Background: This insect trapping surface is embedded with microscopic hooks of various sizes that will trap bed bugs (Cimex lectularius) by impaling their legs. Despite aggressive pest control efforts bed bug infestation rates have dramatically increased since the 1980s and infestations are particularly difficult to control in densely populated urban areas. Available bed bug control techniques involve localized insecticide fumigation or introducing a fungus (Beauveria bassiana) lethal to the bed bug.

This technology has created a novel design that incorporates unipolar barriers (barriers that block either electrons or holes separately) in a PN or PIN junction diode. It uses appropriately placed barriers for electrons and holes so that the majority of the sources of noise are suppressed while maintaining a large useful photocurrent signal.

Background: This insect trapping surface is embedded with microscopic hooks of various sizes that will trap bed bugs (Cimex lectularius) by impaling their legs. Despite aggressive pest control efforts bed bug infestation rates have dramatically increased since the 1980s and infestations are particularly difficult to control in densely populated urban areas. Available bed bug control techniques involve localized insecticide fumigation or introducing a fungus (Beauveria bassiana) lethal to the bed bug.

Background: Researchers in Prof. Krishna Saraswat’s laboratory have developed a low-cost efficient solar cell using specific classes of oxides in an interfacial layer of metal insulator semiconductor contacts. The technology identifies two classes of materials that can be used to selectively block either electrons or holes and improve open circuit voltage with low contact resistance.

High-barrier packaging is of interest to those packaging products in the food pharmaceutical medical chemical and cosmetics industries. It is required to protect packaged products from the infiltration of unwanted gases water vapor and flavors. High-barrier films are usually achieved by co-extrusion lamination coating and layering of polymer films. However problems such as de-lamination and migration can limit the effectiveness and/or robustness of these barrier films eventually compromising the barrier characteristics of the packaging.

Northwestern researchers have developed a new technology that improves bulk-heterojunction (BHJ) organic photovoltaic (OPV) cells. They designed a new interfacial hole transport/electron-blocking layer for BHJ OPV cells. This layer improves upon the commonly used PEDOT:PSS layer and significantly improves the performance of P3HT:PCBM BHJ solar cells. Recently the same researchers presented a novel interfacial layer (IFL) consisting of a TFB: TPDSi2 which significantly improves BHJ solar cell devices on multiple fronts.

Applications: 1) Uniformed sized nanocrystals are used in preventative or therapeutic products and formulations such as sunscreens suntan lotions and sunblocks. 2) The nanocrystals also may have magnetic properties which enhance their use in magnetic recording media and read and write heads. 3) Nanocrystals can be used in the area of electrical field deposition technology for thin films and in laser technology for use in laser materials. 4) The grain size of the nanocrystal allows the material to have a tunable bandgap energy which gives rise to tunable optical properties.

Background: Anti-reflection coatings are used to improve light gathering in solar cells. The most common coating currently in use is made from hydrogenated silicon nitride. This coating develops a positive charge because of the charge on a silicon-nitrogen dangling bond known as K centers. This charge creates a barrier layer that reduces surface recombination in the cell when n-type silicon is on the front side. However when p-type silicon is used on the front side or when anti-reflective coating is used on the back side of a cell with p-type silicon the coating causes parasitic shunting.

Background: A significant part of past work on artificial nanomotors involves catalytic nanowire motors that self-propel in the presence of a specific fuel e.g. hydrogen peroxide. However many applications of nanomachines require elimination of the fuel requirement. Technology Description: UC San Diego researchers have developed fuel-free nanomotors based on multi-segment nanowires and electric or magnetic control. Both nanomotor types are prepared using simple and scalable sequential template electrodeposition protocols.

The University of Florida is seeking companies interested in commercializing a device for easily and inexpensively fabricating better-performing graphene-based metal diffusion barriers commonly used in electronics including light-emitting diodes (LEDs). The new technology could overcome reliability issues that affect the market for LEDs expected to reach $18 billion by 2015. A diffusion barrier is a thin layer of material usually micrometers thick placed between two metals to protect them from contaminations or reactions.