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nanotimes News in Brief
The U.S. needs more nanoscientists trained in neutron scattering techniques. To fill the gap, the National Science Foundation (NSF) will invest $3 million to train current and new scientists in this area. The grant will go to the University of Missou- ri, home of MU’s Research Reactor (MURR). The MURR is a facility uniquely equipped to help train a new generation of scientists in the use of neutron scattering techniques. The NSF funds will be mat- ched by UM with an additional $1.3 million.
12-01 :: January 2012
Using quantum mechanical calculations, Swapnil Chandratre and Pradeep Sharma at University of Houston, USA, show that merely by creating holes of the right symmetry, graphene can be coaxed to act as a piezoelectric. They find that certain specifi- cally tailored porous graphene sheets can “acquire” piezoelectricity coefficient that is nearly 72% of the well-known piezoelectric (quartz) or 36% of boron nitride nanotubes. © APL/AIP
Swapnil Chandratre, Pradeep Sharma: Coaxing graphene to be piezoelectric, In: Applied Physics Letters, Volume 100(2012), Issue 2, January 09, 2012, Article 023114 [3 pages], DOI:10.1063/1.3676084: http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.3676084
Huifeng Qian, Yan Zhu, and Rongchao Jin at Department of Chemistry, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, USA, report the first exa- mple of gold nanocrystal molecules. Mass spec- trometry analysis has determined its formula to be Au333(SR)79 (R = CH2CH2Ph). This magic sized nanocrystal molecule exhibits fcc-crystallinity and surface plasmon resonance at approximately 520nm, hence, a metallic nanomolecule. The work opens up new opportunities for investigating many fundamental issues of nanocrystals, such as the formation of metallic state, and will have potential impact on condensed matter physics, nanochemi- stry, and catalysis as well. © PNAS
Huifeng Qian, Yan Zhu, and Rongchao Jin: Atomically precise gold nanocrystal molecules with surface plasmon resonance, In: PNAS, Vol 109(2012), No.3, January 17, 2012, Pages 696-700, DOI:10.10:73/pnas.1115307109: http://dx.doi.org/10.10:73/pnas.1115307109
Researchers at Helmholtz Zentrum Berlin (HZB) in Germany have developed a new microscope for high spatial resolution X-ray spectroscopic studies. While conventional X-ray spectroscopy has so far fallen short of resolving single nanoparticles, the X- ray microscope at HZB’s synchrotron source BESSY II succeeds by using high-brilliancy X-rays. The HZB microscope can take pictures of nanoparticles inside object fields of up to 20 x 20μm2 with a CCD camera.
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“An important advantage of our microscope is the time gain on top of the improved spectral resolution of 10,000,” says Dr. Peter Guttmann, physicist at HZB. “Unlike the scanning X-ray microscopes used so far for this, our microscope allow spectra to be recorded 100 times faster inside large object fields. We can use the HZB electron beam writer to pro- duce advanced lenses that will improve our method