NanoScienceWorks

A novel chip-scale instrument made from carbon nanotubes may simplify absolute measurements of laser power. Developers of the unit at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) say it may prove especially useful for measuring light signals transmitted by optical fibers in telecom networks.

NanoScienceWorks.org looks at the dynamic area of nano-semoconductors, and how these tiny devices are fundamentally changing the worlds of computing and communications. We speak with the author of Nano-Semiconductor: Devices and Technology, Dr. Krzysztof Iniewski, who manages R&D developments at Redlen Technologies, Inc., a start-up firm in British Columbia, Canada. His research interests are in VLSI circuits for medical and security applications.

Researchers at University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) have developed a supercapacitor or electrochemical capacitor (EC) composed of an expanded network of graphene — a one-atom-thick layer of graphitic carbon. The team demonstrated excellent mechanical and electrical properties as well as exceptionally high surface area.