Mar 01, 2022 (Nanowerk News) Using a unique hydrogel, scientists created a solar-driven system that successfully grows spinach by using water drawn from the air while producing electricity. The proof-of-concept design, described in the journal Cell Reports Physical Science ("An integrated solar-driven system produces electricity with fresh water and crops...
What’s happening in the depths of distant worlds?
Mar 01, 2022 (Nanowerk News) The physics and chemistry that take place deep inside our planet are fundamental to the existence of life as we know it. But what forces are at work in the interiors of distant worlds, and how do these conditions affect their potential for habitability? New...
Polymer hydrogels securely encrypt confidential information
Mar 01, 2022 (Nanowerk News) The development of highly secure but simple and inexpensive encryption technology for the prevention of data leaks and forgeries is decidedly challenging. In the journal Angewandte Chemie ("Double Lock Label Based on Thermosensitive Polymer Hydrogels for Information Camouflage and Multilevel Encryption"), a research team has...
Seeing below the surface of bimetallic nanoparticles
Mar 01, 2022 (Nanowerk News) Nanoparticles are important in many disciplines because their high surface area compared with their volume gives them interesting properties. Continued development of analytical methods for nanoparticles is therefore crucial. Researchers from Osaka University have reported a way of characterizing the formation of a particular kind...
Scientists develop new process for more eco-friendly liquid crystals
Mar 01, 2022 (Nanowerk News) Liquid crystals could soon be produced more efficiently and in a more environmentally friendly way. A new process has been developed by researchers at Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg (MLU) in Germany, Bangalore University in India and Cairo University in Egypt. Compared to conventional methods, it...
Flipping electrons with light
Mar 01, 2022 (Nanowerk News) Controlling the orientation of a single unpaired electron (called its spin) is no easy task, especially if the electron is in a molecule in its lowest energy state. Yet the ability to control the orientation of the electrons is important to the development of some...
Researchers establish first-of-its-kind framework to diagnose 3D-printing errors
Mar 01, 2022 (Nanowerk News) Additive manufacturing, or 3D printing, can create custom parts for electromagnetic devices on-demand and at a low cost. These devices are highly sensitive, and each component requires precise fabrication. Until recently, though, the only way to diagnose printing errors was to make, measure and test...
Innovative crystals for future computer electronics
Feb 28, 2022 (Nanowerk News) Computer chips and storage elements are expected to function as quickly as possible and be energy-saving at the same time. Innovative spintronic modules are at an advantage here thanks to their high speed and efficiency, as there is no lossy electrical current, rather the electrons...
Metasurface-based antenna turns ambient radio waves into electric power
Feb 28, 2022 (Nanowerk News) Researchers have developed a new metasurface-based antenna that represents an important step toward making it practical to harvest energy from radio waves, such as the ones used in cell phone networks or Bluetooth connections. This technology could potentially provide wireless power to sensors, LEDs and...
Ring my string: Building silicon nano-strings
Feb 28, 2022 (Nanowerk News) Tightening a string, e.g. when tuning a guitar, makes it vibrate faster. But when strings are nano-sized, increased tension also reduces, or ‘dilutes’, the loss of the string’s vibrational modes. This effect, known as ‘dissipation dilution’, has been exploited to develop mechanical devices for quantum...