The Nanoengineering Laboratory works across the technical areas of nanotechnology, instrumentation, materials science, thermal transport, and micro- and nano-manufacturing. We take a broad view towards aligning our work across the domains of science, technology, and commerce. Researchers join the Nanoengineering Laboratory to develop their skills for understanding scientific fundamentals, advancing the state of the art technology, and seeking translational impact.
Illinois researchers develop heat switch for electronics
Researchers at Dr. King’s group have developed a new technology for switching heat flows ‘on’ or ‘off’. The findings were published in the article “Millimeter-scale liquid metal droplet thermal switch,” which appeared in Applied Physics Letters. Paper available here.
Pyroelectric electron emission paper is No. 1 download in Applied Physics Letters
Applied Physics Letters has featured a paper by Professor William P. King and Patrick C. Fletcher, formerly of King’s research group, as the most downloaded paper on the site over the past four months. This paper is based on Dr. Fletcher’s work on electron emission using the pyroelectric effect from 30 nm thick films of PbZrxTi1-xO3 (PZT).
University of Illinois researchers measure near-field behavior of semiconductor plasmonic microparticles
Researchers at Dr. King’s group have measured nanometer-scale infrared absorption in semiconductor plasmonic microparticles using a technique that combines atomic force microscopy with infrared spectroscopy. The ability to directly measure the plasmonic behavior within individual microparticles will allow researchers to design and test more complex optical materials. Paper available here.
Small in size, big on power: New microbatteries a boost for electronics
Researchers at Dr. King’s group have developed fast charging microbatteries with very high power and energy densities via 3D microstructured electrodes and novel battery chemistry. Paper available here.
University of Illinois researchers develop novel technique for chemical identification at the nanometer scale
Researchers in Dr. King’s group measured the chemical properties of polymer nanostructures as small as 15 nm using a novel technique called atomic force microscope infrared spectroscopy (AFM-IR). Paper available here.
Nanometer-scale diamond tips improve nano-manufacturing
Researchers at the University of Illinois, University of Pennsylvania, and Advanced Diamond Technologies Inc., have created a new type of nano-tip made entirely out of diamond. The tip can be used for nanometer-scale thermal processing, and it is extremely resistant to wear and contamination. Paper available here.
