Oct 30, 2023 (Nanowerk News) From monitoring concentrations of greenhouse gases to detecting COVID in the breath, laser systems known as frequency combs can identify specific molecules as simple as carbon dioxide and as complex as monoclonal antibodies with unprecedented accuracy and sensitivity. Amazing as they are, however, frequency combs...
Researchers find analytical solutions for 1D channels in twisted bilayer graphene
Oct 30, 2023 (Nanowerk News) The work methodology in a theoretical group often implies discussions in front of the data to elucidate what is the story the nature is trying to tell us. One day, an interesting revelation took place at IMDEA Nanociencia institute in Madrid. Dr. Pierre Pantaleón, researcher...
First-ever wireless device developed to make magnetism appear in non-magnetic materials
Oct 30, 2023 (Nanowerk News) Researchers at the UAB and ICMAB have succeeded in bringing wireless technology to the fundamental level of magnetic devices. The emergence and control of magnetic properties in cobalt nitride layers (initially non-magnetic) by voltage, without connecting the sample to electrical wiring, represents a paradigm shift...
Simulating spins, spirals and shrinking devices
Oct 30, 2023 (Nanowerk News) The diamond in an engagement ring, the wonder-material graphene and the ‘lead’ in a humble pencil are all formed from carbon, but display profoundly different characteristics. Carbon materials such as these are among the most famous examples of how diverse properties can emerge in materials,...
Improving medical implants with high-energy, biocompatible biobatteries
Oct 29, 2023 (Nanowerk Spotlight) Implantable medical devices like pacemakers and biosensors have revolutionized treatments for many debilitating conditions, improving quality of life for millions. However, the inadequate batteries powering these devices remain a major limitation, restricting further progress. Today's pacemakers, biosensors and other in-body electronics overwhelmingly rely on conventional...
Centimeter-scale quadruped leverages curved-crease origami (w/video)
Oct 28, 2023 (Nanowerk News) Centimeter-scale walking and crawling robots are in demand both for their ability to explore tight or cluttered environments and for their low fabrication costs. Now, pulling from origami-inspired construction, researchers led by Cynthia Sung, Gabel Family Term Assistant Professor in Mechanical Engineering and Applied Mechanics...
Soft, elephant trunk-like robot for close interaction with humans
Oct 28, 2023 (Nanowerk News) At EPFL's CREATE lab, under the guidance of Josie Hughes, a breakthrough has been made in the realm of soft robotics. Drawing inspiration from the versatile movement of elephant trunks and octopus tentacles, the team introduced the trimmed helicoid — a novel robotic structure that...
AI can alert urban planners and policymakers to cities’ decay
Oct 28, 2023 (Nanowerk News) More than two-thirds of the world’s population is expected to live in cities by 2050, according to the United Nations. As urbanization advances around the globe, researchers at the University of Notre Dame and Stanford University said the quality of the urban physical environment will...
Shaping vivid structural color with DLP 3D printing of photonic colloidal glasses
Oct 28, 2023 (Nanowerk Spotlight) From the vivid blues and greens of peacock feathers to the shimmering reds of ruby crystals, structural color in nature provides some of the most dazzling displays that delight our eyes. Unlike pigments that absorb certain wavelengths to produce color, structural color arises from the...
Ultrafast x-ray pulses force atoms to give up their electronic secrets
Oct 28, 2023 (Nanowerk News) A new spectroscopy technique developed by RIKEN researchers could help reveal the inner workings of metal catalysts and the proteins involved in photosynthesis in plants (Nature Communications, "Two-dimensional Kβ-Kα fluorescence spectrum by nonlinear resonant inelastic X-ray scattering"). The method is based on a standard technique...