A breakthrough in growing long single-walled carbon nanotubes (CNTs) with direct electrical contact and exceptional conductivity.

      Microwave impedance microscopy (MIM) is an emerging scanning probe technique that enables non-contact, nanoscale measurement of local complex permittivity. By integrating an ultrasensitive, phase-resolved microwave sensor with a near-field probe, MIM has made significant contributions to diverse fundamental and applied fields. These include strongly correlated and topological materials, two-dimensional and biological systems, as well as semiconductor, acoustic, and MEMS devices. Concurrently, notable progress has been made in refining the MIM technique itself and broadening its capabilities. However, existing literature has focused exclusively on linear MIM based on homodyne architectures, where reflected or transmitted microwave is demodulated and detected at the incident frequency. As such, linear MIM lacks the ability to probe local electrical nonlinearity, which is widely present, for example, in dielectrics, semiconductors, and superconductors. Elucidating such nonlinearity with nanoscale spatial resolution would provide critical insights into semiconductor processing and diagnostics as well as fundamental phenomena like local symmetry breaking and phase separation.       To address this shortcoming, UC Berkeley researchers have introduced a novel methodology and apparatus for performing multi-harmonic MIM to locally probe electrical nonlinearities at the nanoscale. The technique achieves unprecedented spatial and spectral resolution in characterizing complex materials. It encompasses both hardware configurations enabling multi-harmonic data acquisition and the theoretical and calibration protocols to transform raw signals into accurate measures of intrinsic nonlinear permittivity and conductivity. The advance extends existing linear MIM into the nonlinear domain, providing a powerful, versatile, and minimally invasive tool for semiconductor diagnostics, materials research, and device development.

Researchers at the University of California, Davis have developed a technology that introduces a novel approach to hardware security using photonic physically unclonable functions for true random number generation and biometric ID.

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Researchers at the University of California, Davis have developed an optical lens module that uses a metalens or a metalens array having a controllable angular field-of-view.

      Biologics are antibodies produced by genetically engineered cells and are widely used in therapeutic applications. Examples include pembrolizumab (Keytruda) and atezolizumab (Tecentriq), both employed in cancer immunotherapy as checkpoint inhibitors to restore T- cell immune responses against tumor cells. These biologics are produced by engineered cells in bioreactors in a process that is highly sensitive to the bioreactor environment, making it essential to integrate process analytical technologies (PAT) for closed-loop, real-time adjustments. Recent trends have focused on leveraging integrated circuit (IC) solutions for system miniaturization and enhanced functionality, for example enabling a single IC that monitors O2, pH, oxidation-reduction potential (ORP), temperature, and glucose levels. However, no current technology can directly and continuously quantify the concentration and quality of the produced biologics in real-time within the bioreactor. Such critical measurements still rely on off-line methods such as immunoassays and mass spectrometry, which are time-consuming and not suitable for real- time process control.       UC Berkeley researchers have developed a microsystem for real-time, in-vivo monitoring of antibody therapeutics using structure-switching aptamers by employing an integrator-based readout front-end. This approach effectively addresses the challenge of a 100× reduction in signal levels compared to the measurement of small-molecule drugs in prior works. The microsystem is also uniquely suited to the emerging paradigm of “living pharmacies.” In living pharmacies, drug-producing cells will be hosted on implantable devices, and real-time monitoring of drug production/diffusion rates based on an individual’s pharmokinetics will be crucial.

Researchers at UC Irvine have developed a novel system leveraging dielectrophoresis through nanoelectrodes for precise manipulation of nano-scale polarizable objects.

      Quantum sensing is rapidly reshaping our ability to discern chemical processes with high sensitivity and spatial resolution. Many quantum sensors are based on nitrogen-vacancy (NV) centers in diamond, with nanodiamonds (NDs) providing a promising approach to chemical quantum sensing compared to single crystals for benefits in cost, deployability, and facile integration with the analyte. However, high-precision chemical quantum sensing suffers from large statistical errors from particle heterogeneity, fluorescence fluctuations related to particle orientation, and other unresolved challenges.      To overcome these obstacles, UC Berkeley researchers have developed a novel microfluidic chemical quantum sensing device capable of high-precision, background-free quantum sensing at high-throughput. The microfluidic device solves problems with heterogeneity while simultaneously ensuring close interaction with the analyte. The device further yields exceptional measurement stability, which has been demonstrated over >103s measurement and across ~105 droplets.  Greatly surpassing the stability seen in conventional quantum sensing experiments, these properties are also resistant to experimental variations and temperature shifts. Finally, the required ND sensor volumes are minuscule, costing only about $0.63 for an hour of analysis. 

Researchers at the University of California, Davis have developed a device for multi-dimensional data extraction at the molecular level to allow one to simultaneously detect the presence of a single-molecule electrically, and to extract a chemical fingerprint to identify that molecule optically.

Researchers at the University of California, Davis have developed layered 2D MoS2 nanostructures that have their light-interactive properties improved by intercalation with transition and post-transition metal atoms, specifically Copper and Tin.

Researchers at the University of California, Davis have developed an approach to improve drug delivery to tumors and metastases in the brain. Their multi-barrier tackling delivery strategy has worked to efficiently impact brain tumor management while also achieving increased survival times in anti-cancer efficacy.

Plant viral nanoparticles (plant VNPs) are promising biogenetic nanosystems for the delivery of therapeutic, immunotherapeutic, and diagnostic agents. The production of plant VNPs is simple and highly scalable through molecular farming in plants. Some of the important advances in VNP nanotechnology include genetic modification, disassembly/reassembly, and bioconjugation. Although effective, these methods often involve complex and time-consuming multi-step protocols.

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Researchers at the University of California, Irvine have developed a guided electrokinetic assembly technique that utilizes dielectrophoretic and electroosmotic forces for micro- and nanomanufacturing. This technique provides a new way for assembling microelectronics and living cells for tissue engineering applications.

UCLA researchers have developed a novel algorithm that can be used to design unique self-assembled molecules and nanostructures.

Nanoscale multipoint structure-function analysis is essential for deciphering the complexity of multiscale physical and biological systems. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) allows nanoscale structure-function imaging in various operating environments and can be integrated seamlessly with disparate probe-based sensing and manipulation technologies. However, conventional AFMs only permit sequential single-point analysis. Widespread adoption of array AFMs for simultaneous multi-point study is still challenging due to the intrinsic limitations of existing technological approaches.

Microfluidic devices have long been touted as a powerful analytical tool with which to characterize a wide range of analytes, including particles, and cells. Despite the apparent convenience of microfluidic technologies for applications in healthcare, such devices often rely on capital-intensive optics and other peripheral equipment that limit throughput, perhaps because the majority of microfluidic devices operate using optics-based principles, which typically require high-speed or sensitive cameras, sophisticated confocal microscopes, vibration isolation tables, and laser excitation systems.

UCLA researchers in the Department of Electrical Engineering have developed a high-responsivity photodetector that utilizes metallo-graphene nanocomposites for superior detection of infrared wavelengths.

UCLA researchers in the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering have developed a novel device for high-throughput label-free analysis of cells.

Researchers at UCI have developed a fully integrated sample mount for the simultaneous high-resolution imaging and electronic and optical characterization of thin film devices.

UCLA researchers in the Departments of Pediatrics and Chemistry & Biochemistry have developed a microfluidic device for delivery of biomolecules into living cells using mechanical deformation, without the fouling issues in current systems.