5 results

Cryptography and carbon: How nanotubes could improve security

Could carbon nanotubes provide intensely secure on-chip encryption for hardware?

February 23, 2016 by Charlie Osborne

Could this encrypted cloud service make apps take your privacy seriously again?

Computer scientists at MIT and Harvard University say their Sieve app enables web users to decide which applications access which aspects of their data.

March 21, 2016 by Danny Palmer

MIT: Virus improves solar tech efficiency

Researchers are using a genetically modified version of the M13 virus, which infects bacteria, to control the arrangement of nanotubes on the surface of solar cells -- improving their efficiency.

May 1, 2011 by Heather Clancy

A nanosensor to predict asthma attacks

Asthma is a common illness which affects at least 300 million people worldwide and which is responsible for about 200,000 deaths every year. But asthma attacks could be detected up to 3 weeks before they happen by testing regularly the breath of asthmatics. If the levels of nitric oxide increase, an attack might happen soon. Now, researchers at the University of Pittsburgh have created a nanosensor to warn about oncoming attacks. It can be encased into a handheld device that people blow into to determine the nitric oxide content of their breath. These sensors have only been tested in the lab, but human clinical trials are on the way, meaning that they might appear on the market in a few years -- and save lots of lives.

August 24, 2007 by Roland Piquepaille

Piano nanowires

Dutch researchers have made what they call the world's smallest piano wire. In fact, these wires are made of carbon nanotubes measuring approximately 1 micrometer long and approximately 2 nanometers in diameter. After applying alternating current of various frequencies to these nanotubes, they started to vibrate like real piano wires.

November 28, 2006 by Roland Piquepaille