New research shows how cubic nanostructures made of insulating materials overcome the heating, fabrication and intensity challenges of nanonantenna technology, paving the way for NEMS applications in biomedicine, nanolasers and photovoltaics.
Newly developed tiny antennas, likened to spotlights on the nanoscale, offer the potential to measure food safety, identify pollutants in the air and even quickly diagnose and treat cancer, according to the Australian scientists who created them. The new antennas are cubic in shape. They do a better job than previous spherical ones at directing an ultra-narrow beam of light where it is needed, with little or no loss due to heating and scattering, they say.
In a paper published in the Journal of Applied Physics, from AIP Publishing, Debabrata Sikdar of Monash University in Victoria, Australia, and colleagues describe these and other envisioned applications for their nanocubes in “laboratories-on-a-chip.” The cubes, composed of insulating, rather than conducting or semiconducting materials as were the spherical versions, are easier to fabricate as well as more effective, he says.
Sikdar’s paper presents analysis and simulation of 200-nanometer dielectric (nonconductive) nanoncubes placed in the path of visible and near-infrared light sources. The nanocubes are arranged in a chain, and the space between them can be adjusted to fine-tune the light beam as needed for various applications. As the separation between cubes increases, the angular width of the beam narrows and directionality improves, the researchers say.
“Unidirectional nanoantennas induce directionality to any omnidirectional light emitters like microlasers, nanolasers or spasers, and even quantum dots,” Sikdar said in an interview. Spasers are similar to lasers, but employ minute oscillations of electrons rather than light. Quantum dots are tiny crystals that produce specific colors, based on their size, and are widely used in color televisions. “Analogous to nanoscale spotlights, the cubic antennas focus light with precise control over direction and beam width,” he said.
The new cubic nanoantennas have the potential to revolutionize the infant field of nano-electromechanical systems (NEMS). “These unidirectional nanoantennas are most suitable for integrated optics-based biosensors to detect proteins, DNA, antibodies, enzymes, etc., in truly portable lab-on-a-chip platforms of the future,” Sikdar said. “They can also potentially replace the lossy on-chip IC (integrated circuit) interconnects, via transmitting optical signals within and among ICs, to ensure ultrafast data processing while minimizing device heating,” he added.
Read more:Â Optical Nanoantennas Set the Stage for a NEMS Lab-on-a-Chip Revolution
The Latest on: NEMS Lab-on-a-Chip
[google_news title=”” keyword=”NEMS Lab-on-a-Chip” num_posts=”10″ blurb_length=”0″ show_thumb=”left”]
via Google News
The Latest on: NEMS Lab-on-a-Chip
- China Creates 'Neucyber,' Its Version of a Neuralink Brain Chipon April 25, 2024 at 5:58 am
China has reportedly developed a brain-computer interface chip called Neucyber that allows a monkey to control a robotic arm with only its thoughts.
- Sandia National Lab takes delivery of Intel's latest brain in a boxon April 17, 2024 at 9:05 am
Hala Point system crams more than a thousand neurochips into a 6U chassis to tackle real-time AI Intel Labs revealed its largest neuromorphic computer on Wednesday, a 1.15 billion neuron system, which ...
- A Lab-on-a-Chip for the Concurrent Electrochemical Detection of SARS-CoV-2 Nucleic Acids and Anti-SARS-CoV-2 Antibodies in Salivaon March 26, 2024 at 4:00 am
This presentation describes the development and application of a 3D-printed lab-on-a-chip that concurrently detects, via multiplexed electrochemical outputs and within 2 h, SARS-CoV-2 RNA in saliva as ...
- An Introduction to Lab-on-a-Chip Technology in Clinical Diagnostics: Successes and Remaining Challengeson March 26, 2024 at 12:00 am
Lab-on-a-chip platforms enable advanced processing, manipulation, and analysis of biological samples in miniaturized fluidic devices. Despite the numerous advantages, such as lower reagent and sample ...
- A Beating Heart on a Chipon March 25, 2024 at 5:00 pm
Even though technical advances have made it possible to grow many of the individual components in the lab—for example ... Sinai Medical Center proposed a new way to use a microfluidic chip to mimic ...
- Lab on a Chip News and Researchon November 1, 2023 at 5:00 pm
Researchers described the development and applications of a 3D-printed lab-on-a-chip device that quickly detected the presence of SARS-CoV-2 in patient's saliva. A University of Texas at Arlington ...
- Particle Accelerator… On A Chipon October 30, 2023 at 5:06 am
you usually think of some giant cyclotron with heavy-duty equipment in a massive mad-science lab. But scientists now believe they can create particle accelerators that can fit on a chip smaller ...
- New approach to complete automation in sizing and quantitation of DNA and proteins by the Automated Lab-on-a-Chip Platform from Agilent Technologieson October 25, 2022 at 9:48 am
The newly introduced Agilent 5100 Automated Lab-on-a-Chip Platform (ALP) offers a high-throughput system to overcome the limitations of slab gel analysis in protein and DNA sizing and quantitation.
- 2021 Lab on a Chip outstanding peer reviewerson April 19, 2022 at 6:47 am
Every one of our peer reviewers makes a significant contribution to great science. To celebrate those going above and beyond, each year our Lab on a Chip editorial team evaluates peer reviewers based ...
- Lab on a Chip & Dolomite Pioneers of Miniaturisation Lectureship Awardon April 5, 2022 at 2:20 am
The Lab on a Chip & Dolomite Pioneers of Miniaturisation Lectureship recognises early to mid-career scientists, within 15 years of their PhD, who have made outstanding contributions to the ...
via Bing News