1. From MIT, a new technique for growing carbon nanotubes should be easier to integrate with existing semiconductor manufacturing processes.
“Low Temperature Synthesis of Vertically Aligned Carbon Nanotubes with Electrical Contact to Metallic Substrates Enabled by Thermal Decomposition of the Carbon Feedstock,” Gilbert Nessim, Carl V. Thompson et al, Nano Letters, Aug. 31, 2009
Results: Researchers in the lab of MIT materials science professor Carl V. Thompson grew dense forests of... Read Full Story
Posted on September 24th, 2009 by admin
1. University of North Carolina engineers have produced a ‘How-To’ Guide for Controlling the Structure of Nanoparticles.
researchers from North Carolina State University have learned how to consistently create hollow, solid and amorphous nanoparticles of nickel phosphide, which has potential uses in the development of solar cells and as catalysts for removing sulfur from fuel. Their work can now serve as a “how-to” guide for... Read Full Story
Using a carbon nanotube instead of traditional silicon, Cornell researchers have created the basic elements of a solar cell that hopefully will lead to much more efficient ways of converting light to electricity than now used in calculators and on rooftops. The researchers fabricated, tested and measured a simple solar cell called a photodiode, formed from an individual carbon nanotube. Reported online Sept. 11 in the journal Science, the researchers -- led by Paul McEuen, the Goldwin Smith... Read Full Story
Researchers at Rice University have announced the discovery of a new breakthrough method for producing carbon nanotubes in bulk fluids. Rice’s new nanotube “stew” could spur the inexpensive mass production of carbon nanotube-based products, much like the plastics industry employed bulk loads of melted polymers as a cheap base for making everything from medical equipment to polyester shirts to plastic bags, and countless other things in between. Rice’s nanotube research was sponsored in... Read Full Story
Will machines ever be as smart as humans? Intel CTO Justin Rattner thinks that someday, they might. He is mostly looking at cognitive enhancement and advanced robotics.
Machine intelligence is constantly increasing due to laws of accelerating returns, “of which Moore’s Law is perhaps the best example.”
“There will be a surprising amount of machines that do exhibit human-like capabilities,” Rattner said. “Not to the extent of what humans can do today, but in an increasing number of... Read Full Story
Honda has been working on a new technology that could lead to a breakthrough in vehicle development. Initial research by the firm, joined with scientists at Purdue University and the University of Louisville, has shown that microscopic carbon nanotubes may be capable of distributing electricty quicker and more efficiently. The nanotubes may also be used to create a material that is at least as light as carbon fiber, but stronger than steel. Researchers currently grow the carbon nanotubes on... Read Full Story
Carl Zeiss, the world’s leading manufacturer of optical systems for chip fabrication, has now delivered a complete optical system for production-ready Extreme Ultraviolet Lithography (EUVL), a new technology for microchip fabrication. This optical system forms a core module of the first EUVL production system from the Dutch manufacturer and long-term partner to Carl Zeiss, ASML. Delivery of the complete EUVL system, starting at a rate of 60 wafers per hour, is planned in the second... Read Full Story
Nanotechnology advancement could lead to smaller, faster, more energy efficient computer chips San Jose, CA - Today, scientists at IBM ( NYSE: IBM ) Research and the California Institute of Technology announced a scientific advancement that could be a major breakthrough in enabling the semiconductor industry to pack more power and speed into tiny computer chips, while making them more energy efficient and less expensive to manufacture. IBM researchers and collaborator Paul W.K. Rothemund, of... Read Full Story
Scientists from the Peking University and Tsinghua University have created a sponge like no other. It is made of carbon nanotubes - regular carbon atoms arranged in a specific cylindrical shape - and can absorb organic pollutants from the surface of water (such as oil and solvents) up to 180x its weight (!) without absorbing water. Read Full Story
This is the fourth set of highlights for Next Big Future for 2009.
Here is the link tothe highlights for weeks 13-19
Here is the link to the highlights for weeks 7-12.
Here is the link to the highlights for weeks 1-6
Nanotechnology
1. Week 20, had several developments where it is looking far more certain that a very powerful three dimensional DNA/RNA/Protein Nanotechnological capability is emerging and that nanotechnology will be integrated with carbon nanotubes and... Read Full Story
