A Tour de Force: Columbia Engineers Discover New 鈥淎ll-optical鈥 Nanoscale Sensors of Force
Columbia University School of Engineering and Applied ScienceIn a paper published today by Nature, a team led by Columbia Engineering researchers and collaborators report that they have invented new nanoscale sensors of force. They are luminescent nanocrystals that can change intensity and/or color when you push or pull on them. These "all-optical" nanosensors are probed with light only and therefore allow for fully remote read-outs -- no wires or connections are needed.