Debut of the first practical 'artificial leaf'

http://www.physorg.com/news/2011-03-debut-artificial-leaf.html

"The device bears no resemblance to Mother Nature's counterparts on oaks, maples and other green plants, which scientists have used as the model for their efforts to develop this new genre of solar cells. About the shape of a poker card but thinner, the device is fashioned from silicon, electronics and catalysts, substances that accelerate chemical reactions that otherwise would not occur, or would run slowly. Placed in a single gallon of water in a bright sunlight, the device could produce enough electricity to supply a house in a developing country with electricity for a day, Nocera said. It does so by splitting water into its two components, hydrogen and oxygen."

Templated growth technique produces graphene nanoribbons with metallic properties

http://www.physorg.com/news/2011-03-templated-growth-technique-graphene-nanoribbons.html

"A new "templated growth" technique for fabricating nanoribbons of epitaxial graphene has produced structures just 15 to 40 nanometers wide that conduct current with almost no resistance. These structures could address the challenge of connecting graphene devices made with conventional architectures – and set the stage for a new generation of devices that take advantage of the quantum properties of electrons."

Solar power without solar cells: A hidden magnetic effect of light could make it possible

http://ns.umich.edu/htdocs/releases/story.php?id=8368

"Light has electric and magnetic components. Until now, scientists thought the effects of the magnetic field were so weak that they could be ignored. What Rand and his colleagues found is that at the right intensity, when light is traveling through a material that does not conduct electricity, the light field can generate magnetic effects that are 100 million times stronger than previously expected. Under these circumstances, the magnetic effects develop strength equivalent to a strong electric effect."

New Way to Control Magnetic Properties of Graphene Discovered

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/04/110414091110.htm

"University of Maryland researchers have discovered a way to control magnetic properties of graphene that could lead to powerful new applications in magnetic storage and magnetic random access memory."

Nanotech-fibre gas mask created at Cornell

http://grinding.be/2011/04/13/nanotech-fibre-gas-mask-created-at-cornell/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+grinding+%28grinding.be%29&utm_content=Google+Reader

"MOFs (metal organic framework molecules), which are clustered crystalline compounds, can be manipulated at the nanolevel to have cages that are the exact same size as the gas they are trying to capture", said Jennifer Keane ’11, a fiber science and apparel design (FSAD) major in the College of Human Ecology.

Super Batteries Made From ‘Frozen Smoke’ May be Here Soon

http://inhabitat.com/super-batteries-made-from-frozen-smoke-may-be-here-soon/

"Due to its carbon nanotube structure, the battery material would be able to detect even the slightest changes in pressure or temperature. As they also make up a large surface area, the nanotubes would be better able to store energy than conventional batteries."

Making nanomaterials just got a lot easier

http://io9.com/#!5773631/making-nanomaterials-just-got-a-lot-easier

"This new method could lead to massively easier and cheaper production of nanomaterials."

Bendy batteries a step closer

http://www.rsc.org/chemistryworld/News/2011/February/25021102.asp

"Scientists from Korea have found that with the use of graphene nanosheets, the fabrication of bendable power sources is possible."

Largest antimatter trap ever under construction

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/41673788/ns/technology_and_science-science/

"The problem is that whenever antimatter comes into contact with regular matter, the two annihilate. So any container or bottle made of matter that attempts to capture antimatter inside would be instantly destroyed, along with the precious antimatter sample one tried to put inside the bottle."