Carle – John Rogers, a professor of materials science and engineering at Northwestern University, who continues his affiliation with Beckman’s 3D Micro- and Nanosystems Group, and Carle’s Dr. Charles Davies are developing the first-of-their-kind, non-invasive wireless sensors to determine health status and provide helpful predictive information to prevent disease. Rogers said the sensors resemble a child’s temporary tattoo but are virtually invisible after they attach to skin. Small but mighty, the sensors map variations in temperature and pressure across the body, at different locations simultaneously.

U of I News Bureau – New research, reported in the journal Nature Chemistry, will aid those hoping to find a way to convert excess carbon dioxide in the atmosphere into useful energy sources, said Prashant Jain, an associate professor of chemistry and member of the Nanoelectronics and Nanomaterials Group, who led the research. Scientists are one step closer to building a carbon-recycling system that can harvest solar energy to efficiently convert CO2 and water into liquid fuels. By optimizing many parts of the system, the researchers say, they can now drive two-electron chemical reactions, a substantial advance over one-electron reactions, which are energy inefficient.

U of I News Bureau – The future of electronic devices lies partly within the “internet of things”—the network of devices, vehicles, and appliances embedded within electronics to enable connectivity and data exchange. Illinois engineers, led by Xiuling Li, a professor of electrical and computer engineering and member of the Nanoelectronics and Nanomaterials Group, are helping realize this future by minimizing the size of one notoriously large element of integrated circuits used for wireless communication—the transformer.

U of I News Bureau – A new technique that uses tiny elastic balls filled with fluorescent nanoparticles aims to expand the understanding of the mechanical forces that exist between cells, researchers report. The research team—led by Ning Wang, a professor of mechanical science and engineering and a member of the Bioimaging Science and Technology Group—has demonstrated the quantification of 3D forces within cells living in petri dishes as well as live specimens. This research may unlock some of the mysteries related to embryonic development and cancer stem cells, i.e., tumor-repopulating cells.