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

Scientists at the Department of Energy’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory have developed an artificial photosynthesis system, made of nanotubes, that appears capable of performing all the key steps of artificial photosynthesis. The scientists have demonstrated that their design allows for the rapid flow of protons from the interior space of the nanotube, where they are generated from splitting water molecules, to the outside, where they combine with carbon dioxide and electrons to form the fuel. Now that the team has showcased how the nanotubes can perform all the photosynthetic tasks individually, they are ready to begin testing the complete system. The individual unit of the system will be small square “solar fuel tiles” (several inches on a side) containing billions of the nanotubes sandwiched between a floor and ceiling of thin, slightly flexible silicate, with the nanotube openings piercing through these covers.

As flowers bloom and fruits ripen, they emit a colorless, sweet-smelling gas called ethylene. MIT chemists have now created a tiny sensor that can detect this gas in concentrations as low as 15 parts per billion, which they believe could be useful in preventing food spoilage. The sensor is made from semiconducting cylinders called carbon nanotubes.

As flowers bloom and fruits ripen, they emit a colorless, sweet-smelling gas called ethylene. MIT chemists have now created a tiny sensor that can detect this gas in concentrations as low as 15 parts per billion, which they believe could be useful in preventing food spoilage. The sensor is made from semiconducting cylinders called carbon nanotubes.

A team of scientists led by the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Brookhaven National Laboratory and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory has captured in real time how lithium ions move in lithium titanate (LTO) nanoparticles, which are present in battery electrodes. The scientists discovered that distorted arrangements of lithium and surrounding atoms in LTO “intermediates” (structures of LTO with a lithium concentration between that of its initial and end states) provide an "express lane" for the transport of lithium ions.

A team of scientists led by the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Brookhaven National Laboratory and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory has captured in real time how lithium ions move in lithium titanate (LTO) nanoparticles, which are present in battery electrodes. The scientists discovered that distorted arrangements of lithium and surrounding atoms in LTO “intermediates” (structures of LTO with a lithium concentration between that of its initial and end states) provide an "express lane" for the transport of lithium ions.

It's not enough to take antibiotic-resistant bacteria out of wastewater to eliminate the risks they pose to society. The bits they leave behind have to be destroyed, as well. Researchers at Rice University's Brown School of Engineering have developed a new strategy for "trapping and zapping" antibiotic-resistant genes, the pieces of bacteria that, even though their hosts are dead, can find their way into and boost the resistance of other bacteria. The researchers used molecular-imprinted graphitic carbon nitride nanosheets to absorb and degrade these genetic remnants in sewage system wastewater before they have the chance to invade and infect other bacteria.

It's not enough to take antibiotic-resistant bacteria out of wastewater to eliminate the risks they pose to society. The bits they leave behind have to be destroyed, as well. Researchers at Rice University's Brown School of Engineering have developed a new strategy for "trapping and zapping" antibiotic-resistant genes, the pieces of bacteria that, even though their hosts are dead, can find their way into and boost the resistance of other bacteria. The researchers used molecular-imprinted graphitic carbon nitride nanosheets to absorb and degrade these genetic remnants in sewage system wastewater before they have the chance to invade and infect other bacteria.

Researchers at Stanford University have created an inverse design codebase that can help researchers explore different design methodologies to find optical and nanophotonic structures. This codebase has been used internally by the group to design an assortment of devices, and the group is making it available for other researchers to use.

Researchers at Stanford University have created an inverse design codebase that can help researchers explore different design methodologies to find optical and nanophotonic structures. This codebase has been used internally by the group to design an assortment of devices, and the group is making it available for other researchers to use.

Researchers at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign have identified how twisted graphene sheets behave and their stability at different sizes and temperatures. The scientists performed computer simulations at different temperatures for different sizes of graphene sheets and then used insights from these simulations to develop an analytical model to predict the number of local stable states and the critical temperature required to reach each of these states.