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

Ever since graphene's discovery in 2004, scientists have looked for ways to put this 2D material to work. Last year, scientists at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory developed a multitasking graphene device that switches from a superconductor, which efficiently conducts electricity, to an insulator, which resists the flow of electric current, and back again to a superconductor. Now, the scientists have tapped into the graphene system's talent for juggling not just two properties, but three: superconducting, insulating, and a type of magnetism called ferromagnetism.

Researchers from the University of South Australia, McMaster University in Canada, and Texas A&M University have shown that curcumin can be delivered effectively into human cells via nanoparticles. The researchers have shown in animal experiments that nanoparticles containing curcumin not only prevents cognitive deterioration but also reverses the damage. This finding paves the way for clinical development trials for Alzheimer’s disease.

Researchers from the University of South Australia, McMaster University in Canada, and Texas A&M University have shown that curcumin can be delivered effectively into human cells via nanoparticles. The researchers have shown in animal experiments that nanoparticles containing curcumin not only prevents cognitive deterioration but also reverses the damage. This finding paves the way for clinical development trials for Alzheimer’s disease.

Scientists at Rice University, Biola University, and the Texas A&M Health Science Center have demonstrated that molecular nanomachines that spin up to 3 million times per second can target diseased cells and kill them in minutes. The nanomachines could be used to control parasites and treat skin cancer.

Scientists at Rice University, Biola University, and the Texas A&M Health Science Center have demonstrated that molecular nanomachines that spin up to 3 million times per second can target diseased cells and kill them in minutes. The nanomachines could be used to control parasites and treat skin cancer.

An international team of scientists and engineers has discovered one-dimensional defects in a two-dimensional structure of porous material – a zeolite called MFI. By imaging the atomic structure of the MFI nanosheets at unprecedented detail, the researchers found that these one-dimensional defects resulted in a unique reinforced nanosheet structure that changed the filtration properties of the nanosheet. The discovery could improve efficiency in the production of gasoline, plastics, and biofuels.

An international team of scientists and engineers has discovered one-dimensional defects in a two-dimensional structure of porous material – a zeolite called MFI. By imaging the atomic structure of the MFI nanosheets at unprecedented detail, the researchers found that these one-dimensional defects resulted in a unique reinforced nanosheet structure that changed the filtration properties of the nanosheet. The discovery could improve efficiency in the production of gasoline, plastics, and biofuels.

Scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Argonne National Laboratory have made and tested a superconducting nanowire device applicable to high-speed photon counting for nuclear physics experiments that were previously thought impossible. The device operates at temperatures near absolute zero in magnetic fields 40 times stronger than previous such devices and can detect low-energy photons and other fundamental particles.

Scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Argonne National Laboratory have made and tested a superconducting nanowire device applicable to high-speed photon counting for nuclear physics experiments that were previously thought impossible. The device operates at temperatures near absolute zero in magnetic fields 40 times stronger than previous such devices and can detect low-energy photons and other fundamental particles.

Through a technique known as DNA origami, scientists at Emory University have created the fastest, most persistent DNA nano motor yet. The new DNA motor is rod-shaped and uses RNA fuel to roll persistently in a straight line, without human intervention, at speeds up to 100 nanometers per minute. That's up to 10 times faster than previous DNA motors.