, and quantum computing applications.