Blog
- New model found for microsphere-enhanced interferometry 13/06/2023 Optical measurement techniques collecting light intensity in the far-field such as conventional and confocal microscopy or coherence scanning interferometry (CSI) enable fast and contactless inspection of several types of specimens. Nonetheless, optical measurement instruments suffer from diffraction effects leading to a fundamental lateral resolution limitation given by the minimum resolvable period length of Abbe-limit and the objective lens's numerical aperture (NA).
- Two-beam ultrafast laser scribing of ultrafine graphene patterns 08/06/2023 The Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2014 was awarded for the development of super-resolved fluorescence microscopy. Inspired by this work, scientists at Institute of Photonic Chips (IPC), University of Shanghai for Science and Technology (USST) have developed an innovative laser scribing pathway for the fabrication of ultrafine graphene patterns.
- Non-contact microsphere ultrafast laser nanopatterning technology 06/06/2023 In recent decades, the development of nano-fabrication technology is driven by the need to increase the density of components and performance, which requires high accuracy in material processing and the capability of manufacturing in an atmospheric environment. Compared to other advanced processing methods, ultrafast laser processing has been recognized as one of the most extensively used tools for micro/nano-structuring.
- Danish physicists make breakthrough quantum discovery 01/06/2023 In a new breakthrough, researchers at the University of Copenhagen, in collaboration with Ruhr University Bochum, have solved a problem that has caused quantum researchers headaches for years. The researchers can now control two quantum light sources rather than one. Trivial as it may seem to those uninitiated in quantum, this colossal breakthrough allows researchers to create a phenomenon known as quantum mechanical entanglement. This in turn, opens new doors for companies and others to exploit the technology commercially.
- Team successfully demonstrates laser-induced monolayer graphene nanoprocessing 30/05/2023 Discovered in 2004, graphene has revolutionized various scientific fields. It possesses remarkable properties like high electron mobility, mechanical strength, and thermal conductivity. Extensive time and effort has been invested in exploring its potential as a next-generation semiconductor material, leading to the development of graphene-based transistors, transparent electrodes, and sensors.
- Ladder-like polymer that could halt electrical overheating divides opinion 25/05/2023 Questions raised over reported structure and whether the polymer can even perform as researchers hope
- Determining the elusive structure of the antihistamine Levocetirizine 23/05/2023 For pharmaceuticals, knowing the chemical composition is not enough—molecular geometry and crystal structure also play an important role in a drug's activity. By using a method based on electron diffraction, it has now been possible for a research team to determine the structure of Levocetirizine, as reported in the journal Angewandte Chemie. The advantage of this technique is that, unlike for X-ray crystallography, nanoscale crystals are sufficient.
- New research computes first step toward predicting lifespan of electric space propulsion systems 15/05/2023 Electric space propulsion systems use energized atoms to generate thrust. The high-speed beams of ions bump against the graphite surfaces of the thruster, eroding them a little more with each hit, and are the systems' primary lifetime-limiting factor. When ion thrusters are ground tested in an enclosed chamber, the ricocheting particles of carbon from the graphite chamber walls can also redeposit back onto the thruster surfaces. This changes the measured performance characteristics of the thruster.
- Electroplating method makes conductive nanostraws for injecting into and sampling from cells 09/05/2023 Nanosized straws made of conductive materials open tiny pores in cell membranes with very low voltage
- Prolonged photostability in hexagonal boron nitride quantum emitters 08/05/2023 Single-photon emitters are crucial building materials suited for optical quantum technologies. Among them, hexagonal boron nitride is a promising two-dimensional material that retains bright, room-temperature single-photon emitters. However, photo-instability is an existing challenge to facilitate applications of these properties in practice.
- Alloy takes on improbable 'negative pressure' structure 04/05/2023 A central feature of physical chemistry is materials’ tendency to adopt different structures at different pressures – including negative ones. But the idea of using negative pressure to reshape a material sounds experimentally impossible. But US researchers have developed a technique to drive alloys into structures that, in a pure material, would be stable only at negative pressures. The technique could allow the synthesis of a variety of new, potentially-useful materials previously thought almost inaccessible.