n two new studies, researchers from across the United States have begun to design the framework on which to build the emerging field of nanoinformatics — the combination of nanoscale research and informatics.

Imagine staying dry underwater for months. Engineers have examined a variety of surfaces that can do just that — and they know why. They have identified the ideal ‘roughness’ needed in a surface’s texture to keep it dry for a long time when submerged in water. The valleys in the surface roughness typically need to be less than one micron in width. That’s really small — but these nanoscopic valleys have macroscopic impact.

For the first time ever, researchers have succeeded in creating arrangements of colloids – tiny particles suspended in a solution – and, importantly, they have managed to control their motion with high precision and speed. Thanks to this new technique, colloidal nanoparticles may play a role in digital technologies of the future. Nanoparticles can be rapidly displaced, require little energy and their small footprint offers large storage capacity – all these attributes make them well suited to new data storage applications or high-resolution displays.

Researchers have observed droplets spontaneously fling themselves from thin fibers. The phenomenon occurs so long as the fibers are small enough relative to the coalescing droplets and moderately hydrophobic, and has applications ranging from water purification to oil refining

A surprising discovery has been made about hybrid organic/inorganic solar cells. Contrary to expectations, a diode composed of the conductive organic PEDOT:PSS and an n-type silicon absorber material behaves more like a pn junction between two semiconductors than like a metal-semiconductor contact (Schottky diode).

Human consumption of bacterially contaminated water causes millions of deaths each year throughout the world — primarily among children. An inexpensive, simple and easily transportable nanotechnology-based method to purify drinking water has just been developed. Researchers call it The Drinkable Book, and each page is impregnated with bacteria-killing metal nanoparticles.

Researchers used their “Campanile” nano-optical probe to make some surprising discoveries about molybdenum disulfide, a member of the “transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDCs) semiconductor family whose optoelectronic properties hold great promise for future nanoelectronic and photonic devices.

Using a method they invented for joining disparate elemental layers into a stable material with uniform, predictable properties, researchers are testing an array of new combinations that may vastly expand the options available to create faster, smaller, more efficient energy storage, advanced electronics and wear-resistant materials.

Researchers have developed a model system for so-called soft colloids. The model gives us a better understanding of correlations between the atomic structure of colloids and their perceptible material properties. These findings could lead to new approaches for the targeted development of innovative colloid materials.

An unusual magnetic effect has been discovered in nanolayers of an oxide of lanthanum and manganese (LaMnO3). The research revealed an abrupt magnetic transition brought about by the slightest change in thickness of the layer.