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

Antimicrobial packaging is being developed to extend the shelf life and safety of foods and beverages. However, there is concern about the transfer of potentially harmful materials, such as silver nanoparticles, from these types of containers to consumables. Now, researchers have shown that silver embedded in an antimicrobial plastic can leave the material and form nanoparticles in foods and beverages, particularly in sweet and sugary ones.

Antimicrobial packaging is being developed to extend the shelf life and safety of foods and beverages. However, there is concern about the transfer of potentially harmful materials, such as silver nanoparticles, from these types of containers to consumables. Now, researchers have shown that silver embedded in an antimicrobial plastic can leave the material and form nanoparticles in foods and beverages, particularly in sweet and sugary ones.

MIT researchers and colleagues have discovered an important—and unexpected—electronic property of graphene. The researchers show that bilayer graphene can be ferroelectric, which means that positive and negative charges in the material can spontaneously separate into different layers. This work could usher in new, faster information-processing paradigms, one potential application being neuromorphic computing, which aims to replicate the neurons in the body responsible for everything from behavior to memories.

MIT researchers and colleagues have discovered an important—and unexpected—electronic property of graphene. The researchers show that bilayer graphene can be ferroelectric, which means that positive and negative charges in the material can spontaneously separate into different layers. This work could usher in new, faster information-processing paradigms, one potential application being neuromorphic computing, which aims to replicate the neurons in the body responsible for everything from behavior to memories.

Researchers at Stanford University have made temperature-resistant, injectable gels that are made of two solid ingredients – polymers and nanoparticles. When the researchers exposed this gel to the body's temperature, it did not liquefy, like ordinary gels do. This gel could prove valuable for providing anti-malarial or anti-HIV treatments in under-resourced areas, where it is difficult to administer the short-acting remedies currently available.

Researchers at Stanford University have made temperature-resistant, injectable gels that are made of two solid ingredients – polymers and nanoparticles. When the researchers exposed this gel to the body's temperature, it did not liquefy, like ordinary gels do. This gel could prove valuable for providing anti-malarial or anti-HIV treatments in under-resourced areas, where it is difficult to administer the short-acting remedies currently available.

A team of researchers from the United States and China has developed a new kind of wearable health sensor that uses micro- and nanotechnology and would deliver real-time medical data to people with eye or mouth diseases. The sensors would be placed near the tear duct or mouth to collect samples, which would then produce data viewable on a user's smartphone or sent to their doctor.

A team of researchers from the United States and China has developed a new kind of wearable health sensor that uses micro- and nanotechnology and would deliver real-time medical data to people with eye or mouth diseases. The sensors would be placed near the tear duct or mouth to collect samples, which would then produce data viewable on a user's smartphone or sent to their doctor.

When two sheets of graphene are stacked atop each other at just the right angle, the layered structure morphs into an unconventional superconductor. The MIT scientists who made that discovery now report observing superconductivity in a sandwich of three graphene sheets, the middle layer of which is twisted at a new angle with respect to the outer layers. This new trilayer configuration exhibits superconductivity that is more robust than its bilayer counterpart.

When two sheets of graphene are stacked atop each other at just the right angle, the layered structure morphs into an unconventional superconductor. The MIT scientists who made that discovery now report observing superconductivity in a sandwich of three graphene sheets, the middle layer of which is twisted at a new angle with respect to the outer layers. This new trilayer configuration exhibits superconductivity that is more robust than its bilayer counterpart.