Mar 11, 2023 (Nanowerk News) Microorganisms should be ‘weaponised’ to stave off conflicts across the globe, according to a team of eminent microbiologists. The paper "Weaponising microbes for peace" by Anand et al, outlines the ways in which microbes and microbial technologies can be used to tackle global and local...
Knots smaller than human hair make materials unusually tough
Mar 10, 2023 (Nanowerk News) In the latest advance in nano- and micro-architected materials, engineers at Caltech have developed a new material made from numerous interconnected microscale knots. The knots make the material far tougher than identically structured but unknotted materials: they absorb more energy and are able to deform...
A new age of 2.5D materials
Mar 10, 2023 (Nanowerk News) Scientists are exploring new ways to artificially stack two-dimensional (2D) materials, introducing so-called 2.5D materials with unique physical properties. Researchers in Japan reviewed the latest advances and applications of 2.5D materials in the journal Science and Technology of Advanced Materials ("Science of 2.5 dimensional materials:...
Sub-picosecond magnetization reversal in rare-earth-free spin valves
Mar 10, 2023 (Nanowerk News) Researchers at the Université de Lorraine in France and Tohoku University in Japan have demonstrated a sub-picosecond magnetization reversal in rare-earth-free archetypical spin valves. Their discovery was published in the journal Nature Materials ("Optically-induced ultrafast magnetization switching in ferromagnetic spin valves"). Manipulating magnetic materials without...
Swarm molecular robotics delivers cargo
Mar 10, 2023 (Nanowerk News) Swarm robotics is a new discipline, inspired by the cooperative behaviour of living organisms. It involves fabricating robots and getting them to swarm together to accomplish complex tasks. Macro-scale swarm robots have been developed and employed for a variety of applications, such as transporting and...
Pour water and shake for electricity
Mar 10, 2023 (Nanowerk News) A new stick-like, water-based device can convert energy from movement into electricity. The technology, which was reported in the journal Science and Technology of Advanced Materials ("Lightweight mobile stick-type water-based triboelectric nanogenerator with amplified current for portable safety devices"), could be used to power portable...