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nanotimes News in Brief

Interdisciplinary re- search by engineers at Johns Hopkins University in Bal- timore (US) and mathematicians at Brown University in Providence (US) has led to a break- through showing that higher order polyhedra can indeed fold up and assemble them- selves.With support from the NSF, Brown University mathematician Govind Menon and Johns Hopkins University chemical and biomolecular engineer David Gracias are developing self-assembling 3-D micro and nanostructures which can be used in a number of applications, including medicine.

12-04 :: April/May 2012

A study that examines a new type of silicon-carbon nanocomposite electrode reveals details of how they function and how repeated use could wear them down. The study also provides clues to why this material performs better than silicon alone. With an electrical capacity five times higher than conventional lithium battery electrodes, silicon- carbon nanocomposite electrodes could lead to longer-lasting, cheaper rechargeable batteries for electric vehicles.

“The electrodes expand as they get charged, and that shortens the lifespan of the battery,” said lead researcher Chongmin Wang at the Pacific Nor- thwest National Laboratory (US). “We want to learn how to improve their lifespan, because sili- con-carbon nanofiber electrodes have great potenti- al for rechargeable batteries.”

Video: http://www.nano.gov/node/789 http://www.nano.gov/

This video shows a silicon-carbon nanofiber electrode before and after being charged with lithium ions. © PNNL

Chong-Min Wang, Xiaolin Li, Zhiguo Wang, Wu Xu, Jun Liu, Fei Gao, Libor Kovarik, Ji-Guang Zhang, Jane Howe,