Manufacturing Bits: Aug. 31


X-ray nanotomography The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Argonne National Laboratory has developed a new method for improving the resolution of hard X-ray nanotomography. In general, tomography involves a system, which takes images or cross sections of a sample using X-rays or ultrasound. The images are then re-created in the form of a 3D model. One common form is called micro-comput... » read more

Manufacturing Bits: Feb. 13


Watching nanowires grow Using X-ray techniques, the University of Siegen and the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) have observed the formation of tiny nanowires in gallium arsenide (GaAs) materials in real time. GaAs is used for fiber optics, infrared systems, RF devices in mobile phones and solar panels in spacecraft. Observing the growth of GaAs nanowires could lead to a better unde... » read more

Manufacturing Bits: Nov. 28


Cryogenic microscopes The European Synchrotron Radiation Facility (ESRF) has developed and commissioned a new cryo-electron microscope. A form of transmission electron microscopy (TEM), cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) is used to study a sample at cryogenic temperatures. A gas is assumed to be cryogenic if it can be liquefied at or below −150 °C. Cyro-EM is often used in structural ... » read more

Manufacturing Bits: May 3


DNA thermometers The University of Montreal has taken DNA and built the world’s smallest thermometer. The programmable DNA thermometer is 5nm, or 20,000 times smaller than a human hair. Applications for the technology include cell imaging, nanofluidics, nanomedicine, nanoelectronics and synthetic biology, according to the University of Montreal. Researchers added optical reporters to D... » read more

Manufacturing Bits: Sept. 22


Superconductor puddles Superconductors are devices that have zero electrical resistance, making them attractive for a range of applications. But superconductors must be cooled down to temperatures near zero to work, which, in turn, limits their applications. High-temperature superconductors are more promising technologies, but once again, they must be cooled down to function. The industr... » read more

Manufacturing Bits: Sept. 8


World’s pressure record The University of Bayreuth and the Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron (DESY) have set another world’s record for the highest static pressure ever achieved in a lab. Researchers were able to demonstrate metal osmium at pressures of up to 770 Gigapascals (GPa). Osmium is one of the world’s most incompressible metals. The 770 GPa figure is about 130 GPa higher than ... » read more