The Molecular Foundry is a Department of Energy-funded program providing support to researchers from around the world whose work can benefit from or contribute to nanoscience. Through unparalleled access to state-of-the-art instruments, materials, technical expertise and training, the Foundry provides researchers with the tools to enhance the development and understanding of the synthesis, characterization and theory of nanoscale materials.
Just like electronics, living cells use electrons for energy and information transfer. Despite electrons being a common "language" of the living and electronic worlds, living cells cannot speak to our largely technological realm. Cell membranes are largely to blame for this inability to plug cells into our computers: they form a greasy barrier that tightly controls charge balance in a cell. Thus, giving a cell the ability to communicate directly with an electrode would lead to enormous opportunities in the development of new energy conversion techniques, fuel production, biological reporters, or new forms of bioelectronic systems. More>
Scientists Develop a New Nanotech Tool to Probe Solar-Energy Conversion
Foundry Scientists have developed a new microscopy tool that promises to revolutionize nanoscale imaging by combining the advantages of scanning probe microscopy with those of optical spectroscopy in the campanile tip. More>
Smart Windows: Behind the Scenes
A multi-disciplinary team at Berkeley Lab is working on creating smart windows technology to improve energy efficiency. In the latest Behind the Scenes at Berkeley Lab video, Delia Milliron, Howdy Goudey, and Andre Anders give us a clearer view of the components needed for progress in the field.
Beam Me Out, Scotty: Making an Improved Holographic Lab on a Chip Spectrometer
Lab on a chip (LOC) devices - microchip-size systems that can prepare and analyze tiny fluid samples with volumes ranging from a few microliters to sub-nanoliters - are rapidly revolutionizing how laboratory tasks such as diagnosing diseases and investigating forensic evidence are performed. More importantly, LOC applications are transforming chemical analysis systems from large, immobile machines in a "brick-and-mortar" laboratory into tiny, portable instruments that can be put to work directly in the field. More>