Researchers can now accurately measure the emergence and damping of a plasmonic field

This is crucial for renewable energy and other technologies

13-May-2024 - An international research team led by Universität Hamburg, DESY, and Stanford University has developed a new approach to characterize the electric field of arbitrary plasmonic samples, like e.g. gold nanoparticles. Plasmonic materials are of particular interest due to their extraordinary ...

Light-Controlled Reactions at the Nanoscale

Physicists used for the first time laser light to control the location of light-induced reactions on the surface of nanoparticles

23-May-2022 - Controlling strong electromagnetic fields on nanoparticles is the key to triggering targeted molecular reactions on their surfaces. Such control over strong fields is achieved via laser light. Although laser-induced formation and breaking of molecular bonds on nanoparticle surfaces have been ...

Scientists home in on pairs of atoms that boost a catalyst's activity

They discovered that the messy environment of a chemical reaction can actually change the shape of a catalytic nanoparticle in a way that makes it more active

24-Jun-2020 - Replacing the expensive metals that break down exhaust gases in catalytic converters with cheaper, more effective materials is a top priority for scientists, for both economic and environmental reasons. Catalysts are required to perform chemical reactions that would otherwise not happen, such as ...

New 'pomegranate-inspired' design solves problems for lithium-ion batteries

18-Feb-2014 - An electrode designed like a pomegranate – with silicon nanoparticles clustered like seeds in a tough carbon rind – overcomes several remaining obstacles to using silicon for a new generation of lithium-ion batteries, say its inventors at Stanford University and the Department of Energy's SLAC ...

Study reveals principles behind stability and electronic properties of gold nanoclusters

International team confirms 'divide and protect' bonding structure

16-Jul-2008 - A report published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) is the first to describe the principles behind the stability and electronic properties of tiny nanoclusters of metallic gold. The study, which confirms the "divide and protect" bonding structure, resulted from the work ...