May 09, 2022 (Nanowerk News) A team of energy researchers led by the University of Minnesota Twin Cities have invented a groundbreaking device that electronically converts one metal into behaving like another to use as a catalyst for speeding chemical reactions. The fabricated device, called a “catalytic condenser,” is the...
Multi-tasking wearable continuously monitors glucose, alcohol, and lactate (w/video)
May 09, 2022 (Nanowerk News) Imagine being able to measure your blood sugar levels, know if you’ve had too much to drink, and track your muscle fatigue during a workout, all in one small device worn on your skin. Engineers at the University of California San Diego have developed a...
Nature-based solutions for sustainable urban water management
May 09, 2022 (Nanowerk News) Increased stormwater runoff as a consequence of climate change-induced heavy rainfall events pose critical threats to urban aquatic biodiversity. Specifically, combined drainage systems which transport wastewater, stormwater and urban water together can flood after heavy rainfall, causing a discharge of wastewater and contaminated runoff directly...
Bright, stable, and easy to recycle lighting
May 09, 2022 (Nanowerk News) A low-cost and easy-to-manufacture lighting technology can be made with light-emitting electrochemical cells. Such cells are thin-film electronic and ionic devices that generate light after a low voltage is applied. Researchers at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) and the University of Turin have now...
MXene quantum dots as promising material for immunoengineering
May 09, 2022 (Nanowerk Spotlight) MXenes are a family of 2D transition metal carbides, nitrides, and carbonitrides that are made by selectively etching MAX phases. Originally discovered in 2011 by two groups of researchers led by Michel W Barsoum and Yury Gogotsi at Drexel University, it wasn’t until 2017 that...
Controlling heat flow in a solid by switching crystal structure dimensionality
May 09, 2022 (Nanowerk News) Just as how an electrical switch regulates the flow of electric current, thermal switches can control the flow of heat. These switches serve as thermal control devices and are useful for thermal management applications. For example, they can be used in industries to reduce waste...
Research breakthrough means warp speed ‘Unruh effect’ can finally be tested in lab settings
May 09, 2022 (Nanowerk News) A major hurdle for work at the forefront of fundamental physics is the inability to test cutting-edge theories in a laboratory setting. But a recent discovery opens the door for scientists to see ideas in action that were previously only understood in theory or represented...