All Articles Tagged As: sensors

Researchers use improved nanogenerators to power sensors based on zinc oxide nanowires (3/31/2010)

By combining a new generation of piezoelectric nanogenerators with two types of nanowire sensors, researchers have created what are believed to be the first self-powered nanometer-scale sensing devices that draw power from the conversion of mechanical energy. ...> Full Article

New sensor exploits traditional weakness of nano devices (2/17/2010)

By taking advantage of a phenomenon that until now has been a virtual showstopper for electronics designers, a team led by Oak Ridge National Laboratory's Panos Datskos is developing a chemical and biological sensor with unprecedented sensitivity. ...> Full Article

Paper strips can quickly detect toxin in drinking water (1/11/2010)

A strip of paper infused with carbon nanotubes can quickly and inexpensively detect a toxin produced by algae in drinking water. ...> Full Article

UCLA's California NanoSystems Institute welcomes new start-up to incubator space (1/9/2010)

Aneeve Nanotechnologies LLC has licensed related carbon nanotube technology from UCLA that was developed by Kang Wang, professor of electrical engineering at UCLA. The CNT technology increases hormonal detection sensitivity significantly allowing detection beyond traditional sensors. The company is using this technology to develop bio-medical applications that are low power consumption, small in size, and involve ultra-sensitive nanoelectronic technologies. ...> Full Article

Tiny whispering gallery (12/23/2009)

A tiny sensor that exploits the same physics as the whispering gallery in St. Paul's Cathedral in London will help make nanotechnology safer. ...> Full Article

Biomimetic-engineering design can replace spaghetti tangle of nanotubes in novel material (6/2/2009)

Nanoelectromechanical systems devices have the potential to revolutionize the world of sensors: motion, chemical, etc. But taking electromechanical devices from the micro scale down to the nano requires finding a means to dissipate heat output. Researchers at MIT say the solution is to build these devices using a thermal material that dissipates heat from the device's center through a hierarchical branched network of carbon nanotubes. The template for this thermal material's design: a living cell. ...> Full Article

Nanoneedle is small in size, but huge in applications (4/30/2009)

Researchers at the University of Illinois have developed a membrane-penetrating nanoneedle for the targeted delivery of one or more molecules into the cytoplasm or the nucleus of living cells. In addition to ferrying tiny amounts of cargo, the nanoneedle can also be used as an electrochemical probe and as an optical biosensor. ...> Full Article

Plasmonic whispering gallery microcavity paves the way to future nanolasers (1/26/2009)

The principle behind whispering galleries -- where words spoken softly beneath a domed ceiling or in a vault can be clearly heard on the opposite side of the chamber -- has been used to achieve what could prove to be a significant breakthrough in the miniaturization of lasers. Ultrasmall lasers, i.e., nanoscale, promise a wide variety of intriguing applications, including superfast communications and data handling (photonics), and optical microchips for instant and detailed chemical analyses. ...> Full Article

Researchers advance nano-scale electromechanical sensors (11/14/2008)

Researchers studying nano-scale cantilevers that have the potential to read and alert us to toxic chemicals or gases in the air. Put them into a small handheld device and the potential is there for real-time chemical alerts in battle, in industry, in health care and even at home. ...> Full Article

Sensitive nanowire disease detectors created (10/12/2008)

Scientists have created nanowire sensors coupled with simple microprocessor electronics that are both sensitive and specific enough to be used for point-of-care disease detection ...> Full Article

New 'nano-positioners' may have atomic-scale precision (8/21/2008)

Engineers have created a tiny motorized positioning device that has twice the dexterity of similar devices being developed for applications that include biological sensors and more compact, powerful computer hard drives. ...> Full Article

Advanced Energy Consortium Issues Request for Proposals To Develop Micro- and Nanosensors to Boost Energy Production (7/26/2008)

Organization has issued a request for proposals (RFP) to develop micro- and nanoscale technology for enhanced reservoir characterization and hydrocarbon detection in conventional oil and gas reservoirs with the ultimate goal of increasing hydrocarbon recovery from known fields. ...> Full Article

Gold, DNA Combination May Lead To Nano-Sensor (7/1/2008)

A team of materials engineers and chemists have developed tiny gold nanostructures that can create signals from subtle changes in light reflecting off their nanoscale surfaces. ...> Full Article

New detector uses nanotubes to sense deadly gases (6/6/2008)

Using carbon nanotubes, MIT chemical engineers have built the most sensitive electronic detector yet for sensing deadly gases such as the nerve agent sarin. ...> Full Article

Chemists measure chilli sauce hotness with nanotubes (5/8/2008)

chemists have found a way of using carbon nanotubes to judge the heat of chilli sauces ...> Full Article

The capability of measuring minute amounts of insulin aids diabetes treatment (4/17/2008)

A new method that uses nanotechnology to rapidly measure minute amounts of insulin is a major step toward developing the ability to assess the health of the body's insulin-producing cells in real time. ...> Full Article

New Mini-Sensor May Have Biomedical and Security Applications (11/3/2007)

A tiny sensor that can detect magnetic field changes as small as 70 femtoteslas-equivalent to the brain waves of a person daydreaming-has been demonstrated at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). The sensor could be battery-operated and could reduce the costs of non-invasive biomagnetic measurements such as fetal heart monitoring. The device also may have applications such as homeland security screening for explosives. ...> Full Article

The Sensitive Side of Carbon Nanotubes: Creating Powerful Pressure Sensors (10/25/2007)

Blocks of carbon nanotubes can be used to create effective and powerful pressure sensors. ...> Full Article

Nanotechnology helps scientists make bendy sensors for hydrogen vehicles (7/31/2007)

In recent years, Americans have been intrigued by the promise of hydrogen-powered vehicles. But experts have judged that several technology problems must be resolved before they are more than a novelty. ...> Full Article