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

Trace amounts of contaminants – such as pesticides, pharmaceuticals, and perfluorooctanoic acid – in drinking water sources have posed significant health risks to humans in recent years. Certain chemical processes that typically involve ozone, hydrogen peroxide, or ultraviolet light have proven effective at removing them, but these processes can be expensive and energy-intensive. Nanoparticles created by engineers at Yale University and Rice University could lead to technologies that get around those limitations.

Trace amounts of contaminants – such as pesticides, pharmaceuticals, and perfluorooctanoic acid – in drinking water sources have posed significant health risks to humans in recent years. Certain chemical processes that typically involve ozone, hydrogen peroxide, or ultraviolet light have proven effective at removing them, but these processes can be expensive and energy-intensive. Nanoparticles created by engineers at Yale University and Rice University could lead to technologies that get around those limitations.

One of the largest problems with cancer treatment is the development of resistance to anticancer therapies. A research team has found that a commonly used chemotherapy drug may be repurposed as a treatment for resurgent or chemotherapy-resistant leukemia. The researchers developed a nanoparticle that allowed doxorubicin, a commonly used chemotherapy drug, to be injected safely and released sustainably over time.  Because of its rate of drug release, the patented nanoparticle was more effective than both a solution of the pure drug and the only commercially available version of a nanoparticle carrying doxorubicin.

One of the largest problems with cancer treatment is the development of resistance to anticancer therapies. A research team has found that a commonly used chemotherapy drug may be repurposed as a treatment for resurgent or chemotherapy-resistant leukemia. The researchers developed a nanoparticle that allowed doxorubicin, a commonly used chemotherapy drug, to be injected safely and released sustainably over time.  Because of its rate of drug release, the patented nanoparticle was more effective than both a solution of the pure drug and the only commercially available version of a nanoparticle carrying doxorubicin.

A team of researchers at Brown University has found a way to increase the toughness of a ceramic material used to make solid-state lithium ion batteries. Ceramics are highly brittle materials that can fracture during the manufacturing process and during use. The researchers showed that infusing a ceramic with graphene doubled the material's fracture toughness compared to the ceramic alone.

A team of researchers at Brown University has found a way to increase the toughness of a ceramic material used to make solid-state lithium ion batteries. Ceramics are highly brittle materials that can fracture during the manufacturing process and during use. The researchers showed that infusing a ceramic with graphene doubled the material's fracture toughness compared to the ceramic alone.

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.