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New research shows that when water is confined to a small space, it behaves like a gel. Then, when shaken, it becomes fluidic and exhibits the same structural and mechanical properties as water in a bottle. The study "“ the first to use an atomic force microscope to measure the viscosity of confined fluids "“ revealed that these liquids can respond and modify their viscosity based on environmental changes.

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Researchers have developed an improved organic light emitting diode (OLED) sealing process to reduce moisture intrusion and improve device lifetime. They are using advanced ion assisted deposition to deposit a high-density, pinhole-free thin silicon oxynitride (SiON) film on the OLED surface. The process can be completed at room temperature, which keeps the organic material intact.

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Researchers have developed novel atomic force microscopy probes that can quickly and simultaneously measure biomolecule or material properties including adhesion, stiffness, elasticity and viscosity, in addition to the standard AFM topography scan.

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A sensor system worn in the pockets of a vest continuously monitors the air around persons prone to asthma attacks. After an asthma attack, the researchers can determine what the vest wearer was exposed to environmentally when the attack started. The system measures airborne exposure to formaldehyde, carbon dioxide, ozone, nitrogen dioxide, temperature, relative humidity and total VOCs.

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New research shows that delivering molecules within aggregates of embryonic stem cells via biodegradable microspheres enhances the efficiency and purity of differentiation.

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This Georgia Tech cancer tipsheet includes stories on: 1) The Ovarian Cancer Institute; 2) Method to predict likelihood of drug-resistant acute lymphoblastic leukemia; 3) Quality test for T-cell transfer therapy; 4-7) Using nanoparticles to understand DNA breaks, image cancer inside the body and examine metastasis, identify protein levels in cancer tissue, and image molecular cancer processes.

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Researchers have developed a new, low-cost material for capturing carbon dioxide (CO2) from the smokestacks of coal-fired power plants and other generators of the greenhouse gas. Produced with a simple one-step chemical process, the new material has a high capacity for absorbing carbon dioxide "“ and can be reused many times.

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Georgia Tech researchers have designed a sensor necklace that records the date and time a specially designed pill is swallowed, which they hope will increase drug compliance and decrease unnecessary healthcare costs. The device could be used to ensure that the elderly and subjects in clinical drug trials take their medications as directed by a physician.

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New research uncovers the social dynamics of yellow jackets, which includes multiple sex partners, extreme cooperation and a caste system. Results show that multiple mating does not cause conflict within a colony, but instead creates a more successful colony. The researchers also found that certain genes are turned on or off to create the different castes.

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Researchers have discovered a peptide in scorpion venom that may hold the key to understanding and controlling cystic fibrosis and other secretory diseases. The novel peptide, called GaTx1, can control the movement of ions and water out of cells by interacting with a crucial chloride channel that is commonly mutated in patients with cystic fibrosis.

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Nanotechnology researchers are developing the perfect complement to the power tie: a "power shirt" able to generate electricity to power small electronic devices for soldiers in the field, hikers and others whose physical motion could be harnessed and converted to electrical energy.

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As computers become more complex, the demand increases for more connections between computer chips and external circuitry and better connections that operate at higher frequencies with less loss. Georgia Tech researchers are developing new methods to improve these two types of connections to increase the amount and speed of information that can be sent throughout a computer.

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Researchers have developed prototypes of a rapid, non-disruptive and less expensive method to decontaminate bioterrorism hazards. Using flat panels that produce X-rays and ultraviolet-C light, the researchers can kill anthrax spores, even hidden ones, in two to three hours without any lingering effects.

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A new study of worldwide technological competitiveness suggests China may soon rival the United States as the principal driver of the world's economy "“ a position the U.S. has held since the end of World War II. If that happens, it will mark the first time in nearly a century that two nations have competed for leadership as equals.

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Researchers at the Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI) have developed a sensor system that continuously monitors the air around persons prone to asthma attacks. Worn in the pockets of a vest, the new system could help researchers understand the causes of asthma attacks.

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Tracking the location and availability of resources such as hospitals, transportation equipment and water during an emergency situation can be life-saving. A collaborative mapping tool developed by the Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI) is helping emergency management officials better coordinate event and incident planning "“ and real-time response.

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Researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology are developing unique shape-memory polymers, which change shape upon heating, to open blocked arteries, probe neurons in the brain and engineer a tougher spine.

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Tiny copper structures with pores at both the nanometer and micron size scales could play a key role in the next generation of detonators used to improve the reliability, reduce the size and lower the cost of certain military munitions.

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Research reported December 11 in the journal Advanced Materials describes a potentially promising strategy for encouraging the regeneration of damaged central nervous system cells known as neurons.

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Researchers in the Georgia Tech Research Institute's (GTRI) Center for Innovative Fuel Cell and Battery Technologies believe that understanding how and why fuel cells fail is the key to both reducing cost and improving durability. The problems they are addressing include chemical attack of the membrane, carbon corrosion and platinum instability.

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Using room-temperature processing, Georgia Tech researchers have fabricated high-performance field effect transistors with thin films of Carbon 60, also known as fullerene. The work represents another milestone toward practical applications for large area, low-cost electronic circuits on flexible organic substrates.

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A 1957 classic sits in the Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI) clean room. It's not a Chevy, but a Veeco vacuum evaporator more than six feet tall and five feet wide. The evaporator, still in use today, deposits thin films necessary for microfabrication processes.

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A new study shows that long-term climate change may ultimately lead to wars and population decline. The study, published November 19 in the early edition of the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), revealed that as temperatures decreased centuries ago during a period called the Little Ice Age, the number of wars increased, famine occurred and the population declined.

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New sustainability standard addresses chemicals and materials used in manufacturing carpet, the energy used in production, the use of recycled or bio-based content, methods of disposal and/or reuse and the overall environmental performance of manufacturers.

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Research to be reported October 29 in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) provides evidence that some molecular interactions on cell surfaces may have a "memory" that affects their future interactions. The report could lead to a re-examination of results from certain single-molecule research.

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Flu vaccine delivered through painless microneedles in patches applied to the skin could soon be an alternative to delivery through hypodermic needles, according to researchers at Emory University and the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta.

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A new biosensor developed at the Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI) can detect avian influenza in just minutes. In addition to being a rapid test, the biosensor is economical, field-deployable, sensitive to different viral strains and requires no labels or reagents.

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The emergency department at Meadows Regional Medical Center in rural Vidalia, Ga., has achieved what would make most hospitals across the nation envious: a 44 percent reduction in average length of stay per patient, a 10 percent boost in patients served and a 92 percent patient satisfaction rate.

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Two U.S. professors "“ a physicist and mathematician "“ say it's time to define the kilogram in a new and more elegant way. They've launched a campaign aimed at redefining the kilogram as the mass of a very large "“ but precisely-specified "“ number of carbon-12 atoms.

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Researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology have developed a miniature sensor that uses polymer membranes deposited on a tiny silicon disk to measure pollutants present in aqueous or gaseous environments.

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A collaboration between Baltimore-based GSE Systems and the Georgia Institute of Technology offers a new tool for industrial training that combines traditional classroom teaching with hands-on experience using advanced computer simulations of complex industrial facilities.

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A dime-sized tropical crab that has invaded coastal waters in the Southeast United States is having both positive and negative effects on oyster reefs, leaving researchers unable to predict what the creature's long-term impact will be.

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A simpler technique for testing public drinking water samples for the presence of the radioactive element radium can dramatically reduce the amount of time required to conduct the sampling required by federal regulations.

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Moving beyond carbon nanotubes, researchers are developing insights into a remarkable class of tubular nanomaterials that can be produced in water with a high degree of control over their diameter and length. The single-walled inorganic nanotubes are based on metal oxides in combination with silicon and germanium.

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As part of an effort to increase job-safety training and awareness among younger Americans, scientists from the Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI) have joined with the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and other groups to introduce health and safety training to Georgia high schools.

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New research at the Georgia Institute of Technology could soon make that tangle of wires under desks and in data centers a thing of the past.

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Though categorized as magnitude 7.8, the earthquake could scarcely be felt by beachgoers that afternoon. A low tide and wind-driven waves disguised the signs of receding water, so when the tsunami struck, it caught even lifeguards by surprise. That contributed to the death toll of more than 600 persons in Java, Indonesia.

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A long-term Georgia Institute of Technology study continues to validate the effectiveness of Georgia's vehicle emissions inspection program in 13 metro Atlanta counties that are part of a federal ozone level non-attainment area.

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A tiny single-celled organism that plays a key role in the carbon cycle of cold-water oceans may be a lot smarter than scientists had suspected.

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Companies associated with Georgia Tech's science and technology incubator have raised more than a billion dollars in venture capital since 1999 "“ and in 2006 accounted for 10 of the top 25 venture deals in Georgia, including the two largest.

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A research team composed of electrochemists and materials scientists from two continents has produced a new form of the industrially-important metal platinum: 24-facet nanocrystals whose catalytic activity per unit area can be as much as four times higher than existing commercial platinum catalysts.

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A new technique for creating films of barium titanate (BaTiO3) nanoparticles in a polymer matrix could allow fabrication of improved capacitors able to store twice as much energy as existing devices.

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Unique three-dimensional solar cells that capture nearly all of the light that strikes them could boost the efficiency of photovoltaic (PV) systems while reducing their size, weight and mechanical complexity.

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Researchers have demonstrated a prototype nanometer-scale generator that produces continuous direct-current electricity by harvesting mechanical energy from such environmental sources as ultrasonic waves, mechanical vibration or blood flow.

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Producing three-dimensional polymer line structures as small as 65 nanometers wide just became easier with new two-photon absorbing molecules that are sensitive to laser light at short wavelengths, allowing researchers to create them without highly sophisticated fabrication methods.

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Worldwide, more than one billion people lack access to an improved water source, such as a rainwater collection or dug well, and two billion still need access to basic sanitation facilities, such as a latrine. Local communities in the developing world and professional researchers are working to address these issues. Researchers recently presented their work toward this end at the annual AAAS meeting.

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The three-dimensional shells of tiny ocean creatures could provide the foundation for novel electronic devices, including gas sensors able to detect pollution faster and more efficiently than conventional devices.

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Researchers at the Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI) have patented a discovery that could significantly increase reliability and reduce cost in equipment that helps protect U.S. military aircraft from attack.

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By bending zinc oxide nanowires between two electrodes, researchers have taken advantage of the material's unique coupled semiconducting and piezoelectric properties to create a new class of electronic devices dubbed "nano-piezotronics."

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Researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology and Emory University have developed an easier and faster method to detect disease biomarkers in liquid samples using highly porous, micron-sized, silica beads that contain optical and magnetic nanoparticles.