R&D

To produce electricity, thermoelectric materials capture waste heat from sources such as automobile exhausts or industrial processes. Improving the materials' efficiency will require further reduction of thermal conductivity. A new article from a Georgia Institute of Technology professor clarifies...

Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology discovered that yarn made of niobium nanowires enables more efficient supercapacitors. The new approach uses the yarns as the electrodes in tiny supercapacitors. Adding a coating of a conductive polymer to the yarn further increases the...

A mold developed by Cornell University researchers can shape liquid silicon out of organic polymer materials. The self-assembling organic polymers create a template dotted with precisely sized and shaped nanopores. The development could lead to exact single-crystal silicon nanostructures.

Researchers from Penn State University have worked with University of Texas at Dallas engineers to induce different two-dimensional materials to form directly on top of one another. The stacking approach achieves clean interfaces between layers — an important factor for novel nanoelectronic circuits.

Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have produced samples of strong, resilient spider silk. The spun samples could lead to a variety of biomedical materials, including sutures and scaffolding for organ replacements.

A low-cost, portable, battery-powered microendoscope developed by Rice University bioengineers increases the sensitivity of esophageal cancer screenings. The new technology could eliminate unnecessary biopsies for patients with benign lesions.

Researchers at the University of Cincinnati Department of Cancer Biology and material scientists from the University of Houston are using nanotubes to examine the regulation of proteins involved in the initiation of cancer and cardiovascular, neurological, and endocrine diseases. The team is...

Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania have developed a gecko-inspired gripper. Like the gecko, the device has the ability to grip and release smooth surfaces like glass. The effective stickiness can also be tuned from strong to week.

Engineers from North Carolina State University have created stretchable, transparent conductors with a "nano-accordion" design. The conductors could be employed in a wide variety of applications, such as flexible electronics, stretchable displays, or wearable sensors.

To provide a better tool for therapeutics, regenerative medicine, and biosensing, Tufts University bioengineers have created inkjet-printable silks containing enzymes, antibiotics, antibodies, nanoparticles, and growth factors. The purified silk protein, or fibroin, offers intrinsic strength and protective...

Using misting technology found in household humidifiers, University of Illinois chemists developed a new method to create silicone microspheres. The tiny spheres could have applications in targeted medicine and imaging.

A Compensatory Reserve Index (CRI) device developed by Army medical researchers attaches to a soldier's finger and displays vital signs: body temperature, heart rate, breathing rate, and blood pressure. The matchbox-sized tool includes a computer display, wire, and plastic clip.

By using larger spherical components, Massachusetts Institute of Technology researchers have found a way to reduce the immune system from rejecting biomedical implant devices. The bigger spheres are better able to maintain their function and avoid scar-tissue buildup.

A Washington University team developed a novel device that may allow individuals to feel hot and cold temperatures through a prosthetic technology. If the invention works as planned, upper-limb amputees who use motorized devices would be able to feel various sensations through the prosthetic, which...

Researchers at the University of Georgia have found a low-cost way to manufacture extraordinarily thin polymer strings. The nanofibers can be used to create advanced wound dressings, regenerate tissue, and deliver drugs directly to the site of an infection.

By combining 3D holographic lithography and 2D photolithography, researchers from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign have demonstrated a 3D microbattery suitable for large-scale on-chip integration with microelectronic devices. Applications for the holographically patterned battery include...

Geometrically encoded magnetic sensors (GEMs), developed by researchers from National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH), react to local biochemical conditions by changing their shape and response to radio frequencies.

An adhesive technology helps to bond human tissue in wet or moist conditions. The chemistry is based on the environmentally-friendly adhesive qualities of mussels and other shellfish.

A new algorithm allows a person to use his or her thoughts to grasp a bottle or other object. The non-invasive brain monitoring technique, developed by University of Houston researchers, will help the team understand the neuroscience behind the action of grasping.

Rice University graduate students and researchers have made nanowires between 6 and 16 nanometers wide. The wires are made from a variety of materials, including silicon, silicon dioxide, gold, chromium, tungsten, titanium, titanium dioxide, and aluminum. The development of sub-10-nanometer sizes shows...

A Massachusetts Institute of Technology team has developed a new, ultrasensitive magnetic-field detector. The device could lead to miniaturized, battery-powered devices for medical imaging.

A device developed by Massachusetts General Hospital investigators provides rapid, accurate molecular diagnosis of tumors and other diseases. The smartphone-based technology collects detailed microscopic images for digital analysis of the molecular composition of cells and tissues.

A new tool developed by nanoengineers at the University of California, San Diego, allows users, including physicians and patients, to easily build their own sensors.

Vanderbilt University researchers have created magnetically-driven laparoscopic instruments.

University of Washington researchers have created PolySTAT, a new injectable polymer that strengthens blood clots. The polymer, administered in a single shot, addresses internal injuries and reduces blood loss.

A new “smart bandage” from engineers at UC Berkeley uses electrical currents to detect early tissue damage from pressure ulcers, or bedsores, before they can be seen by human eyes. The device could potentially be carried by a nurse for spot-checking target areas on a patient, or incorporated into a wound...

A Rice University mobileVision system monitors eye health and spots signs of macular degeneration and diabetic retinopathy.The patient-operated, portable device can be paired with a smartphone to give clinicians finely detailed images of the macula – the spot in the center of the eye where vision is...

Current hearing-loss treatments deliver drugs to the middle ear by requiring repeat injections. A device from The Charles Stark Draper Laboratory, Cambridge, MA, sends precise, automated, and timed quantities of one or more drugs directly into the fluid of the inner ear.