Materials

Electroluminescence is the phenomenon where light is emitted from a material in response to an electric current or field. This differs from incandescence, which is the emission of light due to heat; this is how conventional (non-fluorescent) light bulbs work. Light emitting diodes (LED) are actually a type of semiconductor that uses electroluminescence to generate light.

Nanoscience as a field of study is rapidly changing, despite only being around since the mid to late-twentieth century. But, as scientists and engineers have been working on their ultra-small scale matter, nature has been perfecting nanomaterials over the millennia.

Picture a camera lens that is one-thousandth the width of a strand of human hair or credit card. Scientists at the Australian National University (ANU), led by Dr. Lu of the NEMS (Nano-Electro-Mechanical System) Laboratory, have been working to make this a reality. They have developed the world’s sleekest and thinnest lens with a thickness of just 6.3 nanometers. This is especially impressive when compared to earlier prototypes which had a thickness of 50 nanometers.

Implantable microelectromechanical systems (iMEMS) have a number of exciting applications for medicine in the future, including the delivery of drugs to treat certain localized cancers.

The domestic application of organic electronics is becoming more of a reality thanks to advances in powering these devices, which use organic semiconductors to create a new age of circuit and display technology.