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

Chemical engineers from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute have demonstrated how to make the conversion process from carbon dioxide to methanol more efficient by using a highly effective separation membrane they produced. The membrane contains small pores — known as water-conduction nanochannels — that can carefully and quickly let water go through them without losing gas molecules. This breakthrough, the researchers said, could improve a number of industry processes that depend on chemical reactions where water is a byproduct.

Researchers at the University of Michigan have proven the viability of a 3-D camera that can provide high-quality 3-D imaging while determining how far away objects are from the lens. This information is critical for 3-D biological imaging, robotics, and autonomous driving. Instead of using opaque photodetectors traditionally used in cameras, the proposed camera uses a stack of transparent photodetectors made from graphene to simultaneously capture and focus in on objects that are at different distances from the camera lens.

Researchers at the University of Michigan have proven the viability of a 3-D camera that can provide high-quality 3-D imaging while determining how far away objects are from the lens. This information is critical for 3-D biological imaging, robotics, and autonomous driving. Instead of using opaque photodetectors traditionally used in cameras, the proposed camera uses a stack of transparent photodetectors made from graphene to simultaneously capture and focus in on objects that are at different distances from the camera lens.

Researchers at the University of Rochester have demonstrated that using powerful femto-second laser pulses to etch metal surfaces with nanoscale structures could help create highly efficient solar power generators. The researchers found that tungsten, which is commonly used as a thermal solar absorber, has the highest solar absorption efficiency when treated with the new nanoscale structures.

Researchers at the University of Rochester have demonstrated that using powerful femto-second laser pulses to etch metal surfaces with nanoscale structures could help create highly efficient solar power generators. The researchers found that tungsten, which is commonly used as a thermal solar absorber, has the highest solar absorption efficiency when treated with the new nanoscale structures.

New research by engineers at MIT, the University of Central Florida, the University of Texas at Austin, Brookhaven National Laboratory, and Hong Kong Polytechnic University could lead to batteries that can pack more power per pound and last longer, based on the long-sought goal of using pure lithium metal as one of the battery's two electrodes, the anode. To form the anode, the researchers developed a three-dimensional nanoarchitecture in the form of a honeycomb-like array of hexagonal tubes, partially infused with solid lithium metal. The hexagonal tubes are about 100 to 300 nanometers in diameter and tens of microns in height.

New research by engineers at MIT, the University of Central Florida, the University of Texas at Austin, Brookhaven National Laboratory, and Hong Kong Polytechnic University could lead to batteries that can pack more power per pound and last longer, based on the long-sought goal of using pure lithium metal as one of the battery's two electrodes, the anode. To form the anode, the researchers developed a three-dimensional nanoarchitecture in the form of a honeycomb-like array of hexagonal tubes, partially infused with solid lithium metal. The hexagonal tubes are about 100 to 300 nanometers in diameter and tens of microns in height.

This article is an interview with Ashwin Shahani, an assistant professor of materials science and engineering at the University of Michigan, whose research has revealed that an intricate and beautiful set of nanoscale rods, sheets, and spirals forms spontaneously in cooling metal alloys. His research could lead to a new generation of lightweight alloys and optical products with properties superior to monolithic materials.

This article is an interview with Ashwin Shahani, an assistant professor of materials science and engineering at the University of Michigan, whose research has revealed that an intricate and beautiful set of nanoscale rods, sheets, and spirals forms spontaneously in cooling metal alloys. His research could lead to a new generation of lightweight alloys and optical products with properties superior to monolithic materials.

Scientists at the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory have discovered a new platform for quantum technologies by suspending two-dimensional crystals over pores in a slab of gold. This new approach may help develop new materials for secure communication and sensing technologies based on the unique laws of physics at the atomic level.