Membrane penetrating nanoneedle developed at Illinois

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — 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. Read more

New kind of transistor radios show capability of nanotube technology

Carbon nanotubes have a sound future in the electronics industry, say researchers who built the world’s first all-nanotube transistor radios to prove it.

The nanotube radios, in which nanotube devices provide all of the active functionality in the devices, represent “important first steps toward the practical implementation of carbon-nanotube materials into high-speed analog electronics and other related applications,” said John Rogers, a Founder Professor of Materials Science and Engineering at the University of Illinois. Read more

Copper nanowires grown by new process create long-lasting displays

A new low-temperature, catalyst-free technique for growing copper nanowires has been developed by researchers at Illinois. The copper nanowires could serve as interconnects in electronic device fabrication and as electron emitters in a television-like, very thin flat-panel display known as a field-emission display. Read more