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

Earlier this year, scientists at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology published research that showed that graphene could become a superconductor if one piece of graphene were laid on top of another piece and the layers twisted to a specific angle—what they termed "the magic angle." That magic angle, scientists thought, was between 1 degree and 1.2 degrees. Now scientists at The Ohio State University, in collaboration with scientists around the world, have found that graphene layers still superconducted at a smaller angle, around 0.9 degrees.

Chemists at the University of California, Riverside, have fabricated, for the first time, plasmonic color-switchable films of silver nanoparticles. Until now, such color change of nanoparticles was mainly achieved in liquids, limiting their potential for practical applications, which include product authentication, color displays, signage, sensors, and information encryption.

Chemists at the University of California, Riverside, have fabricated, for the first time, plasmonic color-switchable films of silver nanoparticles. Until now, such color change of nanoparticles was mainly achieved in liquids, limiting their potential for practical applications, which include product authentication, color displays, signage, sensors, and information encryption.

Researchers at Rice and Northwestern universities, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, and Argonne National Laboratory have discovered that they can grow elongated hexagon-shaped flakes of borophene – the atom-thick allotrope of boron – by using a substrate made of silver. This discovery will help streamline the manufacture of borophene, which shows potential for use in wearable and transparent electronics, plasmonic sensor, and energy storage.

Researchers at Rice and Northwestern universities, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, and Argonne National Laboratory have discovered that they can grow elongated hexagon-shaped flakes of borophene – the atom-thick allotrope of boron – by using a substrate made of silver. This discovery will help streamline the manufacture of borophene, which shows potential for use in wearable and transparent electronics, plasmonic sensor, and energy storage.

Researchers at MIT and collaborators have demonstrated that they can alter the magnetic properties of chromium trichloride – an ultra-thin material that features a honeycomb-shaped atomic structure — by shifting the stacking order of layers. The researchers peeled away two-dimensional (2-D) layers of chromium trichloride using and found that the magnetism is different in 2-D and 3-D crystals, due to different stacking arrangements between atoms in adjacent layers.

Researchers at MIT and collaborators have demonstrated that they can alter the magnetic properties of chromium trichloride – an ultra-thin material that features a honeycomb-shaped atomic structure — by shifting the stacking order of layers. The researchers peeled away two-dimensional (2-D) layers of chromium trichloride using and found that the magnetism is different in 2-D and 3-D crystals, due to different stacking arrangements between atoms in adjacent layers.

Chemical engineers at MIT have developed a new series of lipid nanoparticles to deliver RNA vaccines and have shown that the particles trigger efficient production of the protein encoded by the RNA. Also, the engineers used this RNA vaccine to successfully inhibit the growth of melanoma tumors in mice.

Chemical engineers at MIT have developed a new series of lipid nanoparticles to deliver RNA vaccines and have shown that the particles trigger efficient production of the protein encoded by the RNA. Also, the engineers used this RNA vaccine to successfully inhibit the growth of melanoma tumors in mice.

Researchers at Johns Hopkins University have used nanoparticles to test the mucus of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The researchers hope that their approach will allow for early detection of COPD progression and will therefore help clinicians to deliver therapies in a more timely manner.