Nanotechnology News – Latest Headlines

Gecko feet are coated in an ultra-thin layer of lipids that help them stay sticky

Scientists already understood the mechanics of gecko adhesion. Now they have a clearer picture of the molecular structures that give the animal its grip.

July 6, 2022 Read more

Shapeshifting robotic microswarm acts as a toothbrush, rinse, and dental floss in one

A shapeshifting robotic microswarm may one day act as a toothbrush, rinse, and dental floss in one.

July 6, 2022 Read more

Low temperature nanoparticle ink: Printing a new chapter in solar energy

Researchers have developed a simple and versatile nanoparticle ink that could help next-generation perovskite solar cells to be printed at scale and become the dominant force in commercial photovoltaics.

July 6, 2022 Read more

New photocatalytic membrane that can be cleaned using light energy

Researchers successfully developed a nanosheet-laminated photocatalytic membrane that demonstrates both excellent water permeance and photocatalytic activity. The membrane's photocatalytic properties make it easier to clean as irradiating the membrane with light successfully reduces fouling.

July 5, 2022 Read more

High harmonics illuminate the movement of atoms and electrons

Laser light can radically change the properties of solid materials, making them superconducting or magnetic within millionths of a billionth of a second. The intense light causes fundamental, immediate changes in a solid by 'shaking' its atomic lattice structure and moving electrons about. But what exactly is happening at that elementary level? How do those atoms and electrons actually move?

July 5, 2022 Read more

Nanotechnology-based mRNA vaccines: From the fight against COVID-19 to cancer immunotherapy and HIV vaccines

The success of mRNA technology in the development of a COVID-19 vaccine has become a groundbreaking development in the fight against cancer, as well as in the development of new vaccines against many other infectious diseases, including HIV. Future nanotechnology-based mRNA vaccines could allow the delivery of multiple antigen-targeted vaccines in one vaccine lipid nanoparticle to protect against multiple diseases, thereby reducing the number of vaccines needed to prevent common vaccine-preventable diseases.

July 5, 2022 Read more

Magnetic spins that 'freeze' when heated: Nature in the wrong direction

Physicists observed a strange new type of behaviour in a magnetic material when it's heated up. The magnetic spins 'freeze' into a static pattern when the temperature rises, a phenomenon that normally occurs when the temperature decreases.

July 4, 2022 Read more

Obstacle course for microscopic whirlwinds

Joint project involving experimental and theoretical physicists is providing greater insight into the pinning effects of skyrmions.

July 4, 2022 Read more

On the way to cell-type materials

Physicists reveal the dynamic interaction of a class of artificial molecular machines - the so-called molecular shuttles - by using molecular-dynamic simulations.

July 4, 2022 Read more

Universal light-driven rotation platform for nanoparticles and live cells

The controlled rotation of micro- and nanoscale objects plays a crucial role in sensing, imaging, biomedicine, and manufacturing. What makes light-driven micro- and nanorotors so promising for many applications is their non-contact, fuel-free operation. It has remained challenging for simple and low-power optics to achieve light-driven rotation of a wide range of objects, including optically symmetric synthetic particles and biological cells. A novel platform elegantly addresses this issue by achieving the rotation of various particles and live cells using an arbitrary low-power laser beam.

July 4, 2022 Read more

Laser writing may enable 'electronic nose' for multi-gas sensor

Researchers combined laser writing and responsive sensor technologies to fabricate the first highly customizable microscale gas sensing devices.

July 2, 2022 Read more

Nanoscale infrared study of meteorite mineralogy

Using a nanoscale infrared probe, researchers found that the minerals in a meteorite - an artifact representing the solar system's past - were altered by water on very fine spatial scales.

July 2, 2022 Read more

Researchers develop world's most durable hydrogen fuel cell

Researchers have developed a new hydrogen fuel cell which is not only the world's most durable to date, but is also more cost-effective, paving way for a wider application of green energy in the pursuit of a carbon neutral world.

July 2, 2022 Read more

Mechanical engineers demonstrate that using nanotechnology in batteries will improve battery performance

New research reveals that using advanced materials that include 'multiscale particles' makes for an improved battery, capable of storing more energy, lasting longer, and charging more quickly.

July 1, 2022 Read more

Hearing better with skin than ears

A research team develops a sound-sensing skin-attachable acoustic sensor. The new sensor decreased in size and increased in flexibility and is applicable as auditory electronic skin.

July 1, 2022 Read more

Synthesis of 'naked' tellurium dioxide nanoparticles for antimicrobial and anti-cancer applications

By irradiating a pure tellurium target in deionized water, researchers formed 'naked' tellurium dioxide nanoparticles with a spherical morphology and a size of around 70 nm. The surface of those nanoparticles is totally clean (hence 'naked'), meaning that it does not contain any residues from chemical reactions. This surface cleanliness makes them ideal to interact with biological pathogens and it takes less than 10 ppm to eradicate deadly pathogens like multi-drug resistant E. coli and Methicillin-resistant S. aureus.

July 1, 2022 Read more