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

Transitions from one state of matter to another—such as freezing, melting or evaporation—start with a process called "nucleation," in which tiny clusters of atoms or molecules (called "nuclei") begin to coalesce. Nucleation plays a critical role in circumstances as diverse as the formation of clouds and the onset of neurodegenerative disease. A UCLA-led team has gained a never-before-seen view of nucleation—capturing how the atoms rearrange at 4-D atomic resolution (that is, in three dimensions of space and across time).

Researchers @OregonState have developed an improved technique for using magnetic nanoclusters to kill hard-to-reach tumors. Magnetic nanoparticles have shown anti-cancer promise for tumors easily accessible by syringe, allowing the particles to be injected directly into the cancerous growth.

Researchers @OregonState have developed an improved technique for using magnetic nanoclusters to kill hard-to-reach tumors. Magnetic nanoparticles have shown anti-cancer promise for tumors easily accessible by syringe, allowing the particles to be injected directly into the cancerous growth.

Scientists from the U.S. Department of Energy's Stanford Linear Accelerator Center (SLAC) National Accelerator Laboratory and Stanford University have taken the first images of carbon dioxide molecules within a molecular cage – part of a highly porous nanoparticle called a metal-organic framework, which has great potential for separating and storing gases and liquids.

Scientists from the U.S. Department of Energy's Stanford Linear Accelerator Center (SLAC) National Accelerator Laboratory and Stanford University have taken the first images of carbon dioxide molecules within a molecular cage – part of a highly porous nanoparticle called a metal-organic framework, which has great potential for separating and storing gases and liquids.

Researchers from Brown and Columbia Universities have demonstrated previously unknown states of matter that arise in double-layer stacks of graphene, a two-dimensional nanomaterial. These new states arise from the complex interactions of electrons both within and across graphene layers.

Researchers from Brown and Columbia Universities have demonstrated previously unknown states of matter that arise in double-layer stacks of graphene, a two-dimensional nanomaterial. These new states arise from the complex interactions of electrons both within and across graphene layers.

Researchers are working to develop nanophotonic devices that could have applications in thermal imaging and resonant filtering. Nanophotonic devices are used to shape the spectrum of light via photonic lattices and resonance, but their application generally has been limited to short wavelengths. The research team is trying to develop devices that will work in the long-wave infrared spectral region, which is the range in which thermal radiation is emitted.

Researchers are working to develop nanophotonic devices that could have applications in thermal imaging and resonant filtering. Nanophotonic devices are used to shape the spectrum of light via photonic lattices and resonance, but their application generally has been limited to short wavelengths. The research team is trying to develop devices that will work in the long-wave infrared spectral region, which is the range in which thermal radiation is emitted.

Electrical engineers have reported solving a lingering question about how a two-dimensional crystal composed of cesium, lead, and bromine emitted a strong green light, opening the door to designing better light-emitting and diagnostic devices.