Subscribe free to our newsletters via your
. 24/7 Space News .




CHIP TECH
Nanotechnology breakthrough is big deal for electronics
by Staff Writers
Akron OH (SPX) Aug 01, 2013


Patterns of two giant surfactant samples in thin-film state. (Source: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America.)

University of Akron researchers have developed new materials that function on a nanoscale, which could lead to the creation of lighter laptops, slimmer televisions and crisper smartphone visual displays.

Known as "giant surfactants" - or surface films and liquid solutions - the researchers, led by Stephen Z.D. Cheng, dean of UA's College of Polymer Science and Polymer Engineering, used a technique known as nanopatterning to combine functioning molecular nanoparticles with polymers to build these novel materials.

The giant surfactants developed at UA are large, similar to macromolecules, yet they function like molecular surfactants on a nanoscale, Cheng says. The outcome? Nanostructures that guide the size of electronic products.

More efficient designs possible
Nanopatterning, or self-assembling molecular materials, is the genius behind the small, light and fast world of modern-day gadgetry, and now it has advanced one giant step thanks to the UA researchers who say these new materials, when integrated into electronics, will enable the development of ultra-lightweight, compact and efficient devices because of their unique structures.

During their self-assembly, molecules form an organized lithographic pattern on semiconductor crystals, for use as integrated circuits. Cheng explains that these self-assembling materials differ from common block copolymers (a portion of a macromolecule, comprising manyunits, that has at least one feature which is not present in the adjacent portions) because they organize themselves in a controllable manner at the molecular level.

"The IT industry wants microchips that are as small as possible so that they can manufacture smaller and faster devices," says Cheng, who also serves as the R.C. Musson and Trustees Professor of Polymer Science at UA.

He points out that the current technique can produce the spacing of 22 nanometers only, and cannot go down to the 10 nanometers or less necessary to create tiny, yet mighty, devices. The giant surfactants, however, can dictate smaller-scale electronic components.

"This is exactly what we are pursuing - self-assembling materials that organize at smaller sizes, say, less than 20 or even 10 nanometers," says Cheng, equating 20 nanometers to 1 /4,000th the diameter of a human hair.

Team work has commercial applications
An international team of experts, including George Newkome, UA vice president for research, dean of the Graduate School, and professor of polymer science at UA; Er-Qiang Chen of Peking University in China; Rong-Ming Ho of National Tsinghua University in Taiwan; An-Chang Shi of McMaster University in Canada; and several doctoral and postdoctoral researchers from Cheng's group, have shown how well-ordered nanostructures in various states, such as in thin films and in solution, offer extensive applications in nanotechnology.

The team's study is highlighted in a pending patent application through the University of Akron Research Foundation and in a recent journal article, "Giant surfactants provide a versatile platform for sub-10-nm nanostructure engineering" published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America (110, 10078-10083, 2013).

"These results are not only of pure scientific interest to the narrow group of scientists, but also important to a broad range of industry people," says Cheng, noting that his team is testing real-world applications in nanopatterning technologies and hope to see commercialization in the future.

.


Related Links
University of Akron
Computer Chip Architecture, Technology and Manufacture
Nano Technology News From SpaceMart.com






Comment on this article via your Facebook, Yahoo, AOL, Hotmail login.

Share this article via these popular social media networks
del.icio.usdel.icio.us DiggDigg RedditReddit GoogleGoogle








CHIP TECH
Broadband photodetector for polarized light
Houston TX (SPX) Jul 18, 2013
Using carpets of aligned carbon nanotubes, researchers from Rice University and Sandia National Laboratories have created a solid-state electronic device that is hardwired to detect polarized light across a broad swath of the visible and infrared spectrum. The research is available online from the American Chemical Society's journal ACS Nano. "Detecting polarized light is extremely u ... read more


CHIP TECH
Environmental Controls Move Beyond Earth

Bad night's sleep? The moon could be to blame

Moon Base and Beyond

First-ever lunar south pole mission could be attempted by 2016

CHIP TECH
Mars Rover Opportunity Nears Solander Point

Curiosity Mars Rover Gleams in View from Orbiter

Mars Curiosity sets one-day driving distance record

Scientists establish age of Mars meteorites found on Earth

CHIP TECH
First Liquid Hydrogen Tank Barrel Segment for SLS Core Completed

Tenth Parachute Test for NASA's Orion Adds 10,000 Feet of Success

Zero Point Frontiers Delivers Favorable Architecture Assessment to Golden Spike Company

NASA and Korean Space Agency Discuss Space Cooperation

CHIP TECH
China launches three experimental satellites

Medical quarantine over for Shenzhou-10 astronauts

China's astronauts ready for longer missions

Chinese probe reaches record height in space travel

CHIP TECH
Weekly recap from the International Space Station expedition lead scientist

NSBRI Wants Ideas To Support Space Crew Health and Performance

NASA narrows list of possible culprits in spacesuit water leak

Unmanned Russian cargo craft lands in Pacific Ocean

CHIP TECH
SpaceX Awarded Launch Reservation Contract for Largest Canadian Space Program

ULA Continues Rapid, Reliable Launch Rate

Launch Vehicles for Achieving Low and High Orbits

The second satellite arrives for Arianespace's upcoming heavy-lift Ariane 5 launch

CHIP TECH
Pulsating star sheds light on exoplanet

Chandra Sees Eclipsing Planet in X-rays for First Time

A warmer planetary haven around cool stars, as ice warms rather than cools

Solar system's youth gives clues to planet search

CHIP TECH
New Ways To Create Gradients For Molecular Interactions

Hardness in depth at nano scales

Lockheed Martin Completes Long-Range Surveillance Radar Demonstration

How does hydrogen metallize?




The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2014 - Space Media Network. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA Portal Reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement,agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. Privacy Statement