Preventing medical implant infections with nitric oxide generating MOF coatings

Oct 11, 2023 (Nanowerk Spotlight) Medical implants from artificial joints to pacemakers improve quality of life for millions. However, bacteria can colonize the surface of these devices, forming resilient biofilms and sparking stubborn infections. Around half of orthopedic implants become infected within the first five years, often necessitating repeated surgery...

Making more magnetism possible with topology

Oct 11, 2023 (Nanowerk News) Researchers who have been working for years to understand electron arrangement, or topology, and magnetism in certain semimetals have been frustrated by the fact that the materials only display magnetic properties if they are cooled to just a few degrees above absolute zero. Key Takeaways...

Unlocking brain-like memory with photoferroelectric synapses

Oct 11, 2023 (Nanowerk Spotlight) Scientists have developed a new type of electronic component that demonstrates learning and memory functions like the human brain. The novel "photoferroelectric synapse" device, created by an international team of researchers from China, mimics the biological connections between neurons that allow the nervous system to...

Scientists discover ‘flipping’ layers in heterostructures to cause changes in their properties

Oct 11, 2023 (Nanowerk News) Transition metal dichalcogenide (TMD) semiconductors are special materials that have long fascinated researchers with their unique properties. For one, they are flat, one-atom-thick two-dimensional (2D) materials similar to that of graphene. They are compounds that contain different combinations of the transition metal group (e.g., molybdenum,...

Bringing out the color in zinc

Oct 11, 2023 (Nanowerk News) Zinc is an important element that is found widely in biological systems, is cheap to manufacture relative to other metals, and has low toxicity. However, unlike other similar metals that exhibit a variety of vibrant colors in metal complexes, seeing different colors for zinc materials...