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

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.

Among the unique qualities of graphene is that layers of it can be stacked on top of each other, like Lego pieces, to create artificial electronic materials. But efficient methods for building these structures – and, more generally, atomically thin graphene-like materials that are placed on top of each other – are still lacking. Now, a team of researchers from New York University and the National Institute for Materials Science in Japan has found a versatile method for the construction of these structures.

Among the unique qualities of graphene is that layers of it can be stacked on top of each other, like Lego pieces, to create artificial electronic materials. But efficient methods for building these structures – and, more generally, atomically thin graphene-like materials that are placed on top of each other – are still lacking. Now, a team of researchers from New York University and the National Institute for Materials Science in Japan has found a versatile method for the construction of these structures.

Among the unique qualities of graphene is that layers of it can be stacked on top of each other, like Lego pieces, to create artificial electronic materials. But efficient methods for building these structures – and, more generally, atomically thin graphene-like materials that are placed on top of each other – are still lacking. Now, a team of researchers from New York University and the National Institute for Materials Science in Japan has found a versatile method for the construction of these structures.

Among the unique qualities of graphene is that layers of it can be stacked on top of each other, like Lego pieces, to create artificial electronic materials. But efficient methods for building these structures – and, more generally, atomically thin graphene-like materials that are placed on top of each other – are still lacking. Now, a team of researchers from New York University and the National Institute for Materials Science in Japan has found a versatile method for the construction of these structures.