Engineers monitor heart health using paper-thin 'electronic skin' (w/video)
Engineers combine layers of flexible materials into pressure sensors to create a wearable heart monitor thinner than a dollar bill. The skin-like device could one day provide doctors with a safer way to check the condition of a patient's heart.
Posted: May 16th, 2013
Read moreMoth-inspired nanostructures take the color out of thin films
Inspired by the structure of moth eyes, researchers at North Carolina State University have developed nanostructures that limit reflection at the interfaces where two thin films meet, suppressing the "thin-film interference" phenomenon commonly observed in nature. This can potentially improve the efficiency of thin-film solar cells and other optoelectronic devices.
Posted: May 16th, 2013
Read moreCarbon in a twirl: The science behind a self-assembled nano-carbon helix
Scientists have succeeded in growing a unique carbon structure at the nanoscale that resembles a tiny twirled moustache. Their method might lead the way to the formation of more complex nano-networks.
Posted: May 16th, 2013
Read moreDNA-guided assembly yields novel ribbon-like nanostructures
Approach could be useful in fabricating new kinds of materials with engineered properties.
Posted: May 16th, 2013
Read moreNanoscale holes ripped in bacteria to prevent infection
An international research team has used a combination of nanoscale imaging, computer simulation and de novo protein design to reveal a new mechanism of membrane disruption by antimicrobial peptides.
Posted: May 16th, 2013
Read moreWie man einen Nano-Schnurrbart wachsen lässt
Physikern an der Universität Wien ist es gelungen, eine einzigartige Nano-Struktur aus Kohlenstoff zu züchten, die einem winzigen gezwirbelten Schnurrbart ähnelt. Ihre Methode könnte wegweisend für die Bildung komplexerer Nano-Netzwerke sein.
Posted: May 16th, 2013
Read moreNanotechnology could help fight diabetes
Injectable nanogel can monitor blood-sugar levels and secrete insulin when needed.
Posted: May 16th, 2013
Read moreChain instead of zigzag: Physicists let magnetic dipoles interact on the nanoscale
Physicists have found out how tiny islands of magnetic material align themselves when sorted on a regular lattice. Contrary to expectations, the north and south poles of the magnetic islands did not arrange themselves in a zigzag pattern, but in chains.
Posted: May 15th, 2013
Read moreUltraresponsive nanotechnology scavenger for next generation water purification
New synthetic nanoparticle could disinfect, depollute, and desalinate contaminated water and then get removed magnetically.
Posted: May 15th, 2013
Read moreGraphene study confirms 40-year-old physics prediction
A team of researchers have directly observed a rare quantum effect that produces a repeating butterfly-shaped energy spectrum, confirming the longstanding prediction of this quantum fractal energy structure called Hofstadter's butterfly.
Posted: May 15th, 2013
Read moreInnovations in nanomedicine through 'materials nanoarchitectonics'
Materials nanoarchitectonics has led to important innovations in the design and construction of systems in nanoelectronics, nanomachinery, and energy conversion. Recent publications point to the fact that the same approach may be applied successfully to other fields.
Posted: May 15th, 2013
Read moreNanotechnology researchers discover a previously unknown type of friction
In search of low-friction components for ever smaller components, a team of physicists led by the professors Thorsten Hugel and Alexander Holleitner now discovered a previously unknown type of friction that they call 'desorption stick'.
Posted: May 15th, 2013
Read moreAdding nanoparticles to create polymers with tailored optical and electrical properties
By adding semiconducting nanoparticles to polymers, the Materials + Technologies Research Group (GMT) of the Polytechnical College of San Sebastian of the UPV/EHU-University of the Basque Country has created nanostructured composite materials with specific optical and electrical properties that vary according to size.
Posted: May 15th, 2013
Read moreSmarty pants: wearable electronics will recharge your life (w/video)
Imagine having a wafer-thin touchscreen on your sleeve which, like a scene out of a Philip K. Dick novel, gives you all the functionality of a smartphone without the awkwardness of a cumbersome battery. The best part about this scenario is it may not be as far from reality as you think.
Posted: May 15th, 2013
Read moreSquishy hydrogels may be the ticket for studying biological effects of nanoparticles
A class of water-loving, jelly-like materials with uses ranges ranging from the mundane, such as superabsorbent diaper liners, to the sophisticated, such as soft contact lenses, could be tapped for a new line of serious work: testing the biological effects of nanoparticles now being eyed for a large variety of uses.
Posted: May 15th, 2013
Read moreSecret of efficient photosynthesis is decoded
MIT researchers find that the key to purple bacteria's light-harvesting prowess lies in highly symmetrical molecules.
Posted: May 15th, 2013
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