Mar 09, 2022 (Nanowerk News) Galaxies rarely live alone. Instead, dozens to thousands are drawn together by gravity, forming vast clusters that are the largest objects in the universe. “Galaxy clusters are one of the most awe-inspiring things in the universe,” said Prof. Emeritus Don Lamb, a University of Chicago...
Tiny switches give solid-state LiDAR record resolution
Mar 09, 2022 (Nanowerk News) When Google unveiled its first autonomous cars in 2010, the spinning cylinder mounted on the roofs really stood out. It was the vehicle’s light detection and ranging (LiDAR) system, which worked like light-based radar. Together with cameras and radar, LiDAR mapped the environment to help...
Shedding light on the nature of friction in multi-layered graphene
Mar 09, 2022 (Nanowerk News) Graphene, which consists of a single layer of carbon atoms, is the poster child of carbon-based 2D nanomaterials. It has many attractive properties that could be exploited in next-generation electronics, optics, catalysis, biomedicine, and many other fields. Recently, many scientists have focused on chemical vapor...
Animal noses inspire new 3D-printed mask, air filter designs
Mar 09, 2022 (Nanowerk News) Masks that protect against SARS-CoV-2 virus can feel like a nuisance, especially while exercising. A new 3D-printable mask design, inspired by animal noses, promises easy breathing for users while maintaining similar levels of protection against pathogens found in N95 and surgical masks. The general concept...
Graphene-coated gold electrodes for anticorrosion in wearables
Mar 09, 2022 (Nanowerk News) Gold has been widely adopted in biosensors for its biocompatibility and in flexible electronics for its ductility. Despite the common perception that gold is chemically inert for use as electrochemical electrodes, it is still prone to surface oxidation or corrosion Ultra-thin graphene coatings have already...
A zigzag blueprint for topological electronics
Mar 09, 2022 (Nanowerk News) A collaborative study led by the University of Wollongong confirms switching mechanism for a new, proposed generation of ultra-low energy ‘topological electronics’ (Applied Physics Review, "Optimizing topological switching in confined 2D-Xene nanoribbons via finite-size effects"). Based on novel quantum topological materials, such devices would ‘switch’...
Mathematical discovery could shed light on secrets of the Universe
Mar 09, 2022 (Nanowerk News) How can Einstein's theory of gravity be unified with quantum mechanics? It is a challenge that could give us deep insights into phenomena such as black holes and the birth of the universe. Now, a new article in Nature Communications ("Emergent Sasaki-Einstein geometry and AdS/CFT"),...