Computer chips, composed of silicon (Si) semiconductors, store and transmit information as electrons.  The negative charge on electrons, however, hinders the speed with which information can be t...
Learn More

Internal combustion engines are a major contributor to atmospheric pollution, emitting carbon oxides, nitrogen oxides and sulfur oxides.  Federally mandated emission regulations effective in 2010...
Learn More

Systems based on terahertz (THz) radiation technology show promise for communication and imaging applications.  These systems can penetrate through many materials and are sensitive enough to reso...
Learn More

Because potential biological attacks against civilian populations have become an important issue for homeland security, practical and efficient biosensors are needed. However, no currently available b...
Learn More

Most schemes for detecting toxins or other chemicals are based on complex electronic, photonic and/or electrochemical methods, or on more elegant biomolecular methods, such as ELISA (Enzyme-Linked Imm...
Learn More

Sensors currently used for detecting the presence of a given analyte, such as a toxin, in solution or in air require direct contact with a power supply. Distributed sensing systems or “sensor ne...
Learn More

Liquid crystals have been widely explored for applications such as display and sensing technologies. Lyotropic liquid crystals, which become more ordered as they become more concentrated within a solv...
Learn More

Although knowing gas composition and temperature in an engine combustion cylinder is important for engine research and development, current methods for obtaining this information are qualitative and i...
Learn More

A UW-Madison researcher previously developed an inexpensive, real-time wireless microsensor for detecting biological agents in water supply networks and other aqueous environments, such as the milk su...
Learn More

Compact, electrically actuated valves may be used in applications ranging from drug delivery to metering cryogenic gases in cooling systems for space missions.  Such valves must be highly reliabl...
Learn More

Quantum-entanglement is a phenomenon in which the quantum states of two objects become correlated and remain correlated, even when the objects are physically separated from each other. Quantum-entangl...
Learn More

Microfluidic devices have been proven useful for exploring a variety of biological questions, such as how cell-derived soluble signaling affects cellular processes. Passive pumping is a common method ...
Learn More

Skin cancer detection is typically identified via standard visual inspection. Skin patches with asymmetrical outlines, irregular borders, mottled color or a diameter greater than six millimeters are a...
Learn More

Cell motility and migration are involved in a range of biological processes, from embryo development to cancer metastasis. Although many methods have been developed to study cell movement, current tec...
Learn More

Although there are several techniques for pumping fluid through the channels of microfluidic devices, almost all of these methods require expensive or complicated external equipment. UW-Madison resear...
Learn More

Multi-wavelength fiber lasers provide cost-effective and versatile light sources for applications including high-speed optical communication systems, optical fiber sensors and time- and frequency-reso...
Learn More