blog posts

• Nano blood cells could offer convenient, portable alternative to transfusion

  Jan 17, 2017 8:00 am0 views

  Researchers have developed the first artificial red blood cells designed to emulate vital functions of natural red blood cells. If confirmed safe for use in humans, the nanotechnology-based product could represent an innovative alternative to blood transfusions that would be especially valuable on the battlefield and in other situations where donated blood is difficult to obtain or store.

• Quantum simulation technique yields topological soliton state in SSH model

  Jan 3, 2017 8:00 am0 views

  Topological insulators, an exciting, relatively new class of materials, are capable of carrying electricity along the edge of the surface, while the bulk of the material acts as an electrical insulator. Practical applications for these materials are still mostly a matter of theory, as scientists probe their microscopic properties to better understand the fundamental physics that govern their peculiar behavior.

• Goddard recognized for Leadership in Diversity (VIDEO)

  Dec 21, 2016 8:00 am0 views

  Associate Professor Lynford L Goddard was honored with the 2016 Leadership in Diversity Larine Y. Cowan “Make a Difference Award” at the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Access (ODEA) 31st Annual Celebration of Diversity.

• NSF CAREER Award to CNST affiliated faculty Can Bayram

  Dec 19, 2016 8:00 am4 views

  CNST affiliated faculty Can Bayram's (Electrical and Computer Engineering) NSF CAREER proposal titled "Cubic Phase Green Light Emitting Diodes for Advanced Solid State Lighting" has been awarded a 2017 NSF CAREER Award, which includes Green LED research, and hosting Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REUs) and Teachers (RETs).

• Pan wins 2016 NML Researcher Award

  Dec 15, 2016 8:00 am2 views

  Dipanjan Pan, Bioengineering assistant professor at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, is a recipient of the 2016 NML Researcher Award, sponsored by the journal of Nano-Micro Letters (NML). The award recognizes 15 outstanding researchers whose research fields are nano and micro science, with special consideration for those who have continuously made outstanding contributions to the development of science in the last three years.

• Jasiuk wins 2016 IAAM Award

  Dec 14, 2016 8:00 am0 views

  Professor Iwona Jasiuk has been named the recipient of the 2016 American Advanced Materials Award from the International Association of Advanced Materials. She was selected “due to your notable and outstanding contribution in the field of ‘Advanced Materials Science and Technology,’” according to Professor Ashutosh Tiwari, the association’s secretary general.

• Researchers work to improve the lifecycle of materials

  Dec 14, 2016 8:00 am0 views

  In a sweeping perspective article published this month in the journal Nature, a trio of Beckman researchers review the field they pioneered more than a decade-and-a-half ago and look at the future of autonomous polymers.

• Nature Communications article on carbon dots, with co-author Paul Kenis

  Dec 13, 2016 8:00 am0 views

  "A Metal-free Electrocatalyst for Carbon Dioxide Reduction to Multi-carbon Hydrocarbons and Oxygenates" was published December 13, 2016 in Nature Communications, and includes co-author Paul Kenis (Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering).

• IEEE honors Leburton with life membership

  Dec 12, 2016 8:00 am0 views

  Gregory Stillman Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering Jean-Pierre Leburton has been selected by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers for IEEE Life Membership. This special honor is awarded to individuals in the association who have exhibited leadership, volunteerism and dedication to advancing technology for humanity. Life Member Status recognizes Leburton’s outstanding achievements and research that have made a significant impact on the growth and development of IEEE.

• Bhargava named Agilent Thought Leader

  Dec 12, 2016 8:00 am0 views

  Rohit Bhargava, a Founder Professor of Engineering and Chemistry at Illinois, has received an Agilent Thought Leader Award in recognition of his pioneering work in the development of infrared spectroscopic imaging, and its application to life sciences research.

• CNST/MNTL/CARD faculty Irfan Ahmad and Logan Liu part of the newly announced DOE RAPID- a $170M investment with approximately $70M in federal funds

  Dec 9, 2016 8:00 am0 views

  Leveraging up to $70 million in federal funding…and an additional $70 million in private cost-share commitments from over 130 partners, the Rapid Advancement in Process Intensification Deployment (RAPID) Institute will focus on developing breakthrough technologies to boost domestic energy productivity and energy efficiency by 20 percent in five years through manufacturing processes in industries such oil and gas, pulp and paper and various domestic chemical manufacturers.

• Cunningham's photonic crystal enhanced microscope sheds light on wound healing and cancer metastasis

  Dec 7, 2016 8:00 am0 views

  University of Illinois Electrical & Computer Engineering and Bioengineering Professor Brian Cunningham’s Nano Sensors group has invented a novel live-cell imaging method that could someday help biologists better understand how stem cells transform into specialized cells and how diseases like cancer spread. Their Photonic Crystal Enhanced Microscope (PCEM) is capable of monitoring and quantitatively measuring cell adhesion, a critical process involved cell migration, cell differentiation, cell division, and cell death.

• Nano blood cells could offer convenient, portable alternative to transfusion

  Dec 5, 2016 8:00 am0 views

  Researchers have developed the first artificial red blood cells designed to emulate vital functions of natural red blood cells. If confirmed safe for use in humans, the nanotechnology-based product could represent an innovative alternative to blood transfusions that would be especially valuable on the battlefield and in other situations where donated blood is difficult to obtain or store.

• Tunneling key to high-speed modulation of transistor and laser development

  Dec 2, 2016 8:00 am0 views

  Two recent studies by UIUC researchers, Feng and Holonyak, are expected to significantly impact the fundamental modulation bandwidth for transistors and laser operations for energy-efficient high speed data transfer in optical and 5G wireless communications.

• Two faculty named Center for Advanced Study (CAS) Associates

  Dec 2, 2016 8:00 am0 views

  Professor Iwona Jasiuk and Associate Professor Amy Wagoner Johnson have been named 2017-18 Associates in the Center for Advanced Study (CAS). Only a handful of faculty from across campus are selected each year. CAS Associate appointments provide tenured and untenured faculty with an incentive to pursue the highest level of scholarly achievement.

• MNTL spin-off company to quadruple its wafer-making capabilities in Champaign over three years

  Nov 30, 2016 8:00 am1 views

  The II-VI EpiWorks Division of II‐VI Incorporated (NASDAQ:IIVI), a leading provider of compound semiconductor epitaxial wafers, announced November 28, 2016, that it is breaking ground on a state-of-the-art production facility in Champaign, Illinois. The expansion is expected to be complete by mid-2017 and will enable a quadrupling of capacity in Champaign over the next three years.

• Novel silicon etching technique crafts 3D gradient refractive index micro-optics

  Nov 28, 2016 8:00 am0 views

  Researchers at the University of Illinois have fabricated 3-D birefringent gradient refractive index (GRIN) micro-optics by electrochemically etching preformed Si micro-structures, like square columns, PSi structures with defined refractive index profiles.

• Six Illinois faculty members elected AAAS Fellows

  Nov 21, 2016 8:15 am0 views

  Six University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign faculty members, including CNST affiliates Jianjun Cheng (Materials Science and Engineering) and Brian T. Cunningham (Electrical and Computer Engineering) have been elected 2016 Fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

• Congratulations to nano@illinois REU Larissa del Rosario on co-authorship of research paper in Bayram lab

  Nov 21, 2016 8:00 am4 views

  Congrats to Larissa del Rosario, 2016 NSF-funded nano@illinois Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) participant in the Dr. Can Bayram lab, Micro and Nanotechnology Lab. del Rosario is co-author of "Investigation of AlGaN/GaN high electron mobility transistor structures on 200-mm silicon (111) substrates employing different buffer layer configurations."

• Eight Illinois researchers rank among world’s most influential

  Nov 18, 2016 8:00 am0 views

  Eight University of Illinois researchers have been named to the Clarivate Analytics Highly Cited Researchers list for 2016. The list is based on an analysis of journal article publication and citation data, an objective measure of a researcher’s influence over the past 11 years.

• NSF I/UCRC CARD Inaugural IAB Meeting at WPI

  Nov 15, 2016 8:00 am0 views

  CNST led efforts helped establish the Center for Advanced Research in Drying jointly with Worcester Polytechnic Institute and University of Illinois. The research teams will be located at FSHN and MNTL. Hao Feng is the Illinois Site Director and Irfan Ahmad is co-Site Director. Jamal Yagoobi is the Director and is based at WPI. NSF I/UCRC Program Director Raffaella Montelli opened the CARD Inaugural IAB Meeting on November 14, 2016 at Worcester, MA.

• Yang Research Group develops conveyor belt transport system for producing precision catalysts

  Nov 4, 2016 8:00 am0 views

  A University of Illinois research team has invented a highly-efficient method for producing precision catalysts that can be used for cathode reaction in hydrogen fuel cells for automobiles. The technique promises to increase the efficiency of producing shape-controlled catalysts that could have benefits beyond the automotive industry.

• Lyding Leader in STM Research

  Nov 1, 2016 8:00 am0 views

  For his groundbreaking research, Lyding, a professor of electrical and computer engineering, recently was awarded the Foresight Institute Feynman Prize for experimental work. The Foresight Institute is a leading think tank and public interest organization focused on transformative future technologies. According to a Foresight Institute announcement, "Lyding is a pioneer in the development of STM technology and particularly hydrogen depassivation lithography."

• Miljkovic group develops improved technique to optically image dynamic droplet processes

  Nov 1, 2016 8:00 am0 views

  Research led by MechSE Prof. Nenad Miljkovic illustrates the development of a single-camera technique capable of providing 3D information on droplet-surface interactions through the use of focal plane manipulation.

• 2016 National Nanotechnology Initiative Strategic Plan

  Oct 31, 2016 8:00 am0 views

  The National Nanotechnology Coordination Office (NNCO) announces the new 2016 National Nanotechnology Initiative Strategic Plan.

• Klaus Schulten, pioneer in biophysics and computational biology

  Oct 31, 2016 8:00 am0 views

  University of Illinois physics professor Klaus Schulten was an innovator in the use of computational methods to study the chemical and biological processes driving living cells.

• nano@illinois RET leadership presentation at National Science Teachers Association Conference

  Oct 27, 2016 8:00 am0 views

  On October 27, 2016 at the National Science Teachers Association Conference, the nano@illinois Research Experiences for Teachers (RET) program was highlighted. This NSF-funded program contributes to developing a diverse STEM workforce. Past participants’ summer research experiences, professional development activities in nanoscale STEM fields, and module development were shared. The conference was held in Minneapolis, MN with co-authors Carrie Kouadio, Irfan Ahmad, Lynford Goddard, and Xiuling Li.

• Latest news from Beckman Institute

  Oct 25, 2016 8:00 am0 views

  Synergy is a publication of the Communications Office of the Beckman Institute. Each issue spotlights the people and science that make the Institute one of the premier facilities for interdisciplinary research in the world.

• Semiconductor processing expert McCollum to lead MNTL cleanroom facility

  Oct 25, 2016 8:00 am0 views

  In October, Illinois alumnus Mark McCollum (BSEE 1983, MSEE 1987, PhD 1990) joined the Micro and Nanotechnology Lab staff as principal research engineer. He will oversee the operation of MNTL’s cleanroom facility, including the $13 million in fabrication and metrology tools used by more than 50 faculty and 350 students across campus.

• Semiconductor processing expert McCollum to lead MNTL cleanroom facility

  Oct 25, 2016 8:00 am3 views

  In October, Illinois alumnus Mark McCollum (BSEE 1983, MSEE 1987, PhD 1990) joined the Micro + Nanotechnology Lab staff as principal research engineer. He will oversee the operation of MNTL’s cleanroom facility, including the $13 million in fabrication and metrology tools used by more than 50 faculty and 350 students across campus.

• UI researchers develop new treatment for reducing inflammation to treat obesity-related diseases

  Oct 21, 2016 8:00 am0 views

  Andrew Smith, Bioengineering assistant professor at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, is leading a team that is examining ways to alleviate obesity-related conditions. Their work is published in a recent issue of ACS Nano, and it describes a unique approach the research team developed that could point the way to innovative, highly effective treatments for those who suffer from obesity.

• Viktor Gruev creating sensors that capture polarization & multi-spectral properties of light

  Oct 18, 2016 8:00 am0 views

  Electrical and Computer Engineering Associate Professor Viktor Gruev, who joined the Illinois faculty in August, is well known for integrating novel nano-materials with CMOS or CCD technology to achieve very sensitive imagers. At Illinois, Gruev will continue designing new imaging sensors that can capture polarization and multi-spectral properties of light.

• Five of 58 AFOSR grants go to Engineering at Illinois researchers

  Oct 17, 2016 8:00 am0 views

  Five of the 58 recipients of the Air Force’s Young Investigator Research Program (YIP) award hail from Engineering at Illinois. The Air Force Office of Scientific Research announced $20.8 million in grants to scientists and engineers from 41 research institutions and small businesses who submitted winning research proposals.

• Health Care Engineering Systems Center announces fall 2016 award winners

  Oct 17, 2016 8:00 am0 views

  The Health Care Engineering Systems Center at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and Jump Simulation at OSF HealthCare have selected six new projects for funding through the Jump ARCHES program, which was formed in 2014 through a $50 million endowment.

• Franklin Institute honors Holonyak with coveted award

  Oct 17, 2016 8:00 am0 views

  The Franklin Institute has announced John Bardeen Endowed Chair Emeritus Nick Holonyak, Jr (BSEE '50, MS '51, PhD '54) as one of eight awardees of the coveted Benjamin Franklin Award for Electrical Engineering. The institute recognized him for the development of the first visible red laser and LED and the use of various alloys in colored light sources.

• University of Illinois ranked #4 in "50 Best Engineering, Technology, & Computer Sciences Programs in the World"

  Oct 16, 2016 8:00 am0 views

  The outstanding ranking of Illinois in these areas is profiled in "The Best Schools" publication.

• MNTL researchers report new thermal management method for GaN transistors

  Oct 10, 2016 8:00 am0 views

  A team of University of Illinois researchers from the University of Illinois Micro + Nanotechnology Lab recently created a new method of thermal management for GaN power transistors that is simple and cost effective. Through technology computer aided design, Electrical & Computer Engineering Assistant Professor Can Bayram’s group demonstrated that the thickness of the GaN layers plays a role in overheating, affecting the device’s thermal budget and ultimately its performance.

• nano@illinois RET leadership (Carrie Kouadio, Irfan Ahmad, Lynford Goddard, and Xiuling Li) presentation at Illinois Math and Science Conference

  Oct 7, 2016 8:00 am3 views

  The nano@illinois RET program, which contributes to developing a diverse STEM workforce, was highlighted in Peoria, IL on October 7, 2016. Past participants’ summer research experiences, professional development activities in nanoscale STEM fields, and module development were highlighted.

• Leal Earns NIH New Innovator Award

  Oct 4, 2016 8:00 am0 views

  Cecilia Leal, an assistant professor in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering and the Frederick Seitz Materials Research Laboratory, is a recipient of the 2016 National Institutes of Health Director’s New Innovator Award. The award recognizes bold ideas from some of the nation’s most promising early-career scientists. Leal’s work aims to introduce a new paradigm in the field of nanomaterials for medicine by revealing how the nanoparticle structure affects and even dictates their capacity to deliver cargo to cells.

• Science News: SN 10: "Scientists to Watch" includes Professor Qian Chen

  Oct 1, 2016 8:00 am0 views

  Professor Qian Chen is recognized for her work on nanomaterials and self-assembly in the latest issue of ScienceNews.

• College of Engineering names five new Founder Professors

  Sep 30, 2016 8:00 am0 views

  The top-ranked College of Engineering at Illinois continues to build its legacy, adding several elite-level faculty researchers to its list of Founder Professors and the first Grainger Distinguished Chair in Engineering. These faculty include Dr. Rashid Bashir, Bioengineering, and former CNST Co-Director; and Dr. Rohit Bhargava, Bioengineering.

• BIOE team earns top prize in primary healthcare technology competition

  Sep 26, 2016 8:00 am0 views

  Anurup Ganguli, PhD student in bioengineering received this year’s First Prize of $150,000 in the Student Technology Prize for Primary Healthcare competition, administered by Massachusetts General Hospital through its Ambulatory Practice of the Future (APF) initiative. The project created by Ganguli and his team, under guidance of Professors Rashid Bashir and Brian Cunningham, “Personalized Multiplexed Molecular Diagnostics for Point-of-Care Setting,” offers a novel technology for rapid detection of infectious diseases in all primary-care settings.

• BIOE researchers quantify drug delivery from nanoparticles inside a cell

  Sep 26, 2016 8:00 am0 views

  For the first time, researchers from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign have demonstrated that the success of delivery of drugs from nanoparticles can be quantified inside a cell. “We can precisely tell how much drug has been released from the carrier at a given time point,” stated Dipanjan Pan, an assistant professor of bioengineering at Illinois.

• nano@illinois leads STEM outreach at Science at the Market

  Sep 24, 2016 8:00 am0 views

  nano@illinois led STEM outreach activities at Science at the Market at the Urbana Farmers Market on September 24, 2016. Graduate students in the Dr. Kent Choquette lab, Zihe Gao and Harshil Dave, managed the nano@illinois booth. Visitors of all ages learned about nanotechnology concepts through hands-on activities and demonstrations.

• MNTL faculty help improve manufacturing drying processes

  Sep 20, 2016 8:00 am0 views

  Micro and Nanotechnology Lab faculty affiliates Irfan Ahmad, Logan Liu, and Graciela Padua are members of the new NSF Center for Advanced Research in Drying, which is developing energy-efficient technologies for drying moist, porous materials.

• Nam awarded NASA Early Career Faculty funding

  Sep 20, 2016 8:00 am1 views

  Assistant Professor SungWoo Nam has won a NASA Early Career Faculty Award for his research, “Corrugated Two-dimensional Material Enabled Flexoelectricity for Cryogenic Actuator Technology.”

• MIT Technology Review names LAS professor a top young innovator in science

  Sep 15, 2016 8:00 am0 views

  A professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering at Illinois has been recognized by a global media company as one of the top young innovators in science. Ying Diao was named among MIT Technology Review’s annual list of Innovators Under 35 for her work in nanotechnology and materials. Diao joined Illinois in 2015 and is currently Dow Chemical Company Faculty Scholar in the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering.

• "Academic redshirt" program gives students a boost

  Sep 15, 2016 8:00 am0 views

  The University of Illinois is one of six universities the National Science Foundation (NSF) has awarded $5 million to create and expand “academic redshirt” programs. This program will allow 800 low-income students who have promising futures in engineering the opportunity to take additional math and science courses before they begin their engineering coursework.

• Unique undergraduate lab up and running as part of 2-year relocation and renovation project

  Sep 13, 2016 8:00 am4 views

  A premier semiconductor and bionanotechnology research facility, the Micro and Nanotechnology Lab expanded its training mission this fall with the addition of the popular Undergraduate Fab Lab, which was relocated from its longtime home in Everitt Lab. The 2-year $3.7 million project involved renovating space at MNTL and moving equipment from Everitt Lab, which is undergoing its own renovation as the new home for the Bioengineering Department.

• New faculty member Lee enhancing performance and fabrication of solar cells

  Sep 12, 2016 8:00 am0 views

  A pioneer in the field of photovoltaic cell research, Professor Minjoo Larry Lee has worked on improving the efficiency and fabrication processes of solar cells for nearly 10 years. Lee recently joined the ECE Illinois and Micro + Nanotechnology Lab (MNTL) faculty, having been an electrical engineering associate professor at Yale University. - See more at: http://mntl.illinois.edu/news/article/19029#sthash.3ZRNP8w1.dpuf