The problems facing humanity and the life sciences are significant. Research at the IGB will address those problems, and will provide a stimulating environment for conducting interdisciplinary research at the cutting edge of the life sciences revolution.

New material structure produces world's fastest transistor

11 April 2005 - University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign A new type of transistor structure, invented by scientists at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, has broken the 600 gigahertz speed barrier. The goal of a terahertz transistor for high-speed computing and communications applications could now be within reach.

Improved dielectric developed for chip-level copper circuitry

29 March 2005 - University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign A new dielectric material, developed by researchers at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, could facilitate the use of copper circuitry at the chip level. The thermally stable aromatic polymer has a low dielectric constant of 1.85, good mechanical properties and excellent adhesion.

Theories of high-temperature superconductivity violate Pauli principle

24 March 2005 - University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Scientists seeking to explain high-temperature superconductivity have been violating the Pauli exclusion principle, a team of researchers from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and Rutgers University report.

High-intensity ultrasound creates hollow nanospheres and nanocrystals

22 February 2005 - University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Using high-intensity ultrasound, researchers at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign have created hollow nanospheres and the first hollow nanocrystals. The nanospheres could be used in microelectronics, drug delivery and as catalysts for making environmentally friendly fuels.

Tiny superconductors withstand stronger magnetic fields

06 February 2005 - University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Ultrathin superconducting wires can withstand stronger magnetic fields than larger wires made from the same material, researchers now report. This finding may be useful for technologies that employ superconducting magnets, such as magnetic resonance imaging.

Carbon nanotubes yield a new class of biological sensors

13 December 2004 - University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Nanotechnology researchers at the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign have demonstrated a tiny, implantable detector that could one day allow diabetics to monitor their glucose levels continuously-without ever having to draw a blood sample.

Thermal superconductivity in carbon nanotubes not so 'super' when added to certain materials

11 November 2004 - University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Superb conductors of heat and infinitesimal in size, carbon nanotubes might be used to prevent overheating in next-generation computing devices or as fillers to enhance thermal conductivity of insulating materials, such as durable plastics or engine oil. But a research team at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute has discovered that the nanotubes' role as thermal superconductors is greatly diminished when mixed with materials such as polymers that make up plastics.

Taking the next step toward growing our own fuel

31 October 2004 - University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Developing a petroleum-free fuel from corn byproducts is one of the goals of a newly named research theme at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Silicon-based photodetector is sensitive to ultraviolet light

19 July 2004 - University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign By depositing thin films of silicon nanoparticles on silicon substrates, researchers at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign have fabricated a photodetector sensitive to ultraviolet light. Silicon-based ultraviolet sensors could prove very handy in military, security and commercial applications. 'Silicon is the most common semiconductor, but it has not been useful for detecting ultraviolet light until now,' said Munir Nayfeh, a professor of physics at Illinois and a researcher at the Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology. 'Ultraviolet light is usually absorbed by silicon and converted into heat, but we found a way to make silicon devices that absorb ultraviolet light and produce electrical current instead.'

Strong magnetic field converts nanotube from metal to semiconductor and back

20 May 2004 - University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign By threading a magnetic field through a carbon nanotube, scientists have switched the molecule between metallic and semiconducting states, a phenomenon predicted by physicists some years ago, but never before clearly seen in individual molecules. In the May 21 issue of the journal Science, researchers from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign present experimental evidence that a nanotube's electronic structure can be altered in response to a magnetic field. The research team consisted of physics professors Alexey Bezryadin and Paul Goldbart, postdoctoral research associate Smitha Vishveshwara and graduate students Ulas Coskun and Tzu-Chieh Wei.