Dec 09, 2021 (Nanowerk News) Researchers in the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering at the Technion - Israel Institute of Technology have developed a new physical model for controlling elastic wave propagation – a model that may potentially impact various applications, including acoustic cloaking, enhanced sensing, and energy tunneling. The development,...
Precision sieving of gases through atomic pores in graphene
Dec 09, 2021 (Nanowerk News) By crafting atomic-scale holes in atomically thin membranes, it should be possible to create molecular sieves for precise and efficient gas separation, including extraction of carbon dioxide from air, University of Manchester researchers have found. If a pore size in a membrane is comparable to...
New method helps fabricate tissue-like wet and slippery hydrogels
Dec 09, 2021 (Nanowerk News) Researchers recently demonstrated an innovative chemical method for engineering diverse layered hydrogels with wet and slippery features at room temperature (Matter, "Continuously Growing Multi-layered Hydrogel Structures with Seamless Interlocked Interface"). This method, known as "ultraviolet-triggered surface catalytically initiated radical polymerization (UV-SCIRP)," was proposed by Prof....
Machine Learning decodes the tremors of the Universe
Dec 09, 2021 (Nanowerk News) Black holes are one of the greatest mysteries of our Universe – for example, a black hole with the mass of our Sun has a radius of only 3 kilometers. Black holes in orbit around each other give off gravitational radiation – oscillations of space...
Researchers capture the fastest optical flash emitted from a newborn supernova
Dec 09, 2021 (Nanowerk News) A team of astronomers has discovered the fastest optical flash of a Type Ia supernova, and reports a study in the Astrophysical Journal Letters ("Discovery of the Fastest Early Optical Emission from Overluminous SN Ia 2020hvf: A Thermonuclear Explosion within a Dense Circumstellar Environment"). Many...
You can help scientists study the Sun
Dec 09, 2021 (Nanowerk News) If you ever wanted to be an astronomer, now is your chance. A new citizen science project, led by researchers at the University of Minnesota with support from NASA, allows volunteers to play an important role in learning more about the Sun by using their...
Engineers teach AI to navigate ocean with minimal energy (w/video)
Dec 09, 2021 (Nanowerk News) Engineers at Caltech, ETH Zurich, and Harvard are developing an artificial intelligence (AI) that will allow autonomous drones to use ocean currents to aid their navigation, rather than fighting their way through them. "When we want robots to explore the deep ocean, especially in swarms,...
‘Liquid marbles’ could be key to carbon capture and storage
Dec 08, 2021 (Nanowerk News) A University of the Sunshine Coast researcher is leading a collaborative advanced computer modelling project that could make carbon capture and storage more viable and revolutionise drug delivery. USC Lecturer in Mechanical Engineering Dr Charith Rathnayaka and project partners from QUT, Griffith University and The...
Star’s self destruction is shown in 3D, revealing new details
Dec 08, 2021 (Nanowerk News) A 1,000-year-old supernova has been captured in 3D images that reveal yet unseen details of the elements that are ejected when a star explodes. Analysis of data from the Multi-Unit Spectroscopic Explorer (MUSE) and X-shooter at the European Southern Observatory’s (ESO) Very Large Telescope (VLT),...
Optical cavities could be key to next generation interferometers
Dec 08, 2021 (Nanowerk News) A new concept has been developed that has the potential to assist new instruments in the investigation of fundamental science topics such as gravitational waves and dark matter. The concept is described in a paper written by UK Quantum Technology Hub Sensors and Timing researchers...