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QuantaLab partner IBM announces the first quantum computer for commercial use

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FODIAC project as a case study at the 5th Global Nanotechnology Congress and Expo

The 5th Global Nanotechnology Congress and Expo are taking place on the 3-5 December in Valencia, Spain. It is a symposium of keynote presentations, Oral talks, Poster presentations, hosting leading scientists from academia and industry worldwide, to discuss the latest developments in the field of Nanotechnology. Many interesting perspectives will be explored throughout the three-days and will be focused on how science and technology of materials from nano to macro level are changing rapidly, providing a scenario of new opportunities and challenges. On the first day, in the framework of the conference, a workshop was led by Lorenzo Pastrana on FODIAC project. The project was brought to the stage as a case study and example of nanotechnology developments in the field of Food. Specifically, Lorenzo will present how applied nanotechnology with complementary disciplines can be used to extract functional bioactive molecules to be integrated into a dietary solution to tackle diabetes and the associated impairment of the cognitive function among the elderly.

ERC grants a 2.75M€ funding for the development of a transformable metasurface at INL

The European Research Council (ERC) awarded a project from Italian researcher Antonio Ambrosio to grant a 2.75 Million Euros funding over the next 5 years which will be developed at INL – International Iberian Nanotechnology Laboratory, in Braga, Portugal. The objective is to create a transformable metasurface with potential uses in many fields, including quality control, medical imaging, as well as virtual and augmented reality. António Ambrosio Antonio Ambrosio, currently developing his research at Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, will return from the USA to Europe and conduct his research at INL, to develop a polymeric metasurface with a unique combination of qualities. The material can reconfigure itself to compensate for light distortion from surfaces such as human skin, as well as adjust to picture different chemicals in real-time, and, most importantly, provide chemically selective images in narrow bandwidths in the mid-infrared radiation region. INL welcomes the award of this Consolidator Grant, which reflects not only the relevance of the project itself – one of the highlighted by the ERC – but also the importance of the unique conditions provided by INL for the development of nanotechnology and nanoscience for the benefit of the global society.

1st Annual INL Research Symposium

From November 14th to 15th, INL had the honour to hold the 1st Annual INL Research Symposium. The event, an internal initiative, aimed at sharing the most significant research achievements from the previous year and discuss the challenges and future projects for the coming year. The first edition of the symposium was an excellent opportunity to promote synergies between INLers and an outstanding celebration of the multidisciplinary nature of the Laboratory. Next year, INL will continue promoting this event as part of the strategic plan of internal research dissemination activities for 2019.

INL researchers win NANO.IL.2018 “Best Poster Award”

A team of INL researchers from different groups was awarded the “Best Poster Award” during NANO.IL.2018, the leading international nanotechnology conference in Israel, which gathered over 900 participants from the 9th to the 11th of October, in Jerusalem. The award was handed over to Pedro Alpuim, from INL and University of Minho (Department of Physics), the leader of the research team and group leader of 2D Materials and Devices at INL, representing also Joana Rafaela Guerreiro, Rui Campos (now at the University of Antwerp), Marco Martins, Andrey Ipatov, Fátima Cerqueira and Jérôme Borme. The awarded poster with the title “Lab-on-a-chip platform based on graphene field-effect transistors for DNA sensing” was developed within INL Departments of Quantum & Energy Materials, Nanoelectronics Engineering, Micro and Nanofabrication, and Life Sciences. Lab-on-a-chip systems for the detection of complex diseases are growing in importance, normally requiring the detection of multiple targets in an autonomous and portable fashion. For the creative use of sensors, combining different areas of expertise, INL is in the forefront of new diagnostic tools development, which aims to provide quicker and more accurate information to support a medical decision on the best therapeutics.

INL accelerates the development of applications with a new nanoimprint system

INL – International Iberian Nanotechnology Laboratory has purchased an Eitre 8 NIL nanoimprint system from Obducat, a leading supplier of lithography solutions based on nanoimprint lithography (NIL). This investment reinforces INL high-end equipment portfolio and consequently its ability to provide better and faster outcomes. This nanoimprint system will be installed in the INL cleanroom facilities. With its high-throughput and high yield capabilities of replicating nanostructures at the 200 mm wafer-scale, this lithography system will allow to significantly reduce process and development times for INL and its partners. It will be used for a broad range of applications, covering fields in optics, nanosensors and surfaces with very special functions, to name a few. The EITRE system is scheduled to be delivered to INL during the fourth quarter this year.

IBM-QuantaLab School on Quantum Computing 2018

The IBM-QuantaLab School aims to provide both an overview of the current status of quantum computation as well as the potential for applications of quantum computing. Organised by IBM Research and QuantaLab and sponsored by Nanogateway, the School includes the participation of 6 researchers from IBM Zurich, one of the world-leading institutions in the fabrication of the first commercially available quantum computers, and several experts on different areas of Quantum Information, Condensed Matter Physics and Computer Science. The scope of the school will be to provide an Introduction to Quantum Computing, being the main objectives: – To provide an introductory description of the main notions and the massive potential of quantum computing, as well as some basic notions of the hardware of IBM quantum computers. – To provide hands-on technical training, using the IBM Quantum Experience hardware. Know more and register here.

Breakthrough in accessing the tiny magnet within the core of a single atom

New method enables identification of different isotopes atom by atom Braga, Portugal — A international collaboration, including INL researchers – Jose Lado (ETH, Zurich), Alejandro Ferrón (CONYCET, Argentina) and Joaquín Rossier ( Theory of Quantum Nanostructures Group Leader at INL) –, have made a major scientific breakthrough by detecting the nuclear magnetism, or “nuclear spin” of a single atom. The experiments have been carried out by IBM Research at Almaden (California), in collaboration with the University of Oxford and QNS (Seoul). The researchers used advanced and novel techniques to measure the nuclear spin of individual atoms on surfaces for the first time. Normally the nuclear spin, which describes the magnetism of the atom’s core, can only be detected in very large numbers. The findings, published today in the journal Science, show that this is now also possible for single atoms on a surface. To do that the team used a Scanning Tunneling Microscope, which consists of an atomically sharp metal tip and allows researchers to image and probe single atoms. The two elements that were investigated in this work, iron and titanium, are atoms that can have a different number of neutrons in the atom’s core, these are the so-called […]

“Meat” me at the Lab

In the last 50 years, meat consumption increased by 330%. In 2016, there were 28 billion live animals mostly used for food production for 7.4 billion of humans, worldwide. This demand is causing huge health and environment problems such as soil contamination, antibiotic resistance, green-gas emission, deforestation and tons of animal suffering. You might have never thought about this, but meat is a high-protein food composed of highly organized muscle and fat cells. And, today, we can grow those cells in culture flasks instead of in the animals. This is what the new-born industry of cell-based meats does. They might mitigate many of those impacts by dropping land use by 99%, reducing agricultural gas emissions by 78%-96%, and not using antibiotics. Sara M. Oliveira, Postdoctoral Fellow at Food Processing Group, contributed in the report “You are What you Meat”, recently published by Massive Science and available here. This is a science guide to equip you with everything you need to stay informed as a scientist, consumer or a science-curious reader.