Jun 30, 2022 (Nanowerk News) High-performance teams can reach goals where individuals fail despite outstanding skills. Scientists from Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) and other research institutes are applying this principle to robotics. In the future, they aim to explore unreachable places like the Moon or Mars with specialized teams...
Using microbes to make supercharged new rocket fuel
Jul 01, 2022 (Nanowerk News) Converting petroleum into fuels involves crude chemistry first invented by humans in the 1800s. Meanwhile, bacteria have been producing carbon-based energy molecules for billions of years. Which do you think is better at the job? Well aware of the advantages biology has to offer, a...
Mechanical engineers demonstrate that using nanotechnology in batteries will improve battery performance
Jul 01, 2022 (Nanowerk News) Humanityâs dependence on batteries for cellular phones, laptops, electric vehicles, and grid storage is fueling a demand for better battery technology. For decades, batteries have relied on micro-particles for energy storage, but new research by a team at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute reveals that using advanced...
Synthesis of ‘naked’ tellurium dioxide nanoparticles for antimicrobial and anti-cancer applications
Jul 01, 2022 (Nanowerk Spotlight) The threat of resistance to antimicrobial agents has been growing at an alarming rate in recent years and poses a global health threat. Antimicrobial resistance occurs when pathogens (bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites) change over time and no longer respond to medicines, consequently infections become...
Capturing the onset of galaxy rotation in the early universe
Jul 01, 2022 (Nanowerk News) As telescopes have become more advanced and powerful, astronomers have been able to detect more and more distant galaxies. These are some of the earliest galaxies to form in our universe that began to recede away from us as the universe expanded. In fact, the...
Hearing better with skin than ears
Jul 01, 2022 (Nanowerk News) “Hey, Siri, how’s the weather today?” Voice recognition technology is increasingly prevalent in our daily lives, from asking trivial questions, playing music, sending text messages to controlling GPS navigation systems. It is a convenient technology with broad applications. However, to get the most of its...
The hunt for nanoplastics is on
Jun 30, 2022 (Nanowerk News) From a molecular point of view, plastic is quite similar to organic material. That makes it a difficult substance to detect in living beings. ‘Everything with carbon atoms is difficult to measure in organisms, so plastic too,' explains Martina Vijver, Professor of Ecotoxicology. ‘Animals and...
Magnetic nanoparticles can release anti-cancer microRNA on command
Jun 30, 2022 (Nanowerk News) Researchers are pursuing ever-more sophisticated treatments to tackle lung cancer. Traditional chemotherapy can have serious side-effects throughout the body, so many new treatments are highly targeted. These methods allow controlled release directly at the tumour using selective agents that are less likely to produce off-target...
Novel nanoparticle gel proves itself to be highly tunable color filter
Jun 30, 2022 (Nanowerk News) Color these scientists happy. An exotic gel they studied at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has an unexpected property: The material’s temperature determines which color of light can pass through it. The material, which the research team calls “SeedGel,” already has shown...