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

Researchers have developed a new method for upcycling abundant, seemingly low-value plastics into high-quality liquid products, such as motor oils, lubricants, detergents, and even cosmetics. The catalyst used to convert plastics into value-added commercial products consists of platinum nanoparticles — just two nanometers in size — deposited onto perovskite nanocubes, which are about 50-60 nanometers in size. Northwestern University, Argonne National Laboratory, and Ames Laboratory led the multi-institutional team.

An engineer at the University of California Santa Barbara has proposed a way to overcome the relatively low efficiency and performance of existing quantum computing prototypes that use light to encode and process information. To develop an all-electrical, all-on-chip quantum photonic platform, he proposes to integrate three technologies that have been developed for different platforms and applications: electrically driven quantum dot single-photon sources, silicon-based photonics for optical operations, and superconducting nanowire single-photon detectors.

An engineer at the University of California Santa Barbara has proposed a way to overcome the relatively low efficiency and performance of existing quantum computing prototypes that use light to encode and process information. To develop an all-electrical, all-on-chip quantum photonic platform, he proposes to integrate three technologies that have been developed for different platforms and applications: electrically driven quantum dot single-photon sources, silicon-based photonics for optical operations, and superconducting nanowire single-photon detectors.

Most particles that disperse in liquids aggregate rapidly and eventually precipitate, thereby separating from the liquid phase. But there has been no easy-to-use method to quantitatively determine the hydrophobicity of these micro- and nanoparticles. Now, a scientist at the University of Hawaii at Manoa College of Engineering has invented a groundbreaking method that allows for easy determination of the surface free energy of carbon nanotubes, graphene, and polystyrene particles as a quantitative measure of their hydrophobicity.

Most particles that disperse in liquids aggregate rapidly and eventually precipitate, thereby separating from the liquid phase. But there has been no easy-to-use method to quantitatively determine the hydrophobicity of these micro- and nanoparticles. Now, a scientist at the University of Hawaii at Manoa College of Engineering has invented a groundbreaking method that allows for easy determination of the surface free energy of carbon nanotubes, graphene, and polystyrene particles as a quantitative measure of their hydrophobicity.

A team of scientists at Argonne National Laboratory has developed a powerful technique for probing in three dimensions the crystalline structure of cathode materials at the nanoscale inside a battery. In particular, the technique probes what happens during the process of "intercalation" — the insertion of ions between the layers of a cathode when a battery generates electricity.

A team of scientists at Argonne National Laboratory has developed a powerful technique for probing in three dimensions the crystalline structure of cathode materials at the nanoscale inside a battery. In particular, the technique probes what happens during the process of "intercalation" — the insertion of ions between the layers of a cathode when a battery generates electricity.

Scientists from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and the University of South Florida Health Morsani College of Medicine, Tampa, Fla., have demonstrated that peptide-based nanoparticles can suppress pancreatic cancer growth without the toxic side effects and therapeutic resistance seen in drug trials. The nanoparticles deliver an RNA molecule that silences the chemical signal telling a gene to make mutated proteins that cause pancreatic cells to grow uncontrollably and resist existing cancer-killing drugs.

Scientists from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and the University of South Florida Health Morsani College of Medicine, Tampa, Fla., have demonstrated that peptide-based nanoparticles can suppress pancreatic cancer growth without the toxic side effects and therapeutic resistance seen in drug trials. The nanoparticles deliver an RNA molecule that silences the chemical signal telling a gene to make mutated proteins that cause pancreatic cells to grow uncontrollably and resist existing cancer-killing drugs.

Physicists at the University of Oregon have developed a fast and sensitive bolometer that can measure light at and far above room temperature. A bolometer is a sensitive electrical instrument that measures the power of incident electromagnetic radiation. The new device, which consists of a trampoline-shaped piece of graphene suspended over a hole, offers an alternative to conventional electronic light detectors, such as those found in a smartphone's camera.