Feb 17, 2022 (Nanowerk News) For the first time, researchers have created a metasurface lens that uses a piezoelectric thin film to change focal length when a small voltage is applied. Because it is extremely compact and lightweight, the new lens could be useful for portable medical diagnostic instruments, drone-based...
Combining AI and atomic-scale images in pursuit of better batteries
Feb 17, 2022 (Nanowerk News) Today’s rechargeable batteries are a wonder, but far from perfect. Eventually, they all wear out, begetting expensive replacements and recycling. “But what if batteries were indestructible?” asks William Chueh, an associate professor of materials science and engineering at Stanford University and senior author of a...
Vortex microscope captures details, 3D motion of molecules in liquid
Feb 17, 2022 (Nanowerk News) Understanding the nitty gritty of how molecules interact with each other in the real, messy, dynamic environment of a living body is a challenge that must be overcome in order to understand a host of diseases, such as Alzheimer’s. Until now, researchers could capture the...
Next step in wearable tech?
Feb 17, 2022 (Nanowerk News) Scientists at Case Western Reserve University have developed an inexpensive way to transform an ordinary shirt into an electronic smart shirt—one able to monitor and adjust body temperature or even allow the wearer to apply heat to a sore shoulder or back. All from a...
New DNA computer assesses water quality
Feb 17, 2022 (Nanowerk News) Northwestern University synthetic biologists have developed a low-cost, easy-to-use, hand-held device that can let users know — within mere minutes — if their water is safe to drink. The new device works by using powerful and programmable genetic networks, which mimic electronic circuits, to perform...
Nanoantennas for light controlled electrically
Feb 17, 2022 (Nanowerk News) Researchers at Linköping University have developed optical nanoantennas that can be turned on/off and gradually tuned by applying electrical potentials. The study, which has been published in Advanced Materials ("Electrical Tuning of Plasmonic Conducting Polymer Nanoantennas "), opens for applications including dynamic flat metaoptics and...
Nano-sized plastics may enter and permeate cell membranes
Feb 17, 2022 (Nanowerk News) The occurrence of microplastics in nature has been studied extensively, also at the University of Eastern Finland. However, little is known about the health effects of microplastics, and understanding of their transport into the human body is also lacking. Any adverse health effects possibly associated...
Using DNA to make nanoelectronics
Feb 17, 2022 (Nanowerk Spotlight) DNA, the fundamental building block of our genetic makeup, is being widely used by nanotechnology researchers to create artificial rationally designed nanostructures for diverse applications in biology, chemistry, and physics. DNA could be particularly useful for the design of electronics and DNA-based computing because it...
Microplastics increase the toxicity of organic pollutants in the environment by a factor of 10
Feb 17, 2022 (Nanowerk News) A new study by Tel Aviv University researchers found that in a marine environment, microplastics absorb and concentrate toxic organic substances and thus increase their toxicity by a factor of 10, which may lead to a severe impact on human health. The study was conducted...
Graphene and an intense laser open the door to the extreme
Feb 16, 2022 (Nanowerk News) Laser-driven ion acceleration has been studied to develop a compact and efficient plasma-based accelerator, which is applicable to cancer therapy, nuclear fusion, and high energy physics. Osaka University researchers, in collaboration with researchers at National Institutes for Quantum Science and Technology (QST), Kobe University, and...