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

Today, most soldiers wear a heavy, bullet-proof vest to protect their torso, but much of their body remains exposed to the indiscriminate aim of explosive fragments and shrapnel. Designing equipment to protect extremities against the extreme temperatures and deadly projectiles that accompany an explosion has been difficult. Now, Harvard University researchers, in collaboration with the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command Soldier Center and West Point, have developed a lightweight, multifunctional nanofiber material that can protect wearers from both extreme temperatures and ballistic threats. 

Today, most soldiers wear a heavy, bullet-proof vest to protect their torso, but much of their body remains exposed to the indiscriminate aim of explosive fragments and shrapnel. Designing equipment to protect extremities against the extreme temperatures and deadly projectiles that accompany an explosion has been difficult. Now, Harvard University researchers, in collaboration with the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command Soldier Center and West Point, have developed a lightweight, multifunctional nanofiber material that can protect wearers from both extreme temperatures and ballistic threats. 

Nitric oxide is an important signaling molecule in the body, with a role in building nervous system connections that contribute to learning and memory. It also functions as a messenger in the cardiovascular and immune systems. But it has been difficult for researchers to study exactly what its role is in these systems and how it functions. Now, a team of scientists and engineers at MIT and elsewhere has found a way of generating the gas at precisely targeted locations inside the body. The team's solution uses an electric voltage to drive the reaction that produces nitric oxide. The team's key achievement was finding a way for this reaction to be operated efficiently and selectively at the nanoscale. 

Nitric oxide is an important signaling molecule in the body, with a role in building nervous system connections that contribute to learning and memory. It also functions as a messenger in the cardiovascular and immune systems. But it has been difficult for researchers to study exactly what its role is in these systems and how it functions. Now, a team of scientists and engineers at MIT and elsewhere has found a way of generating the gas at precisely targeted locations inside the body. The team's solution uses an electric voltage to drive the reaction that produces nitric oxide. The team's key achievement was finding a way for this reaction to be operated efficiently and selectively at the nanoscale. 

Researchers at Cornell University have developed a new imaging technique that is fast and sensitive enough to observe highly correlated electron spin patterns, called critical spin fluctuations, in two-dimensional magnets. This real-time imaging allows researchers to control the fluctuations and switch magnetism via a "passive" mechanism that could eventually lead to more energy-efficient magnetic storage devices.

Researchers at Cornell University have developed a new imaging technique that is fast and sensitive enough to observe highly correlated electron spin patterns, called critical spin fluctuations, in two-dimensional magnets. This real-time imaging allows researchers to control the fluctuations and switch magnetism via a "passive" mechanism that could eventually lead to more energy-efficient magnetic storage devices.

Researchers at Iowa State University, Northwestern University, and the U.S. Department of Energy’s Ames Laboratory have used high-resolution printing technology and the unique properties of graphene to make low-cost biosensors to monitor food safety and livestock health. The sensors can detect histamine, an allergen and indicator of spoiled fish and meat, down to 3.41 parts per million. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has set histamine guidelines of 50 parts per million in fish, making the sensors more than sensitive enough to track food freshness and safety.

Researchers at Iowa State University, Northwestern University, and the U.S. Department of Energy’s Ames Laboratory have used high-resolution printing technology and the unique properties of graphene to make low-cost biosensors to monitor food safety and livestock health. The sensors can detect histamine, an allergen and indicator of spoiled fish and meat, down to 3.41 parts per million. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has set histamine guidelines of 50 parts per million in fish, making the sensors more than sensitive enough to track food freshness and safety.

Researchers at the Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology have developed a new method to improve the detection ability of nanoscale chemical imaging using atomic force microscopy. These improvements reduce the noise that is associated with the microscope, increasing the precision and range of samples that can be studied.

Researchers at the Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology have developed a new method to improve the detection ability of nanoscale chemical imaging using atomic force microscopy. These improvements reduce the noise that is associated with the microscope, increasing the precision and range of samples that can be studied.