Researchers have used graphene to develop a new composite material which can produce the toughest fibres to date - even tougher than spider silk and Kevlar.

Apart from graphene, other two-dimensional structures are also known to have unique properties which researchers are eager to exploit for novel nanotechnology applications in nanoelectronics and sensor or energy storage technology. Particular interest has been on semiconducting materials, such as molybdenum disulfide (MoS2), an abundant material in nature, which exhibits the unique physical, optical and electrical properties correlated with its single-layer atomic layer structure. Researchers have now fabricated a mechanically exfoliated single-layer MoS2 based phototransistor and investigated its electric characteristics in detail. These new findings show that, when compared with a 2D graphene-based device, the single-layer MoS2 phototransistor exhibits a better photoresponsivity.

Polyera has achieved a certified world-record 9.1% efficient polymer/fullerene organic solar cell in an inverted bulk heterojunction architecture using its newest proprietary ActivInk PV2000 semiconductor material.

As You Sow, a nonprofit organization that promotes environmental and social corporate responsibility through shareholder advocacy, coalition building, and innovative legal strategies, has developed a framework on sourcing nanomaterials for food and food packaging. The Framework highlights what companies should ask their suppliers regarding the safety of nano-enhanced food products and packaging.

Nanodiamonds designed to toughen artificial joints also might prevent the inflammation caused when hardworking metal joints shed debris into the body, according to an early study published this week.

The Nanodermatology Society will be holding its second annual scientific conference in conjunction with the American Academy of Dermatology annual meeting at the Manchester Grand Hyatt San Diego, San Diego, CA, March 16th 2012

Northern Graphite Corporation has announced that it has agreed to supply its +48 mesh and +32 mesh extra large flake graphite to Grafen Chemical Industries for graphene research and has also agreed to enter into a cooperation agreement to develop intellectual property rights.

A Manchester team lead by Nobel laureates Professor Andre Geim and Professor Konstantin Novoselov has literally opened a third dimension in graphene research. Their research shows a transistor that may prove the missing link for graphene to become the next silicon.

Cash prize and grant awarded during SPIE BiOS/Photonics West 2012 conference.

An international consortium of scientists from The Netherlands, Sweden and Ukraine claim a breakthrough in the theory of ultrafast magnetic phenomena.