Oct 13, 2023 (Nanowerk News) In a new breakthrough, researchers have used a novel technique to confirm a previously undetected physics phenomenon that could be used to improve data storage in the next generation of computer devices. Key Takeaways Scientists have discovered the "orbital Hall effect," a phenomenon where electrons...
Overcoming limitations of hydrogel actuators with graphene microtubes
Oct 13, 2023 (Nanowerk Spotlight) Soft robotics and biomedical devices are pioneering fields that aim to create machinery and tools that mimic the soft, flexible nature of human tissues. This is crucial because it allows these devices to interact safely with humans and perform tasks that hard robots might find...
Morpho butterfly nanostructure inspires technology for bright, balanced lighting
Oct 12, 2023 (Nanowerk News) As you watch Morpho butterflies wobble in flight, shimmering in vivid blue color, you’re witnessing an uncommon form of structural color that researchers are only beginning to use in lighting technologies such as optical diffusers. Furthermore, imparting a self-cleaning capability to such diffusers would minimize...
‘Starquakes’ could explain mystery signals
Oct 12, 2023 (Nanowerk News) Fast radio bursts, or FRBs, are an astronomical mystery, with their exact cause and origins still unconfirmed. These intense bursts of radio energy are invisible to the human eye, but show up brightly on radio telescopes. Key Takeaways Fast radio bursts (FRBs) are intense, short-lived...
Scientists develop acoustic 3D trapping of microparticles in flowing liquid
Oct 13, 2023 (Nanowerk News) Acoustic radiation force generated by ultrasonic standing wave is one of the forces with the ability of cell trapping. Cells can be trapped at either pressure nodes or anti-nodes depending on the properties of the cells and suspension medium. A research team from the Suzhou...
A new lens into the Universe’s most energetic particles
Oct 13, 2023 (Nanowerk News) Showers in bathrooms bring us comfort; showers from space bring astrophysicists joy. Osaka Metropolitan University scientists have observed, with their novel method, cosmic-ray extensive air showers with unprecedented precision, opening the door to new insights into the Universe’s most energetic particles. When a high energy...
Graphene lenses focus light into spirals and doughnuts
Oct 12, 2023 (Nanowerk Spotlight) Conventional lenses made of glass can only focus light in a limited way, restricting many potential applications in optics and photonics. Now researchers have developed a new type of lens made from atom-thin graphene that can focus light into complex patterns, opening possibilities for advanced...
Concrete as CO2 trap – right at the plant
Oct 12, 2023 (Nanowerk News) After their production, which emits a lot of carbon dioxide, cement-based building materials such as concrete absorb the climate gas again – a process that takes decades and can hardly be controlled. What if it could be accelerated to protect the climate? Empa researchers are...
Metal nanoclusters for stable lithium-sulfur batteries
Oct 12, 2023 (Nanowerk News) The demand for efficient energy storage systems is ever increasing, especially due to the recent emergence of intermittent renewable energy and the adoption of electric vehicles. In this regard, lithium–sulfur batteries (LSBs), which can store three to five times more energy than traditional lithium-ion batteries,...
A stretchable high-resolution user-interactive synesthesia displays for visual-acoustic encryption
Oct 12, 2023 (Nanowerk News) The future of human-machine interfaces is on the cusp of a revolution with the unveiling of a groundbreaking technology - a stretchable high-resolution multicolor synesthesia display that generates synchronized sound and light as input/output sources. Key Takeaways Researchers unveil a groundbreaking stretchable synesthesia display. The...