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The group of Dr. Zhong Lin at Georgia Tech has recently been pumping out a range of interesting papers on the use of zinc oxide (ZnO) “nanoribbons” for energy generation. (People may be best aware of ZnO as a sunscreen material — you used to smear the white stuff on your nose.)

The basic principal is [...]

On the subject of scientific visualization, Wired magazine just showcased a gallery of images on the nanoscale from scanned-probe microscopes (SPM): Scientists Scan Striking Nanoscale Images.

To me, the images are striking not just artistically, but that they really show the level of detail we can image these days. The images showcase individual atoms and molecules [...]

In the grocery store checkout line, I ran into a collaborator. We discussed how our research was going, particular some work with nanoparticle transistors.

Afterwards, the older gentleman at the cashier asked me: Grocery Clerk: What’s a nanoparticle? Me:It’s a very small particle of a substance–maybe 5-10,000 would be the diameter of a piece of hair. [Ed note: [...]

Dr.-Ing. Roland Platz of the MatFoRM at TU Darmstadt sent me this photo.

The group was having an open, public discussion on nanotechnology and used my nanotube image for the HUGE banner. It sounds like the nanotech forum was well-received.

When I put up some molecule images on my website, I had no idea if they’d get [...]

As a scientist, I always find it interesting to see how new research is covered in the media. I know how hard it is to write exciting stories about nanotechnology — and I also know how important it is to get good science out in the public imagination. But maybe it’s worth dissecting a story [...]

I previously discussed plastic electronics — and how molecules and polymers can be electrically conductive.

A key idea to remember is the unbelievable scale of molecules. If I used a conducting polymer molecule ~10 nanometers in length (as an example) and formed a conducting film approx. 1cm x 1cm in size, then to get one electron [...]