Sol-Gel

Under this section you will find links to the original articles and press releases from hand selected science and technology stories from various online sources.  
July -August 2003

 

Nanometer-thick clay may yield groundbreaking technology
An ultrathin film containing 1-nanometer thick clay particles has been created for the first time, an accomplishment that may yield new materials and devices for medicine, electronics and engineering, according to Purdue University and Belgian scientists.
>> More
Powering Fuel Cells: Oxide Materials that "Exhale and Inhale" May Facilitate Small-scale Hydrogen Production
A unique group of oxide materials that readily gives up and accepts oxygen atoms with changes in temperature could be the basis for a small-scale hydrogen production system able to power fuel cells in homes -- and potentially in automotive applications.
>> More
Microgel beads show promise as new method of vaccination, gene therapy
A simple method of shuttling proteins into cells via microscopic polymer beads shows promise as a general way of carrying vaccines or bits of DNA for gene therapy, according to chemists at the University of California, Berkeley, and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.
>> More
Nanocomposites: Chemical Force Microscopy Helps Choose Right Materials for Future Composites Based on Nanotubes
A microscopy technique originally developed to image the molecular-scale topography of surfaces is now helping engineers choose the right materials for a new generation of lightweight high-strength composites based on carbon nanotubes.
Light, conductive and nearly as strong as steel, carbon nanotubes are being combined with lightweight polymers to produce composite materials with properties attractive for use on future space vehicles. But choosing the right polymer for optimal mechanical performance at the nanometer scale requires a lengthy trial-and-error process.
Source: Georgia Institute of Technology

 

OSU engineers create world's first transparent transistor

Engineers at Oregon State University have created the world's first transparent transistor, a see-through electronics component that could open the door to many new products. The advance has been reported in a professional journal, Applied Physics Letters, and a patent has been applied for. The university is already consulting with major electronics companies about the findings and their potential applications. The discovery "is a significant development in the context of transparent electronics," the scientists said in their publication, but added that it's too early to tell what applications may evolve.
Source: Oregon State University

 
Electric field provides 'handle'
to manipulate tiny particles
Intricate patterns formed by granular materials under the influence of electrostatic fields have scientists at Argonne National Laboratory dreaming of new ways to create smaller structures for nanotechnologies.
Source: Argonne National Laboratory

 
New Measurements Show Silicon Nanospheres Rank Among Hardest Known Materials

University of Minnesota researchers have made the first-ever hardness measurements on individual silicon nanospheres and shown that the nanospheres' hardness falls between the conventional hardness of sapphire and diamond, which are among the hardest known materials. Being able to measure such nanoparticle properties may eventually help scientists design low-cost superhard materials from these nanoscale building blocks.
Source: NSF  

UCSD researchers develop flexible, biocompatible polymers with optical properties of hard crystalline sensors

Researchers at the University of California, San Diego have discovered how to transfer the optical properties of silicon crystal sensors to plastic, an achievement that could lead to the development of flexible, implantable devices capable of monitoring the delivery of drugs within the body, the strains on a weak joint or even the healing of a suture.
Source: University of California, San Diego

 

 ARCHIVES
 Sciences News Readings Sol-Gel News Selected Sites