Jul 13, 2022 (Nanowerk News) While many artificial materials have advanced properties, they have a long way to go to combine the versatility and functionality of living materials that can adapt to their situation. For example, in the human body bone and muscle continuously reorganise their structure and composition to...
Smart thermostats inadvertently strain electric power grids
Jul 13, 2022 (Nanowerk News) Set by default to turn on before dawn, smart thermostats unintentionally work in concert with other thermostats throughout neighborhoods and regions to prompt inadvertent, widespread energy-demand spikes on the grid. The smart thermostats are saving homeowners money, but they are also initiating peak demand throughout...
Astronomers detect a radio ‘heartbeat’ billions of light-years from Earth
Jul 13, 2022 (Nanowerk News) Astronomers at MIT and elsewhere have detected a strange and persistent radio signal from a far-off galaxy that appears to be flashing with surprising regularity. The signal is classified as a fast radio burst, or FRB — an intensely strong burst of radio waves of...
A combined multiscale modeling and experimental study on surface modification of high-volume micro-nanoparticles with atomic accuracy
Jul 13, 2022 (Nanowerk News) Surface modification of micro-nanoparticles at the atomic and close-to-atomic scales is of great importance to their applications in a variety of fields, such as energy storage, catalysis, sensors, biomedicine, etc. In order to meet the industry requirements in these areas, it is urgently necessary to...
Graphene oxide elastin membranes for surgical dressings shown to prevent recurrence of melanoma and enhance healing
Jul 13, 2022 (Nanowerk News) Scientists from the University of Nottingham have combined graphene oxide, elastin, and ethanol to develop a new method to make this material conductive so it can be heated to kill melanoma cells but not other cells around it. The research has been published in Advanced...
Tiny motors take a big step forward (w/video)
Jul 13, 2022 (Nanowerk News) Motors are everywhere in our day-to-day lives — from cars to washing machines. A futuristic scientific field is working on tiny motors that could power a network of nanomachines and replace some of the power sources we use in devices today. In new research published...
Responsive soft robots inspired by sputtering ketchup bottle
Jul 09, 2022 (Nanowerk News) A smartly designed pressure valve allows soft robots to respond to their environment without the need for computer control, reveal AMOLF researchers in their article in the journal Matter ("A fluidic relaxation oscillator for reprogrammable sequential actuation in soft robots"). That brings robots with natural...
A cooler side to soft robotics (w/video)
Jul 09, 2022 (Nanowerk News) A multidisciplinary team of researchers combined liquid crystal elastomers (LCEs) with a thermoelectric device (TED) to develop a stretchable transducer capable of electrically controlled actuation, active cooling, and thermal-to-electrical energy conversion for soft robotics. The shape memory polymers known as liquid crystal elastomers (LCEs) are...
Are robots helping or hindering sustainable development?
Jul 09, 2022 (Nanowerk News) A new study brings us up to date on the benefits and pitfalls of robotics and autonomous systems (RASs) when it comes to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) adopted by the United Nations (UN). RASs are changing the world. However, until recently, the opportunities...
Researchers accelerate imaging techniques for capturing small molecules’ structures with graphene
Jul 12, 2022 (Nanowerk News) A University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign research effort led by Pinshane Huang is accelerating imaging techniques to visualize structures of small molecules clearly — a process once thought impossible (Nano Letters, "Atomic-Resolution Imaging of Small Organic Molecules on Graphene"). Their discovery unleashes endless potential in improving...