May 26, 2023 (Nanowerk News) The quality factor (Q) is a critical parameter that characterizes the strength of light-matter interactions. Cavities with higher quality factors have the ability to efficiently confine light and thus enhance light-matter interactions. This feature holds significant importance in various applications such as lasers, filters, harmonic...
Forging a dream material with semiconductor quantum dots
May 26, 2023 (Nanowerk News) Researchers from the RIKEN Center for Emergent Matter Science and collaborators have succeeded in creating a “superlattice” of semiconductor quantum dots that can behave like a metal, potentially imparting exciting new properties to this popular class of materials. Semiconducting colloidal quantum dots have garnered tremendous...
Protein-based nano-‘computer’ evolves in ability to influence cell behavior
May 26, 2023 (Nanowerk News) The first protein-based nano-computing agent that functions as a circuit has been created by Penn State researchers. The milestone puts them one step closer to developing next-generation cell-based therapies to treat diseases like diabetes and cancer. Traditional synthetic biology approaches for cell-based therapies, such as...
Termite mounds reveal secret to creating ‘living and breathing’ buildings that use less energy
May 26, 2023 (Nanowerk News) Among the approximately 2,000 known species of termites, some are ecosystem engineers. The mounds built by some genera, for example Amitermes, Macrotermes, Nasutitermes, and Odontotermes, reach up to eight meters high, making them some of the world’s largest biological structures. Natural selection has been at...
Nanorobotic system presents new options for targeting fungal infections
May 26, 2023 (Nanowerk News) Infections caused by fungi, such as Candida albicans, pose a significant global health risk due to their resistance to existing treatments, so much so that the World Health Organization has highlighted this as a priority issue. Although nanomaterials show promise as antifungal agents, current iterations...
Non-contact microsphere ultrafast laser nanopatterning technology
May 26, 2023 (Nanowerk News) In the past decades, the development of nano-fabrication technology is driven by the need to increase the density of components and performance, which requires high accuracy in material processing and the capability of manufacturing in an atmospheric environment. Compared to other advanced processing methods, ultrafast...
Active Brownian particles have four distinct states of motion
May 26, 2023 (Nanowerk News) Active Brownian motion describes particles which can propel themselves forwards, while still being subjected to random Brownian motions as they are jostled around by their neighbouring particles. Through new analysis published in EPJ E ("Active Brownian particles in a biased periodic potential"), Meng Su at...
Artificial intelligence-assisted chiral nanophotonic designs
May 26, 2023 (Nanowerk News) Chiral nanostructures can enhance the weak inherent chiral effects of biomolecules and highlight the important roles in chiral detection. However, the design of the chiral nanostructures is challenged by extensive theoretical simulations and explorative experiments. Recently, Zheyu Fang’s group proposed a chiral nanostructure design method...
Quantum scientists accurately measure power levels one trillion times lower than usual
May 25, 2023 (Nanowerk News) Scientists in Finland have developed a nanodevice that can measure the absolute power of microwave radiation down to the femtowatt level at ultra-low temperatures – a scale trillion times lower than routinely used in verifiable power measurements. The device has the potential to significantly advance...
Skyrmion transistors propel quantum and AI research
May 25, 2023 (Nanowerk News) In an era marked by an escalating energy crisis, the world stands on the precipice of a transformative revolution in spintronics technology, promising ultra-low power consumption paired with superior performance. To illustrate the potential, consider this: the power consumed by AlphaGo during its famous Go...