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

One promising approach to turn sunlight and water into fuel is to use mixtures of tiny nanoparticles, whereby different particles play different roles. For example, gold nanoparticles absorb sunlight well, but they can’t efficiently make fuel by themselves. They need particles of another material nearby. The trick is to transfer electrons produced by the gold donor particles, as they absorb light, to the acceptor particles that start the chemical reaction to produce. Now, scientists have found a way to count how many electrons transfer between the two materials, which could help develop more efficient donor-acceptor combinations.

Researchers at Carnegie Mellon University are working to “immunize” plants against drought and extreme heat. The researchers sprayed tomato leaves with nanoparticles that release a temperature-programmed antimicrobial agent. The programmed release of antimicrobial agents occurred once temperatures within the plants reached 35-40 degrees Celsius.

Researchers at Carnegie Mellon University are working to “immunize” plants against drought and extreme heat. The researchers sprayed tomato leaves with nanoparticles that release a temperature-programmed antimicrobial agent. The programmed release of antimicrobial agents occurred once temperatures within the plants reached 35-40 degrees Celsius.

Engineers at the University of Pennsylvania have developed a system of nanoscale semiconductor strips that uses structural color interactions to eliminate the strips' intrinsic color entirely. Structural color comes from the interaction of light with microstructures or nanostructures on some surfaces, while intrinsic color comes from light reflected by some materials. Fine-tuning such a system has implications for holographic displays and optical sensors.

Engineers at the University of Pennsylvania have developed a system of nanoscale semiconductor strips that uses structural color interactions to eliminate the strips' intrinsic color entirely. Structural color comes from the interaction of light with microstructures or nanostructures on some surfaces, while intrinsic color comes from light reflected by some materials. Fine-tuning such a system has implications for holographic displays and optical sensors.

Researchers at Oregon State University have devised a new catalyst for the conversion of carbon dioxide into carbon monoxide via electrochemical reduction. The catalyst, which consists of nickel phthalocyanine molecules supported on carbon nanotubes, achieved carbon dioxide conversion performances that are superior to aggregated molecular catalysts in terms of stability, activity, and selectivity. 

Researchers at Oregon State University have devised a new catalyst for the conversion of carbon dioxide into carbon monoxide via electrochemical reduction. The catalyst, which consists of nickel phthalocyanine molecules supported on carbon nanotubes, achieved carbon dioxide conversion performances that are superior to aggregated molecular catalysts in terms of stability, activity, and selectivity. 

Researchers at Texas A&M University have used a natural plant product, called cellulose nanocrystals, to pin and coat carbon nanotubes uniformly onto carbon-fiber composites. The researchers said their prescribed method is quicker than conventional methods and also allows the designing of carbon-fiber composites from the nanoscale.

Researchers at Texas A&M University have used a natural plant product, called cellulose nanocrystals, to pin and coat carbon nanotubes uniformly onto carbon-fiber composites. The researchers said their prescribed method is quicker than conventional methods and also allows the designing of carbon-fiber composites from the nanoscale.

According to research led by scientists at Rutgers University, graphene buckles when cooled while attached to a flat surface, resulting in beautiful pucker patterns. The scientists plan to develop ways to engineer buckled 2D materials with novel electronic and mechanical properties that could be beneficial in nano-robotics and quantum computing.