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

Researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology have designed a method that uses a high-intensity laser to blast microscale projectiles into a small sample at velocities that approach the speed of sound. The system analyzes the energy exchange between the microscale projectiles and the sample of interest at the micro level and then uses scaling methods to predict the puncture-resistance of the sample material against larger energetic projectiles, such as bullets encountered in real-world situations. The researchers used this new method to evaluate several materials, including a widely used compound for bulletproof glass, a novel nanocomposite, and the strong, all-carbon nanomaterial known as graphene.

Chemists at Clemson University have constructed a novel two-dimensional electrically conductive metal-organic framework – a breakthrough that could help advance modern electronics and energy technologies. Metal-organic frameworks are nano-sized architectures that look like miniature buildings made of metal ions linked by organic ligands. The structures are mostly hollow and porous, so they can store guest molecules, catalyze chemical reactions, and deliver drugs in a controlled manner. The conductivity of the new metal-organic framework is 10 to 15 times higher than the parent metal-organic framework.  

During the infamous Terra Nova Expedition to Antarctica in 1911, British geologist Thomas Griffith Taylor made a mysterious discovery at the rocky base of the glacier that now bears his name: a waterfall of what appeared to be blood. Now, using powerful transmission electron microscopes, researchers at Johns Hopkins University; the Planetary Science Institute in Tucson, AZ; Mount Holyoke College in South Hadley, MA; and the College of Charleston in Charleston, SC, have examined solids in samples of Blood Falls' water and found an abundance of tiny, iron-rich nanospheres that oxidize, turning the water seemingly gory.

Researchers at New York University Abu Dhabi have developed a new rapid testing method for COVID-19 – an adhesive bandage that relies on gold nanoparticles to quickly detect antibodies in the bloodstream produced as a result of a COVID-19 infection. On the surface of the nanoparticles are molecules called antigens that recognize the antibodies with high specificity and sensitivity. A color change indicates a person’s infection status – not infected or infected with an immune response – within minutes.

Scientists from the Texas A&M AgriLife Research Center at Dallas and Iowa State University have developed a sensor chip that can detect disease pathogens with 10 times the sensitivity of currently available methods. The new technology shows promise for rapid, low-cost point-of-care diagnostic capabilities in plants, foods, animals and humans, and results are available in about 30 minutes. The sensor improves upon a technique known as loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP), which is widely used to detect pathogens by amplifying their DNA. The sensor chip consists of a nanopore thin-film sensor inside a special reaction chamber. Primers are designed to be immobilized on the nanofilm, causing amplified LAMP products to become bound to the sensor, which produces signals that can be measured with a portable spectrometer. 

Using ultrasound and a nozzle, Penn State researchers have separated, controlled, and ejected different particles based on their shape and various properties. The researchers worked with tiny materials called nanorods, which are some of the most studied synthetic self-propelled particles, according to Igor Aronson, one of the two corresponding authors on the study. "We engineered a microchannel nozzle and applied ultrasound energy to the system," Aronson said. "The nozzle plays two roles. It concentrates fluid flow, which is something other researchers have done. But in addition to that, the walls of the nozzle reflect the acoustic waves of the ultrasound energy."

Scientists at Arizona State University have designed a faster and more energy-efficient nanoscale laser component that has potential applications across communication, information processing, spectroscopy, and biomedical industries. The scientists used an artificially engineered metal-graphene hybrid material that helped to reduce power consumption while maintaining ultrafast response times. 

Researchers from The University of Texas at Austin; the University of California, Riverside; and the University of Colorado Boulder have created a new class of materials that can absorb low-energy light and transform it into higher-energy light. The new material is composed of ultra-small silicon nanoparticles and organic molecules closely related to those used in organic light-emitting diode (OLED) televisions. This new composite efficiently moves electrons between its organic and inorganic components, with potential applications for more efficient solar panels, more accurate medical imaging, and better night vision goggles.

Researchers from the Nanoscience Initiative at the Advanced Science Research Center at the City University of New York; the University of Pennsylvania; and the University of California, Merced have taken a unique approach that advances the opportunity to use mechanochemistry in large-scale production. Mechanochemistry uses organic chemistry and nanotechnology to push molecules together and create chemicals without the use of costly solvents that pollute the environment. The researchers measured the amount of force needed to create a predictable and reliable chemical reaction and showed that mechanochemistry is a viable and scalable technique for manufacturing chemicals in a more sustainable, cost-efficient manner. 

Scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory have invented a coating that could dramatically reduce friction in common load-bearing systems with moving parts, from vehicle drivetrains to wind and hydroelectric turbines. The coating is composed of carbon nanotubes that confer superlubricity to sliding parts. Superlubricity is the property of showing virtually no resistance to sliding; its hallmark is a coefficient of friction less than 0.01. In comparison, when dry metals slide past each other, the coefficient of friction is around 0.5.