Nanotechnology News – Latest Headlines

Seeing quantum motion

For the first time, researchers have found a way to observe - and control - the quantum motion of an object that is large enough to see.

Aug 31st, 2015

Researchers use DNA 'nanoclews' to shuttle CRISPR-Cas9 gene-editing tool into cells

Researchers have for the first time created and used a nanoscale vehicle made of DNA to deliver a CRISPR-Cas9 gene-editing tool into cells in both cell culture and an animal model.

Aug 28th, 2015

New technique could enable design of hybrid glasses and revolutionize gas storage

A new method of manufacturing glass could lead to the production of 'designer glasses' with applications in advanced photonics, whilst also facilitating industrial scale carbon capture and storage.

Aug 28th, 2015

Designing bespoke nanomaterials for energy applications

A new paper demonstrates the rapid and scalable production of Zinc Oxide nanomaterials using a technique called electrochemical anodization. The technique can be controlled to give rise to a wide range of interesting structures, with different sizes and shapes, which can be tailored towards specific applications.

Aug 28th, 2015

Draw out of the predicted interatomic force

Liquid Bi shows a peculiar dispersion of the acoustic mode, which is related to the Peierls distortion in the crystalline state. These results will provide valuable inspiration to researchers developing new materials in the nanotechnology field.

Aug 28th, 2015

Electrons that stick together, superconduct together

A newly uncovered electron-pairing mechanism challenges accepted wisdom in superconductor physics.

Aug 28th, 2015

Electrons take a phonon bath

A theoretical model enables the first exact and universal description of electrons moving in a 'bath' of atomic vibrations.

Aug 28th, 2015

Imaging techniques set new standard for super-resolution in live cells (w/video)

New imaging methods dramatically improve the spatial resolution provided by structured illumination microscopy, one of the best imaging techniques for seeing inside living cells.

Aug 27th, 2015

A new nanoparticle technique to make drugs more soluble

Researchers have developed a new system that can produce stable, amorphous nanoparticles in large quantities that dissolve quickly. But that's not all. The system is so effective that it can produce amorphous nanoparticles from a wide range of materials, including for the first time, inorganic materials with a high propensity towards crystallization, such as table salt.

Aug 27th, 2015

Getting a picture of the molecules in a cell in just minutes

Scientists can now take a peek into a single plant cell and - within minutes - get a view of the small molecules, including metabolites, hormones, nutrients, and lipids, inside it.

Aug 27th, 2015

Chemistry professor discovers colour sensor compound for anions

Discovery of a compound that undergoes a colorimetric response to a whole host of different ions. However, the most remarkable facet of the chemistry is that the detecting species is not made directly by the scientist, but because the response spontaneously self-assembles to give a sensor for each specific anion.

Aug 27th, 2015

Successful boron-doping of graphene nanoribbon

Physicists succeeded in synthesizing boron-doped graphene nanoribbons and characterizing their structural, electronic and chemical properties. The modified material could potentially be used as a sensor for the ecologically damaging nitrogen oxides.

Aug 27th, 2015

With silicon pushed to its limits, what will power the next electronics revolution?

Silicon electronics faces a challenge: the latest circuits measure just 7nm wide - between a red blood cell (7,500nm) and a single strand of DNA (2.5nm). The size of individual silicon atoms (around 0.2nm) would be a hard physical limit (with circuits one atom wide), but its behaviour becomes unstable and difficult to control before then.