Nanotechnology Now

Our NanoNews Digest Sponsors
Heifer International



Home > Press > Mining for gold with a computer: Texas A&M team gleans new insights on key material

These images show some of the physical characteristics of nanoporous gold at different magnifications.
CREDIT
Texas A&M University
These images show some of the physical characteristics of nanoporous gold at different magnifications. CREDIT Texas A&M University

Abstract:
Engineers from Texas A&M University and Virginia Tech report important new insights into nanoporous gold--a material with growing applications in several areas, including energy storage and biomedical devices--all without stepping into a lab.

Mining for gold with a computer: Texas A&M team gleans new insights on key material

College Station, TX | Posted on May 3rd, 2018

Instead of conducting any additional experiments, the team used image-analysis software developed in-house to "mine" the existing literature on nanoporous gold (NPG). Specifically, the software analyzed photographs of NPG from some 150 peer-reviewed papers, quickly measuring key features of the material that the researchers then correlated with written descriptions of how the samples were prepared. One of the results? A recipe, of sorts, for how to make NPG with specific characteristics.

"We were able to back out a quantitative law that explains how you can change NPG features by changing the processing times and temperatures," said Ian McCue, a postdoctoral researcher in the Texas A&M Department of Materials Science and Engineering. McCue is lead author of a paper on the work published online in the April 30 issue of Scientific Reports.

The team also identified a new parameter related to NPG that could be used to better tune the material for specific applications.

"Before our work, engineers knew of one tunable 'knob' for NPG. Now we have a second one that could give us even more control over the material's properties," said Josh Stuckner, a graduate student at Virginia Tech and co-author of the paper. Stuckner developed the software that allowed the new insights.

Other authors are Dr. Michael J. Demkowicz, associate professor in the materials science and engineering department at Texas A&M, and Dr. Mitsu Murayama, associate professor at Virginia Tech.

Nanoporous gold has been studied for some 15 years, but little is actually known about its physical characteristics and the limits of its tunability for specific applications, the team writes in Scientific Reports.

The material is a three-dimensional porous network of interweaving strands, or ligaments. Multiple ligaments, in turn, connect at points called nodes. All of these features are almost unimaginably small. Stuckner notes, for example, that some of the smaller pores would fit about three strands of DNA side by side. As a result, McCue said the overall structure is very complex and it's been extremely difficult and time-consuming to measure features like the lengths between nodes and the diameters of ligaments. But Stuckner's software has changed that.

"Manually it might take 20 minutes to over an hour to measure the features associated with one image," Stuckner said. "We can do it in a minute, or even just tell the computer to measure a whole slew of images while we walk away."

Earlier attempts to measure NPG features led to very small data sets of five or six data points. The Texas A&M/Virginia Tech team has looked at around 80 data points. That, in turn, allowed the team to create the new quantitative description of NPG features associated with different processing techniques. All that without doing any actual experiments, just clever data-mining and analysis, said McCue.

The work has also led to new publication guidelines for future researchers. Of the 2,000 papers the team originally analyzed, only 150 had useful information.

"We had to throw out a lot of data due to poor image quality or a lack of written information on how a given NPG was processed," McCue said. "The new guidelines could prevent that, ultimately allowing better data mining not only for NPG but for other materials."

####

For more information, please click here

Contacts:
Aubrey Bloom

830-377-8566

Copyright © Texas A&M University

If you have a comment, please Contact us.

Issuers of news releases, not 7th Wave, Inc. or Nanotechnology Now, are solely responsible for the accuracy of the content.

Bookmark:
Delicious Digg Newsvine Google Yahoo Reddit Magnoliacom Furl Facebook

Related News Press

News and information

New class of protein misfolding simulated in high definition: Evidence for recently identified and long-lasting type of protein misfolding bolstered by atomic-scale simulations and new experiments August 8th, 2025

Sensors innovations for smart lithium-based batteries: advancements, opportunities, and potential challenges August 8th, 2025

Deciphering local microstrain-induced optimization of asymmetric Fe single atomic sites for efficient oxygen reduction August 8th, 2025

Lab to industry: InSe wafer-scale breakthrough for future electronics August 8th, 2025

Govt.-Legislation/Regulation/Funding/Policy

New imaging approach transforms study of bacterial biofilms August 8th, 2025

INRS and ELI deepen strategic partnership to train the next generation in laser science:PhD students will benefit from international mobility and privileged access to cutting-edge infrastructure June 6th, 2025

Electrifying results shed light on graphene foam as a potential material for lab grown cartilage June 6th, 2025

Institute for Nanoscience hosts annual proposal planning meeting May 16th, 2025

Possible Futures

ICFO researchers overcome long-standing bottleneck in single photon detection with twisted 2D materials August 8th, 2025

New molecular technology targets tumors and simultaneously silences two ‘undruggable’ cancer genes August 8th, 2025

Simple algorithm paired with standard imaging tool could predict failure in lithium metal batteries August 8th, 2025

First real-time observation of two-dimensional melting process: Researchers at Mainz University unveil new insights into magnetic vortex structures August 8th, 2025

Discoveries

Deciphering local microstrain-induced optimization of asymmetric Fe single atomic sites for efficient oxygen reduction August 8th, 2025

ICFO researchers overcome long-standing bottleneck in single photon detection with twisted 2D materials August 8th, 2025

New molecular technology targets tumors and simultaneously silences two ‘undruggable’ cancer genes August 8th, 2025

Simple algorithm paired with standard imaging tool could predict failure in lithium metal batteries August 8th, 2025

Materials/Metamaterials/Magnetoresistance

First real-time observation of two-dimensional melting process: Researchers at Mainz University unveil new insights into magnetic vortex structures August 8th, 2025

Researchers unveil a groundbreaking clay-based solution to capture carbon dioxide and combat climate change June 6th, 2025

A 1960s idea inspires NBI researchers to study hitherto inaccessible quantum states June 6th, 2025

Institute for Nanoscience hosts annual proposal planning meeting May 16th, 2025

Announcements

Sensors innovations for smart lithium-based batteries: advancements, opportunities, and potential challenges August 8th, 2025

Deciphering local microstrain-induced optimization of asymmetric Fe single atomic sites for efficient oxygen reduction August 8th, 2025

Japan launches fully domestically produced quantum computer: Expo visitors to experience quantum computing firsthand August 8th, 2025

ICFO researchers overcome long-standing bottleneck in single photon detection with twisted 2D materials August 8th, 2025

Interviews/Book Reviews/Essays/Reports/Podcasts/Journals/White papers/Posters

New molecular technology targets tumors and simultaneously silences two ‘undruggable’ cancer genes August 8th, 2025

Simple algorithm paired with standard imaging tool could predict failure in lithium metal batteries August 8th, 2025

First real-time observation of two-dimensional melting process: Researchers at Mainz University unveil new insights into magnetic vortex structures August 8th, 2025

Lab to industry: InSe wafer-scale breakthrough for future electronics August 8th, 2025

Energy

Sensors innovations for smart lithium-based batteries: advancements, opportunities, and potential challenges August 8th, 2025

Simple algorithm paired with standard imaging tool could predict failure in lithium metal batteries August 8th, 2025

Portable Raman analyzer detects hydrogen leaks from a distance: Device senses tiny concentration changes of hydrogen in ambient air, offering a dependable way to detect and locate leaks in pipelines and industrial systems April 25th, 2025

KAIST researchers introduce new and improved, next-generation perovskite solar cell​ November 8th, 2024

Battery Technology/Capacitors/Generators/Piezoelectrics/Thermoelectrics/Energy storage

Sensors innovations for smart lithium-based batteries: advancements, opportunities, and potential challenges August 8th, 2025

Deciphering local microstrain-induced optimization of asymmetric Fe single atomic sites for efficient oxygen reduction August 8th, 2025

Simple algorithm paired with standard imaging tool could predict failure in lithium metal batteries August 8th, 2025

Enhancing power factor of p- and n-type single-walled carbon nanotubes April 25th, 2025

Research partnerships

Lab to industry: InSe wafer-scale breakthrough for future electronics August 8th, 2025

INRS and ELI deepen strategic partnership to train the next generation in laser science:PhD students will benefit from international mobility and privileged access to cutting-edge infrastructure June 6th, 2025

Superconductors: Amazingly orderly disorder: A surprising effect was discovered through a collaborative effort by researchers from TU Wien and institutions in Croatia, France, Poland, Singapore, Switzerland, and the US during the investigation of a special material: the atoms are May 14th, 2025

HKU physicists uncover hidden order in the quantum world through deconfined quantum critical points April 25th, 2025

NanoNews-Digest
The latest news from around the world, FREE




  Premium Products
NanoNews-Custom
Only the news you want to read!
 Learn More
NanoStrategies
Full-service, expert consulting
 Learn More











ASP
Nanotechnology Now Featured Books




NNN

The Hunger Project