Nanotechnology News – Latest Headlines

Decoding a key part of the cell, atom by atom

Scientists have made two big leaps forward in our understanding of the nuclear pore complex, a vital cellular gateway.

June 10, 2022 Read more

Researchers develop 'attacking' droplets as a step towards biomimetic nanosystems (w/video)

One of the key goals of nanochemistry is to develop artificial systems that imitate biological processes, particularly aiming at replicating the basic behavior of life forms. In this field, the interaction between droplets is gaining increasing attention as model systems to approach the dynamic behaviors of living cells, which have evolved to harvest energy from their environments to drive the chemical processes that enable life. The development of these 'droplet frameworks' is an essential tool to understand, explain and eventually replicate Nature's processes during the early steps in the origin of life on Earth. Researchers have now demonstrated that basic features found in many living cell types can emerge from a simple two-droplet framework.

June 10, 2022 Read more

Can they make graphite from coal? Researchers start by finding new carbon solid

As the world's appetite for carbon-based materials like graphite increases, researchers present evidence for a new carbon solid they named 'amorphous graphite'.

June 10, 2022 Read more

Nanomaterials may be key to reducing cardiovascular disease deaths

Researchers reviewed the current state of nanomaterial-based flexible monitoring and treatment devices and recommended next steps to make such devices a practical possibility.

June 10, 2022 Read more

Moving furniture in the micro-world

Have you ever noticed when moving furniture that heavy objects are easier to move if you rotate them at the same time as you push? A research team has now investigated this phenomenon - the reduction in static friction caused by simultaneous rotation - on the microscopic scale.

June 10, 2022 Read more

Unique molecular CODE - Paramagnetic encoding of molecules

Today we commonly encounter contactless RFID chips in a number of products, but can similar technology be implemented at the molecular level? The answer is yes.

June 10, 2022 Read more

Realization of 'silicon-like' doping in organic semiconductors

Organic semiconductors (OSCs) are a class of semiconductor materials consisting of conjugated molecules or polymers. Compared to inorganic semiconductors, OSCs have distinctive advantages including being solution-processable, suitable for low-cost and large-area fabrication of electronics, and applicable to flexible/stretchable electronics, among others. Given the importance of doping techniques for semiconductors, it is highly attractive to establish doping methodologies for OSCs similar to that for silicon. This would simplify the difficulty and cost of synthesizing different types of OSCs for various applications, as well as lead to interesting structures such as organic PN homojunctions.

June 9, 2022 Read more

When will I be able to upload my brain to a computer?

We often imagine that human consciousness is as simple as input and output of electrical signals within a network of processing units - therefore comparable to a computer. Reality, however, is much more complicated. For starters, we don't actually know how much information the human brain can hold.

June 9, 2022 Read more

Discovery paves the way for faster computers, longer-lasting batteries

Scientists have cracked a problem that's frustrated chemists and physicists for years, potentially leading to a new age of powerful, efficient, and environmentally friendly technologies. Using quantum mechanics, they discovered a 'recipe' which allows molecular switches to work at room temperature.

June 9, 2022 Read more

New drug delivery system releases therapeutic cargo only when bacteria are present

A new material can respond to the presence of bacterial enzymes by releasing a cargo of therapeutic nanoparticles, which could prove particularly helpful in wound dressings.

June 8, 2022 Read more

Experiments in twisted, layered quantum materials offer new picture of how electrons behave

Scientists have discovered a new quantum state of matter and in the process are rewriting our understanding of the nature of metallic materials.

June 8, 2022 Read more

Scientists observe effects of heat in materials with atomic resolution

Using cutting-edge electron microscopes and novel techniques, a team of researchers has found a way to map phonons - vibrations in crystal lattices - in atomic resolution, enabling deeper understanding of the way heat travels through quantum dots, engineered nanostructures in electronic components.

June 8, 2022 Read more