Search by tag «Publication» 151 results

  • Scientists Use Lasers and Gold Particles to Turn Titanium Oxide Into Nanocomposite for Photocatalysts

    Oxides of different metals often serve as photocatalysts in various systems such as air purification, reactions of water decomposition and even in the production of self-cleaning surfaces for glass and mirrors. The physical-chemical properties of such materials can be improved by adding nanoparticles, which turn an ordinary oxide into a nanomaterial with new capabilities. To successfully perform this, however, it is necessary to understand the processes going on as a nanocomposite is being formed, and to be able to control them. ITMO University researchers together with their colleagues from France and the USA have demonstrated how a femtosecond laser can be used to tune the structure and nanocomposite properties for titanium dioxide films filled with gold nanoparticles. The paper was published in ACS The Journal of Physical Chemistry C. 

    12.05.2020

  • Optical “Nanomixer”: Scientists Propose New Method for Mixing Liquids

    Every now and then, scientists need to control the process of mixing liquids in vessels so small that the thinnest needle or even a hair won’t fit in there. At the same time, controlling the diffusion speed of molecules in the so-called microreactors is extremely important for the purposes of designing new drugs, conducting biological experiments and even diagnosing diseases fast enough. Scientists from ITMO University and their colleagues from the Czech Academy of Sciences proposed to solve this problem by using the energy of light. Their research has been published in Advanced Science.

    04.05.2020

  • Scientists Develop Light-emitting Composite Material Based on Perovskite Nanocrystals with Air- and Water Resistant Optical Characteristics

    An international team of scientists including researchers from ITMO University has developed a new composite material based on perovskite nanocrystals to fabricate miniature light sources with improved performance. Protection of perovskite nanocrystals within porous glass microspheres made it possible to increase their stability by almost 3 times. Moreover, the subsequent coating of these particles with polymers resulted in the fabrication of water-dispersible luminescent microspheres based on CsPbBr3 nanocrystals. This method of fabrication is especially important for the implementation of perovskite nanocrystals in diverse biological applications. The results have been published in ChemNanoMat.

    29.04.2020

  • Russian and Dutch Researchers on What’s Holding Back a Revolution in Data Storage

    Almost all of us store data on cloud services and use social networks. Some know that servers hosting that data occupy whole buildings and require significant resources to maintain. The world’s best researchers are at work trying to make data hosting more affordable, secure and user-friendly, but no revolutionizing changes have happened so far. Recently, Alexandra Kalashnikova, a physicist at the Ioffe Institute and ITMO University, along with colleagues from Radboud University Nijmegen (the Netherlands) and the Prokhorov General Physics Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences have published a paper in Physics Reports. In the article, researchers explain why the industry hasn’t yet begun recording data on HDDs with lasers, or dropped disk drives altogether. Alexandra told ITMO.NEWS more about the paper. 

    16.04.2020

  • Researchers Demonstrate a Platform for Future Optical Transistors

    Leading research groups in the field of nanophotonics are working toward developing optical transistors –  key components for future optical computers. These devices will process information with photons instead of electrons, thus reducing the heat and increasing the operation speed. However, photons do not interact with each other well, which creates a big problem for microelectronics engineers. A group of researchers from ITMO University, together with colleagues, have come up with a new solution to this problem by creating a planar system where photons couple to other particles, which enables them to interact with each other. The principle demonstrated in their experiment can provide a platform for developing future optical transistors. The results of their work are published in Light: Science & Applications.

    13.04.2020

  • Scientists from ITMO and S.N. Fyodorov Eye Microsurgery Complex Have Developed and Introduced New Laser Method for Cataract Surgery

    Cataract is among the most widespread eye diseases. According to WHO, up to a third of all visual impairments have to do with cataract. The treatment methods are well-known but can sometimes be traumatizing. Scientists from ITMO and the S.N. Fyodorov Eye Microsurgery Complex spent over 20 years working on reducing the side effects of cataract surgery. As a result, they came up with a technology where a laser is used both to destroy the clouded eye lens and to stimulate the regeneration of adjacent tissue. The researchers gave a detailed description of their method in an article that has been recently published in Optical and Quantum Electronics.

    08.04.2020

  • Russian Scientists Propose New Approach to Measuring Atoms

    Today, when new drugs are designed with the help of supercomputers, and electronic devices operate on a nanoscale, it is very important for scientists to understand how neighboring molecules behave towards each other. For this purpose, they need to know the sizes of atoms with the highest degree of precision. Modern quantum chemistry methods can be of help here, but the answers they offer are either not accurate enough or take months of work to produce. Scientists from ITMO University and their colleagues from the Russian Academy of Science proposed a new method of statistical analysis of intermolecular interactions and sizes of atoms. Their research made the front page of the ChemPhysChem journal.

    24.03.2020

  • It’s All about Carboneum: How Carbon-Based Materials Help Create Efficient and Safe Solar Cells

    Solar cells have already become a symbol of modern technologies and fight for the environment. At the same time, the solar power industry is always on the go: manufacturers strive to improve the efficiency of their devices, and scientists and engineers look for ways to produce solar cells that wouldn’t require highly toxic materials. One of such methods has to do with using nanostructures made of carbon, a safe, affordable and reliable material, for producing solar cells’ supplementary layers. A team of scientists that included researchers from ITMO university has recently published a review on the recent advances in this field. ITMO.NEWS spoke to one of its authors, ITMO’s senior researcher Aleksandr Litvin, and learned how carbon helps make solar cells safer and more efficient.

    23.03.2020

  • Researchers Suggest Using Blockchain to Boost Self-Driving Cars’ Security

    Scientists from ITMO’s Faculty of Secure Information Technologies have suggested applying blockchain technology to monitoring road traffic. Their algorithm will make it possible for driverless cars to create unalterable activity logs to document any road accident they detect. The accidents will be kept in databases to identify potential “black spots”. The project was showcased at the International Conference on Information Networking 2020 (ICOIN 2020) in Barcelona and is published in the SCOPUS-indexed proceedings of the Conference. 

    03.03.2020

  • Scientists Develop Algorithm for Researching Evolutionary History of Species with Whole-genome Duplications

    An international team of scientists created an algorithm for studying the evolutionary history of species with whole-genome duplications, chiefly yeast and plants. The program can be used to analyze the genetic information about these species and make conclusions on how whole-genome duplication took place and why it secured a foothold in the process of evolution. The article was published in Oxford Bioinformatics, one of the leading titles in the field of Computer Science.

    27.02.2020