Jan 17, 2023 (Nanowerk News) Much recent research has focused on ‘topological’ materials – an intriguing type of solids which fall outside the standard classification into insulators and conductors. While their bulk is insulating, these phases are characterized by electrically conducting channels which appear at their edges. These resulting so-called...
Nanoparticles make it easier to turn light into solvated electrons
Jan 17, 2023 (Nanowerk News) There are many ways to initiate chemical reactions in liquids, but placing free electrons directly into water, ammonia and other liquid solutions is especially attractive for green chemistry because solvated electrons are inherently clean, leaving behind no side products after they react. In theory, solvated...
A systematic framework to compare performance of plastics recycling approaches
Jan 17, 2023 (Nanowerk News) With only a small percentage of plastics recycled, determining the best way to recycle and reuse these materials may enable higher adoption of plastics recycling and reduce plastic waste pollution. Researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) examined the...
Biomolecular analyses now have an expanded chemical toolkit
Jan 17, 2023 (Nanowerk News) The 2022 Nobel Prize in Chemistry was awarded in part for what can be a quite difficult problem: precisely altering one aspect of biomolecules without affecting the rest of the cell. Now, in a study recently published in Organic Letters ("Synthesis of functionalized dibenzoazacyclooctynes by...
Organic semiconductors curl up in the dark
Jan 17, 2023 (Nanowerk News) At DESY´s brilliant X-ray source PETRA III, an international research team was able to observe in real time the influence that ambient light has on the production of organic semiconductors. The group, led by researchers from the Technical University of Denmark, combined different observation techniques and...
A robot able to ‘smell’ using a biological sensor
Jan 17, 2023 (Nanowerk News) A new technological development by Tel Aviv University has made it possible for a robot to smell using a biological sensor. The sensor sends electrical signals as a response to the presence of a nearby odor, which the robot can detect and interpret. In this...
Researchers gain deeper understanding of mechanism behind superconductors
Jan 17, 2023 (Nanowerk News) Physicists at Leipzig University have once again gained a deeper understanding of the mechanism behind superconductors. This brings the research group led by Professor Jürgen Haase one step closer to their goal of developing the foundations for a theory for superconductors that would allow current...
Multi-layered, nanostructured ‘space skin’ can help future satellites and spacecraft harvest energy
Jan 16, 2023 (Nanowerk News) A 'space skin' could help protect spacecraft and satellites from harsh solar radiation while also harvesting energy for future use in the craft's mission, according to a study (ACS Nano, "Multifunctional Nanostructures with Controllable Band Gap Giving Highly Stable Infrared Emissivity for Smart Thermal Management")...
‘Lights out’ for antibiotic-resistant superbugs
Jan 16, 2023 (Nanowerk News) It’s ‘lights out’ for antibiotic-resistant superbugs as next-generation light-activated nanotech proves it can eradicate some of the most notorious and potentially deadly bacteria in the world. Developed by the University of South Australia and published in Pharmaceutics ("Gallium Protoporphyrin Liquid Crystalline Lipid Nanoparticles: A Third-Generation...
Blocking radio waves and electromagnetic interference with the flip of a switch
Jan 16, 2023 (Nanowerk News) Researchers in Drexel University’s College of Engineering have developed a thin film device, fabricated by spray coating, that can block electromagnetic radiation with the flip of a switch. The breakthrough, enabled by versatile two-dimensional materials called MXenes, could adjust the performance of electronic devices, strengthen...