Mar 08, 2022 (Nanowerk News) A new device harvests two types of energy during the daytime, making it cool on one end and hot on the other, to generate electricity around the clock. With further improvements, the device could be used in off-grid Internet-of-things sensors. The details were published in...
Astronomers discover largest molecule yet in a planet-forming disc
Mar 08, 2022 (Nanowerk News) Using the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) in Chile, researchers at Leiden Observatory in the Netherlands have for the first time detected dimethyl ether in a planet-forming disc. With nine atoms, this is the largest molecule identified in such a disc to date. It is...
A helping hand for working robots
Mar 08, 2022 (Nanowerk News) Robotics engineers at South Korea’s Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology (DGIST) have developed and tested a new human-like mechanical hand that combines the benefits of existing ones while eliminating their weaknesses. The design is described in the journal Soft Robotics ("Shock Resistive Flexure-Based...
Researchers design charged ‘power suits’ for electric vehicles and spacecraft (w/video)
Mar 07, 2022 (Nanowerk News) Like the charged power suit worn by Black Panther of Marvel Comics, UCF researchers have advanced NASA technologies to develop a power suit for an electric car that is as strong as steel, lighter than aluminum and helps boosts the vehicle’s power capacity. The suit...
A speed limit could be a breakthrough for stem cell therapy
Mar 07, 2022 (Nanowerk News) Adult cells in our body can only give rise to the same cell type. For example, a skin cell cannot give rise to a muscle cell but to skin cells only. This limits the potential use of adult cells for therapy. During early development, however,...
Researchers harness AI and robotics to formulate therapeutic proteins for treating spinal cord injuries
Mar 07, 2022 (Nanowerk News) By employing artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics to formulate therapeutic proteins, a team led by Rutgers researchers has successfully stabilized an enzyme able to degrade scar tissue resulting from spinal cord injuries and promote tissue regeneration. The study, recently published in Advanced Healthcare Materials ("Machine-Assisted...
Massive bubbles at center of Milky Way caused by supermassive black hole
Mar 07, 2022 (Nanowerk News) In 2020, the X-ray telescope eRosita took images of two enormous bubbles extending far above and below the center of our galaxy. Since then, astronomers have debated their origin. Now, a study including University of Michigan research suggests the bubbles are a result of a...
Using raw materials more sustainably
Mar 07, 2022 (Nanowerk News) The experimental elucidation of the structures at the interface between a working catalyst and the reacting molecules is the key to a fundamental understanding of heterogeneous catalysis. Researchers from the Fritz Haber Institute of the Max Planck Society have reassigned the vibrational spectrum of vanadium...
Ultrathin e-skin pressure sensor made with Mxene, MOF and nanofiber films
Mar 07, 2022 (Nanowerk News) The rapid development of ultra-thin electronic skins (e-skins) – also called epidermal electronics or electronic tattoos – is opening new realms of possibility for flexible and stretchable monitoring gadgets that are wearable directly on the skin. These e-skin devices can be used for, among other...
A sieve for molecules
Mar 07, 2022 (Nanowerk News) Researchers from Bielefeld, Bochum and Yale have succeeded in producing a layer of two-dimensional (2D) silicon dioxide. This material contains natural pores and can therefore be used like a sieve for molecules and ions. Scientists have been looking for such materials for a long time...