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Goal of project is development of petroleum-free fuel
Developing a petroleum-free fuel from corn byproducts is one of the goals of a newly funded research project at the UI. Eight research laboratories will pool their expertise, attacking the problems from different directions in order to work to improve the efficiency of bioconversion of plant fibers into fuels and other value-added products. This is […]
New transistor laser could lead to faster signal processing
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Researchers at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign have demonstrated the laser operation of a heterojunction bipolar light-emitting transistor. The scientists describe the fabrication and operation of their transistor laser in the Nov. 15 issue of the journal Applied Physics Letters. “By incorporating quantum wells into the active region of a light-emitting […]
Distinguished German astrophysicist to present public talk
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Reinhard Genzel, director of the Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics in Garching, Germany, will discuss black holes during a talk Nov. 17 at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Genzel, who also is a professor of physics at the University of California at Berkeley, will present the seventh talk in the […]
Munching microbes could cleanse arsenic-contaminated groundwater
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -Microbial processes ultimately determine whether arsenic builds to dangerous levels in groundwater, say researchers at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Remediation may be as simple as stimulating certain microbes to grow. Arsenic contamination is a serious threat to human health. In the Ganges Delta of Bangladesh, for example, chronic exposure to arsenic […]
New surface chemistry may extend life of technology for making transistors
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Researchers at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign have developed a technique that uses surface chemistry to make tinier and more effective p-n junctions in silicon-based semiconductors. The method could permit the semiconductor industry to significantly extend the life of current ion-implantation technology for making transistors, thereby avoiding the implementation of difficult […]
Low-cost climate-change insurance could help ensure better future
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Doing a little now to mitigate long-term climate change would cost much less than doing nothing and making an adjustment in the future, say scientists whose paper appears in the Oct. 15 issue of the journal Science. Implementing a carbon tax of five cents per gallon of gasoline and gradually increasing the […]
At molecular scale, vibrational couplings define heat conduction
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Too much heat can destroy a sturdy automobile engine or a miniature microchip. As scientists and engineers strive to make ever-smaller nanoscale devices, from molecular motors and switches to single-molecule transistors, the control of heat is becoming a burning issue. The shapes of molecules really matter, say scientists from the University of […]
Strano named one of the world’s top young innovators by Technology Review
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Michael S. Strano, a professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, has been chosen as one of the world’s 100 Top Young Innovators by Technology Review, the world’s oldest technology magazine. Selected by the magazine published by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the TR100 comprises people […]
Self-assembly generates more versatile scaffolds for crystal growth
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Self-organizing synthetic molecules originally used for gene therapy may have applications as templates and scaffolds for the production of inorganic materials. Using electrostatic interactions between oppositely charged molecules as the binding force, scientists are learning how to organize these synthetic molecules into more versatile complexes with large and controllable pore sizes. “By […]
Molecular motor Myosin VI moves ‘hand over hand,’ researchers say
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – In the human body, hundreds of different types of biomolecular motors help carry out such essential tasks as muscle contraction, moving chromosomes during cell division, and reloading nerve cells so they can repeatedly fire. How these little proteins perform their duties is becoming clearer to scientists using an extremely sensitive measurement technique. […]
Colloidal adsorbent removes natural organic matter from water supply
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Microbial degradation products and other forms of natural organic matter can make water look, smell and taste bad. Natural organic matter also can foul the membranes used in water treatment plants, significantly reducing their efficiency. Now, a polymer-based colloidal adsorbent developed at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign offers an environmentally friendly […]
Illinois professor to receive award from Materials Research Society
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Nick Holonyak Jr., a John Bardeen Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering and Physics at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, has been selected as the 2004 recipient of the Von Hippel Award from the Materials Research Society. The award will be presented Dec. 1 at the MRS meeting in Boston. Holonyak […]