Seeing in color at the nanoscale: Scientists develop a new nanotech tool to probe solar-energy conversion

ScienceDaily (Dec. 6, 2012) ? If nanoscience were television, we'd be in the 1950s. Although scientists can make and manipulate nanoscale objects with increasingly awesome control, they are limited to black-and-white imagery for examining those objects. Information about nanoscale chemistry and interactions with light -- the atomic-microscopy equivalent to color -- is tantalizingly out of reach to all but the most persistent researchers.

But that may all change with the introduction of a new microscopy tool from researchers at the Department of Energy (DOE)'s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) that delivers exquisite chemical details with a resolution once thought impossible. The team developed their tool to investigate solar-to-electric energy conversion at its most fundamental level, but their invention promises to reveal new worlds of data to researchers in all walks of nanoscience.

"We've found a way to combine the advantages of scan/probe microscopy with the advantages of optical spectroscopy," says Alex Weber-Bargioni, a scientist at the Molecular Foundry, a DOE nanoscience center at Berkeley Lab. "Now we have a means to actually look at chemical and optical processes on the nanoscale where they are happening."

Weber-Bargioni is corresponding author of a paper reporting this research, published in Science. The paper is titled, "Mapping local charge recombination heterogeneity by multidimensional nanospectroscopic imaging." Co-authoring the paper are Wei Bao, Mauro Meli, Frank Ogletree, Shaul Aloni, Jeffrey Bokor, Stephano Cabrini, Miquel Salmeron, Eli Yablonovitch, and James Schuck of Berkeley Lab; Marco Staffaroni of the University of California, Berkeley; Hyuck Choo of Caltech; and their colleagues in Italy, Niccolo Caselli, Francesco Riboli, Diederik Wiersma, and Francesca Intoni.

"If you want to characterize materials, particularly nanomaterials, the way it's traditionally been done is with electron microscopies and scan/probe microscopies because those give you really high, sub-atomic spatial resolution," says co-author James Schuck, a nano-optics researcher at the Molecular Foundry. "Unfortunately, what they don't give you is chemical, molecular-level information."

For chemical information, researchers typically turn to optical or vibrational spectroscopy. The way a material interacts with light is dictated to large part by its chemical composition, but for nanoscience the problem with doing optical spectroscopy at relevant scales is the diffraction limit, which says you can't focus light down to a spot smaller than approximately half its wavelength, due to the wave-nature of light.

To get around the diffraction limit, scientists employ "near-field" light. Unlike the light we can see, near-field light decays exponentially away from an object, making it hard to measure, but it contains very high resolution -- much higher than normal, far-field light.

Says Schuck, "The real challenge to near-field optics, and one of the big achievements in this paper, is to create a device that acts as a transducer of far-field light to near-field light. We can squeeze it down and get very enhanced local fields that can interact with matter. We can then collect any photons that are scattered or emitted due to this interaction, collect in the near field with all this spatial frequency information and turn it back into propagating, far-field light."

The trick for that conversion is to use surface plasmons: collective oscillations of electrons that can interact with photons. Plasmons on two surfaces separated by a small gap can collect and amplify the optical field in the gap, making a stronger signal for scientists to measure.

Researchers have exploited these effects to make near-field probes with a variety of geometries, but the experiments typically require painstaking optical alignment, suffer from background noise, only work for narrow frequency ranges of light and are limited to very thin samples.

In this latest work, however, the Berkeley Lab researchers transcended these limitations with a cleverly designed near-field probe. Fabricated on the end of an optical fiber, the probe has a tapered, four-sided tip. The researchers named their new tool after the campanile church tower it resembles, inspired by the landmark clock tower on the UC Berkeley campus. Two of the campanile's sides are coated with gold and the two gold layers are separated by just a few nanometers at the tip. The three-dimensional taper enables the device to channel light of all wavelengths down into an enhanced field at the tip. The size of the gap determines the resolution.

In a regular atomic force microscope (AFM), a sharp metal tip is essentially dragged across a sample to generate a topological map with sub-nanoscale resolution. The results can be exquisite but only contain spatial information and nothing about the composition or chemistry of the sample.

Replacing the usual AFM tip with a campanile tip is like going from black-and-white to full color. You can still get the spatial map but now there's a wealth of optical data for every pixel on that map. From optical spectra, scientists can identify atom and molecule species, and extract details about electronic structure.

"That's the beauty of these tips," says Schuck. "You can just put them on the end of an optical fiber and then it's just like using a regular AFM. You don't have to be a super near-field jock anymore to get this type of data."

The team developed their new tool to study indium-phosphide nanowires. These nanowires, with the nearly ideal band gap of 1.4 electron-volts, are well-suited to converting solar energy to electricity. The researchers found that the nanowires were not the homogeneous objects previously thought, but instead had varying optoelectronic properties along their length, which could radically alter how sunlight is converted to electricity. They also found that photoluminescence, an indication of the relationship between light and electricity, was seven-times stronger in some parts of a nanowire than others. This is the first time anyone has measured these events on such a small scale.

Weber-Bargioni says: "Details like this about indium-phosphide nanowires are important because if you want to use these suckers for photocatalysis or a photovoltaic material then the length scale at which we're measuring is where everything happens. This information is really important to understand how, for example, the fabrication and surface treatment of nanowires influences these charge recombination velocities. These determine how efficiently a solar device can convert photons into usable electrons."

Adds Schuck: "We realized that this is really the optimal way to do any kind of optical experiment one might want to do at the nano scale. So we use it for imaging and spectroscopy but we anticipate many other uses also."

This research was supported by the DOE Office of Science.

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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by DOE/Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. The original article was written by Alison Hatt.

Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.


Journal Reference:

  1. Wei Bao, M. Melli, N. Caselli, F. Riboli, D. S. Wiersma, M. Staffaroni, H. Choo, D. F. Ogletree, S. Aloni, J. Bokor, S. Cabrini, F. Intonti, M. B. Salmeron, E. Yablonovitch, P. J. Schuck, A. Weber-Bargioni. Mapping local charge recombination heterogeneity by multidimensional nanospectroscopic imaging. Science, December 7, 2012 DOI: 10.1126/science.1227977

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Disclaimer: Views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/top_technology/~3/OhX5q6TMmHI/121206153640.htm

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Woman thanks NY cop with $1K, but he can't keep it

GUILDERLAND, N.Y. (AP) ? New York State Police are trying to find the woman who handed an on-duty trooper a holiday card with $1,000 cash inside.

Under New York law, members of the state police can't accept such gifts.

So state police officials are seeking the public's help in finding the woman who gave the money to Trooper Christopher Maniscalco in the Albany suburb of Guilderland on Sunday. They say they want the woman to tell them where she would like the donation to go.

Police say the woman told Maniscalco she had seen him doing a good job and wanted to say Merry Christmas and thank you. Officials say it wasn't until after his shift ended that the trooper opened the card and saw the money.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/aa9398e6757a46fa93ed5dea7bd3729e/Article_2012-12-05-Trooper-Cash%20Gift/id-f6359346cbee48eca5721ea42ce2d23d

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S?bastien Le Toux officially re-introduced as a Philadelphia Union player

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Toyota sees Japan sales dropping 20 percent in 2013: media

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Best of food and drink this week | canada.com

?A round-up of some of our favourite recipes and food-related features this week including an interview with Bee Wilson about her new book ?Consider the Fork,? and recipes for holiday cookies, latkes and the Christmas Cure All cocktail.

Spice cookies and rugelach

Photograph by Elzbieta Sekowska, Fotolia.com

Photograph by Elzbieta Sekowska, Fotolia.com

The Festival of Lights begins at sundown Saturday and ends on December 16.?Make Spice Cookies from ?Jerusalem: A Cookbook? and Rugelach from ?The Epicurious Cookbook? to serve during the eight-day Hanukkah celebration.

Latkes and more latkes

Southwestern Latkes with Chipotle Yogurt

Southwestern Latkes with Chipotle Yogurt (Photo: Matthew Mead, AP)

Hanukkah Hash Patties (Leftover Brisket Latkes)

Hanukkah Hash Patties (Leftover Brisket Latkes, Photo: Matthew Mead, AP)

As Susan Schwartz of The Gazette writes, ?Hanukkah wouldn?t be Hanukkah for many of us without crispy latkes.? We have two options for you: Southwestern Latkes with Chipotle Yogurt and Leftover Brisket Latkes.

12 Days of Holiday Cookies

12 Days of Holiday Cookies

Photos: Matthew Mead, AP

Our 12 Days of Holiday Cookies series continues with recipes for Apricot Clove Crumb Bars, Fennel Cornmeal Wafers, Tangerine-Mace Shortbread, Nutmeg Nut Bars, and Lemon Paprika Bars.

?Consider the Fork?: uncovering the hidden history of the?kitchen

"Consider the Fork" by Bee Wilson

?Consider the Fork? by Bee Wilson (Photo: Basic Books/Jay Williams)

Food writer, historian and passionate home cook Bee Wilson doesn?t need time to consider what her favourite kitchen implement is; it?s the potato ricer. She explains that there are tools we love because they have sentimental value and tools we love because of the results we achieve with them. We chat with Wilson about the history of how we cook and eat, and her latest book, ?Consider the Fork? (Basic Books, 2012).

Ingredient of the week: blood oranges

Blood oranges

Blood oranges (Photo: Claude Calcagno/Fotolia.com)

We?ve put together a collection of recipes featuring the sanguine citrus fruit including Blood Orange Sorbet, Blood Orange Cornish Game Hens, and a Sardinian Blood Orange Mojito.

Seasonal Sips: Christmas Cure All

Christmas Cure All

Christmas Cure All (Photo: CHARCUT Roast House)

Kick of the holiday party season with a warming Cure All cocktail. Rebecca Davis, head bartender at Calgary?s CHARCUT Roast House, developed the cognac and tea-based recipe.

And to finish, some tasty inspiration from the blog world:

Hanukkah Day 2 - Sufganiyot (How to make Hanukkah Donuts)

- How to make Sufganiyot (Hanukkah jelly doughnuts)
- 8 Oil-Fried Foods for Hanukkah from Food52
- Sufganiyot from Pratos e Travessas
- Gingerbread Bundt Cake with Coffee Glaze from Sprinkle Bakes
- Hot mulled wine from David Lebovitz

Source: http://o.canada.com/2012/12/07/best-of-food-and-drink-this-week-29/

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"Migraines in the middle of the night": Migraines & Headaches ...

The dating scene can sometimes be considered a daunting experience especially for those who be a part of it for the first time. For these kinds of persons or for more knowledgeable persons, Umberto Tassoni provides some suggestions for becoming successful. Umberto Tassoni is experienced in relationship management and offers some really useful experience into developing effective dating techniques.

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UNH gets $900000 funding for infant heart disease study

UNH gets $900,000 funding for infant heart disease study. Source: http://www.seacoastonline.com/articles/20121202-LIFE-212020317. According to McClain, two babies of every 1,000 born in the country have a critical congenital heart defect that isn't ?
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Former Vice President Dick Cheney working on book about heart disease and ?

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Stem Cells Fighting Against Heart Disease

(Ivanhoe Newswire) ? About 600,000 people die of heart disease in the United States every year, that's 1 in every 4 deaths. It is the leading cause of death for both men and women. Researchers are now working on a new patient-friendly and efficient way ?
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Largest coronary artery disease study shows evidence of link between ?

?This identifies a novel pathway for the prevention of heart disease and establishes molecules that can now be targeted for developing new therapies.? The Consortium spanning over 180 researchers from countries across Europe (UK, Germany, Iceland, ?
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Jingle Bell Walk And Run For Arthritis Foundation

Duluth, MN (NNCNOW.com) ? Hundreds of people tied jingle bells to their shoe laces and spent the morning outdoors walking and running to raise money for Arthritis. The sixth annual Arthritis Foundation's Jingle Bell walk and run kicked off at 9:00 A.M ?
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The Augmentations of Midnight Run.

Midnight Run

This is a cyberpunk RP set in 2112 about a group of working together to prevent a terrorist plot. That?s the starting point anyway, it?s cyberpunk so expect a of bit existential angst, jaded characters and augmentations.

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This topic is an Out Of Character part of the roleplay, ?Midnight Run?. Anything posted here will also show up there.

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--> Forum for completely Out of Character (OOC) discussion, based around whatever is happening In Character (IC). Discuss plans, storylines, and events; Recruit for your roleplaying game, or find a GM for your playergroup.
Here we can discuss ideas for augmentations and list ones that are allowing as part of the plot.

I reckon dividing Augmentations up into categories is the way to go.

Combat.

Espionage.

Other.

I?m not going to do anything foolish like say you can only have three but try to make character balanced.

All suggestions will be considered and I?ll be posting a few I?ve come up with.

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How old is a lobster? Check his eyestalk

The age of a lobster, or a crab or shrimp, can be determined by counting growth rings, as is done with trees. But scientists aren't sure yet how old a lobster can live to be.

By Clarke Canfield,?Associated Press / November 30, 2012

Scientists have now figured out that growth rings can be found in the eyestalk - a stalk with an eyeball on the end. Growth rings are also found in gastric mills - the teeth-like structures in their stomachs used to grind up food.

(AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty

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For the first time, scientists have figured out how to determine the age of a lobster ? by counting its rings, like a tree.

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Nobody knows how old lobsters can live to be; some people estimate they live to more than 100.

But knowing ? rather than simply guessing ? their age and that of other shellfish could help scientists better understand the population and assist regulators of the lucrative industry, said Raouf Kilada, a research associate at the University of New Brunswick who was the lead author of a scientific paper documenting the process.

Before now, scientists deduced a lobster's age judging by size and other variables. But it's now known that lobsters and other crustaceans, such as crabs and shrimp, grow one ring per year in hidden-away internal spots, Kilada said.

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"Having the age information for any commercial species will definitely improve the stock assessment and ensure sustainability," he said after presenting his findings Thursday at a scientific conference in Portland.

Scientists already could tell a fish's age by counting the growth rings found in a bony part of its inner ear, a shark's age from the rings in its vertebrae and a scallop or clam's age from the rings of its shell.

But crustaceans posed a problem because of the apparent absence of any permanent growth structures. It was thought that when lobsters and other crustaceans molt, they shed all calcified body parts that might record annual growth bands.

For their research, Kilada and five other Canadian researchers took a closer look at lobsters, snow crabs, northern shrimp and sculptured shrimp.

They found that growth rings, in fact, could be found in the eyestalk ? a stalk connected to the body with an eyeball on the end ? of lobsters, crabs and shrimp. In lobsters and crabs, the rings were also found in the so-called "gastric mills," parts of the stomach with three teeth-like structures used to grind up food.

To find the growth bands, the scientists dissected the eyestalks and the gastric mills, cut out sections and viewed them under microscopes.

Lobsters don't lose reproductive capabilities or organ functions or exhibit signs of aging as they get older, but nobody knows for sure how old they can live to be.

"We've thought lobsters could live to 100 years old, and this new aging technique will be a way to document that," said Bob Bayer, executive director of the University of Maine's Lobster Institute.

The paper was published in this month's Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences, a well-regarded peer-reviewed scientific journal based in Ottawa, Ontario, that has been published since 1901. Kilada's was one of more than 50 scientific presentations at the conference, attended by more than 100 lobster scientists from the U.S., Canada and Europe.

Bayer agreed that this is the first time scientists have a direct method to place an age on crustaceans.

"Right now we're just guessing at their age," he said.

Kilada said he saw lobster specimens that were 16 or 17 years old during his research. He estimates that there are lobsters 60 or 70 years old living in the wild.

Susan Waddy, a lobster researcher with Canada's Department of Fisheries and Oceans, said she has kept lobsters in her laboratory that are more than 30 years old. She suspects they live to be 40 or 50.

"We know they don't live forever," she said.

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Copyright 2012 The Associated Press.

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