Rice University researchers have just the thing for the age of information overload: an app that sees all and remembers only what it should. RedEye, new technology from Rice’s Efficient Computing Group that was unveiled today at the International Symposium on Computer Architecture (ISCA 2016) conference in Seoul, South Korea, could provide computers with continuous…
Microwaved Nanoribbons May Bolster Oil and Gas Wells
Wellbores drilled to extract oil and gas can be dramatically reinforced with a small amount of modified graphene nanoribbons added to a polymer and microwaved, according to Rice University researchers. The Rice labs of chemist James Tour and civil and environmental engineer Rouzbeh Shahsavari combined the nanoribbons with an oil-based thermoset polymer intended to make…
Proto-planet Has 2 Masters
A Rice University researcher will discuss images that may show the formation of a planet — or a planetary system — around a distant binary star at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in Washington, D.C., today. Andrea Isella, an assistant professor of physics and astronomy, will present images…
Rice Makes Light-Driven Nanosubmarine
Though they’re not quite ready for boarding a lá “Fantastic Voyage,” nanoscale submarines created at Rice University are proving themselves seaworthy. Each of the single-molecule, 244-atom submersibles built in the Rice lab of chemist James Tour has a motor powered by ultraviolet light. With each full revolution, the motor’s tail-like propeller moves the sub forward…
Laser-Burned Graphene Gains Metallic Powers
Rice University chemists who developed a unique form of graphene have found a way to embed metallic nanoparticles that turn the material into a useful catalyst for fuel cells and other applications. Laser-induced graphene, created by the Rice lab of chemist James Tour last year, is a flexible film with a surface of porous graphene…
‘White Graphene’ Structures Can Take the Heat
Three-dimensional structures of boron nitride might be the right stuff to keep small electronics cool, according to scientists at Rice University. Rice researchers Rouzbeh Shahsavari and Navid Sakhavand have completed the first theoretical analysis of how 3-D boron nitride might be used as a tunable material to control heat flow in such devices. Their work…
Nonmagnetic Elements form Unique Magnet
Titanium and gold are usually not magnetic and cannot be magnets – unless you combine them just so. Scientists at Rice University did so and discovered what is a first of its kind: an itinerant antiferromagnetic metal — TiAu — made from nonmagnetic constituent elements. The research by the lab of Rice physicist Emilia Morosan…
Graphene Flexes Its Electronic Muscles
Flexing graphene may be the most basic way to control its electrical properties, according to calculations by theoretical physicists at Rice University and in Russia. The Rice lab of Boris Yakobson in collaboration with researchers in Moscow found the effect is pronounced and predictable in nanocones and should apply equally to other forms of graphene.…
Researchers Grind Nanotubes to Get Nanoribbons
A simple way to turn carbon nanotubes into valuable graphene nanoribbons may be to grind them, according to research led by Rice University. The trick, said Rice materials scientist Pulickel Ajayan, is to mix two types of chemically modified nanotubes. When they come into contact during grinding, they react and unzip, a process that until…
Wearables May Get Boost from Boron-Infused Graphene
A microsupercapacitor designed by scientists at Rice University that may find its way into personal and even wearable electronics is getting an upgrade. The laser-induced graphene device benefits greatly when boron becomes part of the mix. The Rice lab of chemist James Tour uses commercial lasers to create thin, flexible supercapacitors by burning patterns into…
Graphene Edges Can Be Tailor-Made
Theoretical physicists at Rice University are living on the edge as they study the astounding properties of graphene. In a new study, they figure out how researchers can fracture graphene nanoribbons to get the edges they need for applications. READ: Researchers Develop Magnetic Graphene New research by Rice physicist Boris Yakobson and his colleagues shows…
Atom-Thick CCD Could Capture Images
An atomically thin material developed at Rice University may lead to the thinnest-ever imaging platform. Synthetic two-dimensional materials based on metal chalcogenide compounds could be the basis for superthin devices, according to Rice researchers. One such material, molybdenum disulfide, is being widely studied for its light-detecting properties, but copper indium selenide (CIS) also shows extraordinary…
Researchers Roll ‘Neat’ Nanotube Fibers
The very idea of fibers made of carbon nanotubes is neat, but Rice University scientists are making them neat – literally. The single-walled carbon nanotubes in new fibers created at Rice line up like a fistful of uncooked spaghetti through a process designed by chemist Angel Martí and his colleagues. The tricky bit, according to…
CMOS-Compatible Aluminum Used for On-Chip Color Detection
Rice University researchers have created a CMOS-compatible, biomimetic color photodetector that directly responds to red, green and blue light in much the same way the human eye does. The new device was created by researchers at Rice’s Laboratory for Nanophotonics (LANP) and is described online in a new study in the journal Advanced Materials. It…
Carbyne Morphs when Stretched
Applying just the right amount of tension to a chain of carbon atoms can turn it from a metallic conductor to an insulator, according to Rice University scientists. Stretching the material known as carbyne — a hard-to-make, one-dimensional chain of carbon atoms — by just 3 percent can begin to change its properties in ways…
3D Nanostructure Could Benefit Nanoelectronics, Gas Storage
Rice University researchers predict functional advantages of 3-D boron nitride A three-dimensional porous nanostructure would have a balance of strength, toughness and ability to transfer heat that could benefit nanoelectronics, gas storage and composite materials that perform multiple functions, according to engineers at Rice University. The researchers made this prediction by using computer simulations to…
Silicon Oxide Memories Catch Manufacturers’ Eye
Use of porous silicon oxide reduces forming voltage, improves manufacturability Rice University’s breakthrough silicon oxide technology for high-density, next-generation computer memory is one step closer to mass production, thanks to a refinement that will allow manufacturers to fabricate devices at room temperature with conventional production methods. First discovered five years ago, Rice’s silicon oxide memories…
Voters Using Smartphones Made Fewer Errors in Mock Election
Voters who cast their ballots via smartphones made fewer errors than they did when voting via traditional methods in a mock election, according to new research from psychologists at Rice University. In a first-of-its-kind study, co-author Rice Professor of Psychology Michael Byrne examined how smartphone-based voting systems can be incorporated into the current large-scale voting…
Rice’s Carbon Nanotube Fibers Outperform Copper
Tests show bundles beat traditional cables for transmitting electricity On a pound-per-pound basis, carbon nanotube-based fibers invented at Rice University have greater capacity to carry electrical current than copper cables of the same mass, according to new research. While individual nanotubes are capable of transmitting nearly 1,000 times more current than copper, the same tubes…
RAMBO a Small But Powerful Magnet
Rice University scientists have pioneered a tabletop magnetic pulse generator that does the work of a room-sized machine – and more. The device dubbed “RAMBO” – short for Rice Advanced Magnet with Broadband Optics – will allow researchers who visit the university to run spectroscopy-based experiments on materials in pulsed magnetic fields of up to…
Clay Key to High-Temperature Supercapacitors
Rice University lab creates energy storage that may find use in oil discovery, space, military applications Clay, an abundant and cheap natural material, is a key ingredient in a supercapacitor that can operate at very high temperatures, according to Rice University researchers who have developed such a device. The Rice group of materials scientist Pulickel…
Technique Expands Options for Molecular Imaging
One-of-a-kind spectrometer reads vibrations between atoms to find structures of molecules A Rice University laboratory has improved upon its ability to determine molecular structures in three dimensions in ways that challenge long-used standards. By measuring the vibrations between atoms using femtosecond-long laser pulses, the Rice lab of chemist Junrong Zheng is able to discern the…