Wednesday, 8th November 2006 (4323 views)

Nanotechnology experts have claimed that they have made improvements in the field of nanowires and compound semiconductors by simplifying their applications.

Professor Angela Belcher from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) has revealed that advancements in smaller, simpler applications such as batteries and lighting are being obtained from the use of a new toolkit.

And gold is showing its use again as a vital part of the operation.

The toolkit utilises nanotechnology to flag up semiconductor defects, build alloys for the battery anodes on thin film and even allow economic low-energy white LED lighting.

Nanowires can be assembled to create a thin film battery anode, which is twice as effective as current electrode materials, by utilising a virus that can coat itself with cobalt and gold from solution.

This complex process has been simplified and its cost reduced by the use of the toolkit, which experts at MIT claim could lead to a working thin film battery prototype being created within two years.

Creating and improving processes for nanotechnology and the nano-engineering of surfaces could ultimately result in the development of high-efficiency LED lighting, which could save billions in energy costs and carbon dioxide emissions.

 

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